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Dáiddadállu continuously cooperates with other Indigenous Peoples’ communities, especially in the Arctic region. The pictures show when Dáiddadállu was in Nuuk during a project focused on promoting Indigenous Peoples’ art internationally
Dáiddadállu continuously cooperates with other Indigenous Peoples’ communities, especially in the Arctic region. The pictures show when Dáiddadállu was in Nuuk during a project focused on promoting Indigenous Peoples’ art internationally
© Dáiddadállu

Woven From the Bonds of Cultural Cooperation

May 12, 2025
Народы АрктикиСоюз Саамов
For Indigenous Peoples, culture is viable, central and fundamental to their lives

Article by:
Izabel Nordlund, The Saami Council

The everyday lives and cultural practices of Arctic Indigenous Peoples are both material and immaterial; they are woven into relationships, places and stories. We all confront similar dilemmas in a world marked by climate change and the loss of biodiversity — where not only our daily lives are affected, but also our entire cultures are at risk. To navigate an uncertain future, we need each other.

It's no secret that we’re facing major challenges. To raise awareness on Arctic Indigenous’ languages and to mark the UN International Decade on Indigenous languages (2022-2032), the first edition of the Pathways Magazine (2021) featured an article on the endangered languages of Indigenous Peoples. Languages contain knowledge systems and relationships — just like other parts of an Indigenous culture. In the Arctic, Indigenous Peoples share similar challenges, each at different stages of reconciliation. We share a common history of assimilation, racism and oppression that fosters a mutual understanding among us. Colonization erodes culture and languages, but through artistic and cultural practices, we can find a shared path toward growth and unity. By bringing them to global platforms, ripple effects can be felt on the national level. 

The land of the Sámi, Sámeednam, stretches across Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia; cooperation across national borders is a must, yet seldom easy to solve in practice. Cross-border cooperation is often shaped by obstacles due to the laws of states. Each state has its own priorities and budgets for Sámi culture, and along with different laws, it poses difficulties. This is a recurring challenge for the commerce of duodje/Sámi handicrafts, as customs duties often hinder the movement of products across borders — a practical obstacle which affects cross-border cooperation within Sámeednam. We need laws that attend to our traditional borders.

Cooperation Evolves Us

Cultural cooperation initiatives amongst Indigenous Peoples are widespread. Dáiddadállu, an art and culture institution in Sámeednam, works to develop and showcase Sámi art and artists. Dine Arnannguaq Fenger Lynge, CEO, believes building infrastructure and capacity in Sámeednam as a foundation is the key to cultural cooperation and self-determination. Lynge highlights the value of collaborating with other Indigenous Peoples, allowing us to learn from other practices and adapt them to our own context. This helps us gather strength and hope from each other. Successful methods from other communities can be adapted to suit local needs, but it requires time, cross-border cooperation, and a focus on institutional rather than individual development according to Lynge.

The Saami Council organizes KulturSápmi, an annual meeting point for the Sámi art and culture sector, where relationships are built across borders and disciplines. It’s the only professional, cross-border platform for Sámi culture, helping to strengthen and develop art and culture by and for the Sámi. KulturSápmi also provides an opportunity for cultural actors to network and present their work, while addressing relevant topics. The program is developed in collaboration with field actors, including networking meetings that encourage cooperation. Another important platform, the Arctic Art Summit, also builds networks and solidarity among Indigenous Peoples in the Arctic. By creating these arenas on our own terms, we can highlight the issues that matter most to our communities. It’s crucial to connect with others who share our understanding; collaborating on our own terms and in spaces that foster meaningful dialogues.

Duodje images from Izabel Nordlund’s exhibition
© Izabel Nordlund / Saami Council
Duodje images from Izabel Nordlund’s exhibition
© Izabel Nordlund / Saami Council

The Changing Tide of Time

Our conditions are changing rapidly, as factors such as climate change affect our everyday lives. As the climate becomes warmer, our traditions are affected, thus our culture. Nothing is separate from everything else. The guobaga/shoes of reindeer fur I sewed last year I rarely use as there’s no proper winter; the humidity makes the hair liable to come off. When factors such as warmer climate affect us deeply, we rely on each other to adapt to new situations. There’s a constant pressure to preserve our culture and traditions in the present and for future generations —an idea that lies at the heart of Indigenous Peoples’ culture — and at the same time lets the culture evolve according to the time. This shared understanding between Indigenous Peoples can help tackle the problems at hand.

