Date: Monday, October 31, 2005 - Friday, June 30, 2006
FROST: Life & Culture of the Sámi - Reindeer People of Norway
Norwegian Sámi photographer Fred Ivar Utsi Klemetsen’s photo essay “FROST” documents the life of those who still herd their reindeer the traditional way - at the National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC. Through June, 2006.
Sapmi, the land of the Sámi people, stretches across the northern parts of Norway, Finland, Sweden and Russia. There are over 40,000 Sámi living in Norway, of which only a small group maintain the traditional life as nomadic reindeer herders. Visitors will get an exclusive look at the Sámi way of life through photographs as well as traditional Sámi tools and household items.
Norwegian Sámi photographer Fred Ivar Utsi Klemetsen’s photo essay “FROST” documents the life of those who still herd their reindeer the traditional way, only using a limited number of modern tools. The exhibit also commemorates the unique collaboration of indigenous peoples from opposite sides of the Arctic during the 1880’s when Sámi reindeer herders and their families were hired by the United States government to introduce herding subsistence skills to the Yup’ik and Inupiaq Peoples of Alaska.
When: October 19, 2005 - April 23, 2006
Where: Baird Ambulatory Gallery, National Museum of Natural History, the Smithsonian Institution
Admission: FREE