i have to say it is difficult to type now, even though i am indoors it is -23C outside and my fingers are quite stiff...
anyway, welcome to Jokkmokk, population 3,200. except for the week of January 28th - January 5th, where 80,000 people converge for the market...
THINGS
jokkmokk is located within the UNESCO laponia world heritage site. nature here is, of course, incredible
view from the frozen lake
sled dogs going crazy for getting harnessed up
tasty swedish candy ropes
a pile of reindeer skins
a sled belonging to someone named "Garcia"
some foxes furs and furs of other creatures. i have never seen more fur being worn or sold in my entire life
more foxes
beautiful Sami reindeer skin shoes
a few of the things i bought at the market: a 7 inch recording of Sami hymns made in 1966, 3 kinds of ribbon, special kind of salt, kaffeosk ( a cheese you eat by putting into coffee to melt), mittens, and felt wool insoles aka THE BEST 50 kr i ever spent!
reindeer getting ready for the race on the frozen lake
more reindeer
Sami man harnessing a reindeer that did not want to be harnessed
reindeer after a race
Sami kids watching the race
one more reindeer!
PEOPLE
this is Per Westberg, from the south of Sweden. He is a craftsman/furniture maker who lives on a large piece of land in the countryside growing vegetables with his wife. He is also an artist and a self-taught expert on electromagnetism. Also, he makes models and displays for museums - one of his models of the ancient city of Uppsala is in the museum there.
Per and i spent a long time drinking coffeee and talking inside this Sami tent, where one could also buy reindeer stock soup and waffles with lingonberry sauce
Daniel P., from Hosjöbotten, Sweden, one of the Sami boys on Saturday night
Daniel's reindeer brand/cutting mark
his friend whose name escapes me at the moment
crazy kids
Sami youth at a dance at the Folket Hus
Nils Ole Anti (see entry below), from Finnmark, Norway. here he is writing some phrases in Northern Fell Sami for me to practice
Nils' shoes
Nils' reindeer markings/cuttings
J's reindeer markings
Drawing collaboration and notes between Nils, A. and J. in my book
i have become very interested in these marking cuts they use on the reindeer - i think learning about these might be something i will investigate in detail during this trip. they're beautiful.
tomorrow (february 6th) is National Sami day throughout Scandinavia. tomorrow in our little town there will be a small celebration at the main Laponia House, which of course I will attend. it is a little difficult getting from place to place here in the dead of winter, but I've managed so far. i hear Norway is even more difficult. but perhaps by saturday i will be in Tromso, who knows?
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7 comments:
Love the photos--the sketchbook drawings are really interesting as is the traditional dress.
PS The windchill here in Chicago this morning was -23. Ouch--I can't imagine feeling that every day! Stay warm!
Great photos as usual...I remember being completely overwhelmed by all the seal furs in Bergen. That was hard for me as a vegan, even though I vastly prefer subsistence hunting to factory farming.
It sounds like you're meeting some incredible people and developing strong connections - and the interest in reindeer marking is perfect, just the sort of thing that might influence your art in ways you never could have considered before being exposed to them.
i hope you got down with the Sami youth, some of them look like babes. party time. it all looks so amazing.
Interesting markings.Are they like signatures for the Samy? Good pictures. How are you doing with the food. Are you keeping your diet? How you feel?
elisa! casey showed me the link and i'm hanging on to your adventures with bated breath, especially the adventures that involve stuffed animals. girl went in on a taxidermied toad for me for christmas this year, she knows what i like. can't wait to read more...
(it's Anna, by the way...)
Hola Ely: que felicidad es ver que tus suenos se te estan cumpliendo. Sigue haciendo las cosas bien y no tendras "pesadillas". Oye, esos cipotes Samis estan "bien guapasar" (cutes).Los alumnos de la Gardner quieren que cuando vengas les pases las diapositivas (slides) de tu viaje. Se han emocionado mucho con el Expreso Polar, ya que los de 3r. Grado lo estan leyendo y les ecanta el Hotel de Hielo, las pieles de alce y reno y los dulces de gomitas de diferentes figuras. Un beso de tu mama, Rosy.
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