The path forward lies in cooperation, grounded in the perspectives of Arctic Indigenous Peoples and on our own terms. Cultural cooperation is crucial, not only to shape the future, but also to unite us in recognizing the challenges we share. The needs lie in more cross-border cooperation in the Arctic, as well as platforms to collaborate and strengthen the cultural cooperation. When perspectives are shared, the collective becomes greater than the sum of its parts. Cooperation fosters relationships and knowledge, sparking new ways of thinking. The concept of Indigenous Peoples’ culture should be understood in a broader sense; traditional customs such as a vuolle/joik should not be simplified as a song, it could be a feeling, a story, and at times, simply an extension of a thought. The broad understanding of culture among Indigenous Peoples forms the foundation for cooperation, and the potential is everywhere. Cultural cooperation springs from the bonds that weave us together.


© Per-Olof Nutti, President of the Saami Council

“We know that Sámi artists and cultural actors often work alone, even though they have a great and collective responsibility as Sámi cultural bearers. Inadequately adapted resources, national borders and few arenas for building networks prevent Sámi actors from collaborating more, both with each other and with other Indigenous Peoples. In the Saami Council, we are committed to supporting our cultural actors, because they are fundamental to our continued existence.” - Per-Olof Nutti, President of the Saami Council

Sámi Museum Siida – The European Museum in 2024
By Rosa-Máren Magga, Indigenous Peoples' Secretariat

The Sámi Museum Siida, located in Aanaar/Inari – the traditional homeland of the Inari Sámi People - in Northern Finland, is a national museum on Sámi culture, and a regional museum responsible for tasks concerning cultural environments in the Sámi area.

Siida stores, researches and showcases Sámi culture in Finland, and it has the largest Sámi museum collection in the world. Siida also has statutory duties in regard to Sámi cultural environment, including land-use related matters, statements and inspections, the reception of artefacts and observation from the Sámi homeland as well as the maintenance of ancient monuments and antiquities.

Sámi Museum as the European Museum 2024

The Sámi Museum Siida was awarded “European Museum of the year 2024” as recognition of the Siida exhibition because of its societal impact and the close cooperation with the Sámi people. The museum created the new exhibition in a groundbreaking way, giving the space for the Sámi themselves to tell their stories. This allowed the exhibition to bring the traditional knowledge and western scientific knowledge in an equal position and placed Sámi traditional livelihoods and art into the core of the exhibition. Siida Museum Director Taina Máret Pieski explains:

“The exhibition is primarily made for the Sámi people. We tell our own story, and it speaks to people all over the world. It seems to be perceived as genuine that traditional knowledge and scientific knowledge are equal sources of information and art is strongly involved. Also, the fact that the Sámi themselves decided what we tell and how we tell it. The main message is probably that we are talking about the living people: Meaning we're still here and heading into the future.”

Cultural cooperation in the Arctic

Pieski says that the cooperation between Sámi museums is long-standing and at the core of cultural cooperation in addition to the arts, films, storytelling and handicrafts.

The Sámi Museum is partnering with other Sámi museums that store Sámi culture, especially in repatriation processes and joint exhibitions. However, there is currently no network that specifically supports the Arctic Indigenous Peoples’ cultural cooperation and museum work.

“I wish there could be even more cooperation. Cultural cooperation goes beyond museums. The way of thinking is very universal among the Indigenous Peoples. I wish there were more opportunities to collaborate on projects and exhibitions, traveling exhibitions for example.”

What’s her future vision for more cooperation between museums? More knowledge and exhibition exchange between Indigenous Peoples’ museums in the Arctic in order to raise awareness and to learn from each other, summarizes Pieski. Indigenous Peoples have lot in common and their knowledge systems should get more visibility.

“I would like the majority of the population to understand more about the knowledge Arctic Indigenous Peoples have in combating climate change and adapting to it. Our traditional know-how is often not included and considered at the same level as scientific knowledge. A lot of resources are not used properly because of this. Adapting to climate change and combating it is not the sole responsibility of Western scientists. We have a Sámi Climate Council in Finland. But I hope that the know-how of all the Arctic Indigenous Peoples on this issue would become more visible. It could also be done through exhibition activities or art, and in this sense, museums have a role to play.”


© European Museum Forum/João Matos/CMP

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