A couple of clarifications to this video for our wider audience: A person’s Sami identity is between the Sami Council and each individual. The Sami Council had accepted my friend as Sami before this luhkka and video was made, and I had no hand in her decision to apply to be recognised as Sami. A luhkka is neither religious garb nor formal wear. It is outerwear, and relatively casual. I have no intention of making formal gaktis neither privately for my friend, nor officially for this channel. I also have no intention of starting a luhkka sewing business and unfairly steal business from skillful Sami tailors in that way. This was strictly a one-off gift for a friend where I saw the opportunity to hopefully provide a little bit of education and understanding along the way.

@dnzljay3971

Ай бұрын

Much respect to you. Indigenous will always find other Indigenous and try to understand. The history is sad but we can all learn from each other

My grandfather escaped from the fires in Nordland, and his parents spoke sami, but never passed it on. My grandfather hated his culture, but my mother embraced it, and studied under a noaide. I have just started learning the language, and this was so moving for me. Growing up, I saw a lot of racism. I never learned any of this history in school, I am just starting. Thank you so much for sharing!

@KristineVike

2 жыл бұрын

This is such a great compliment, thank you! And good luck on your path!

@hetedeleambacht6608

7 ай бұрын

incredible, that you dont learn about what was as it seems half the country `s folks for centuries......what a shame. I`m belgian with spanish, german and ukranian roots...I new a tiny tiny bit about sami (most folklore astories and their bright costumes, but i didnt know the rest... thought they must be a proud part of the scandinavian culture!!!🙈😟😢..their loss, too!

This was beautiful, thank you. My maternal line is Sami, but everyone in the family who knew our origins and family story is now sadly passed away. It was almost never spoken of, except obliquely. I feel like growing up in the USA and being so distant from it, I can’t claim that heritage. I didn’t realize that Sami people in Scandinavia were also so distant from their heritage that they may not even know they are Sami. I have a great deal to learn.

@KristineVike

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for watching and appreciating it! Some Sami people are distant from it in Norway too. Not everyone had their culture stolen in this way, though the coastal/sea Sami were especially heavily abused/forcefully assimilated.

@emma7673

2 жыл бұрын

Don't give up on finding your Sami ancestors!!! I'm like you (a sami-american) and I thought it would be impossible to find my heritage, but after some hard work and genealogical research I have almost completely charted out my Sámi ancestry. Start out by researching the oldest generation you know the names of (from America or Sapmi), I am sure you will be able to find your family's history 🙂. If you would like I could give you the names of some websites that are really helpful for this research.

@ccurran6770

2 жыл бұрын

There are Sami organizations here in the USA, such as the Pacific Sami Searvi and the Sami Cultural Center of North America. They can help you on your journey of learning, celebrating, and honoring your Sami roots.

@iija5238

2 жыл бұрын

Do you know what area your family is from? If you just know the area and last name, you will get pretty far. Some people from my family tree moved to the US too, I know I would be stoked to know how they are doing. My family still lives in Sápmi, but colonization did some harm to us too.

@yetanotherentity

Жыл бұрын

i know the feeling of not having the right to claim a heritage. It's taken me 40 years to come to the understanding that, when it comes to heritage, no permission is needed. Indeed, there is no permission that COULD be given. Your genetic makeup is a fact, not a choice. You ARE Sami, so the only choice here is whether or not you want to embrace it. As for whether or not other Sami will embrace you in return...? This is 2022. There are hundreds (if not thousands) of displaced descendants out there. As the hippies used to say: if you can't find your tribe, make one.

Thank you for sharing this info. I’m a Black American and was married to a man with Sami lineage. I will share this with our son as he has recently become interested in this lineage.

As a Dane, I had no idea of any of this. I know very little of the Sami people. Thank you for telling me the truth of what happened and what is still happening to these beautiful people.

@KristineVike

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for watching and learning! I am so happy this video is educating people. 🥰

My friend here in Canada is of Sami descent. This was very interesting. Sadly, both of us come from cultures of oppression of indigenous peoples. Thankyou for making a great video to honour your friend and to teach the rest of the world about the Sami.

@KristineVike

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for sharing! I can't tell you how happy I am that this video is resonating with people. 😊

I am a Norwegian immigrant to the US. I came when I was young, and I am in my early 60s now. On a lark, because my father is from the Finnmark area, I did my DNA, thinking I might be a tad Russian, as his small village is close to that border. My results said I was only 50% Norwegian, and the rest almost evenly split between Finnish and Swedish, and it also said I was 1.6% Inuit. No Russian at all. There is no family lore that says I was any of those. I looked at my DNA relatives and many were wearing Sami dress. No family lore about Sami either. I was in disbelief and this has made me doubt who I am, and what my identity is. When doing some genealogy, I found my paternal great grandmother's and grandfather's church records and they clearly said they were Sami and spoke Sami at home. The other ancestors I found on my dad's side didn't say they were Sami, but came from the very north of Sweden and Finland, in what is traditionally called Sami lands, close to the Finnmark area. My father, who is still alive, denied all of it, even with the records there for him to see. I am anywhere from 25-50% Sami, and I had no clue about any of it. It has been such a shock and I feel such a profound sense of loss. If there is such a thing as carryover culture that spans generations, it would explain many things about me and my beliefs about nature, religion, my inability to stay put in one place for more than a year or two, etc. For now, I am contenting myself with finding out as much as I can about my roots. Thank you so much for sharing this, I am so appreciative.

@KristineVike

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for your kind words. I hope you find some answers that bring you peace. ❤️

@lisascenic

10 ай бұрын

It’s worth noting that if a particular population has not participated in genetic testing, there will be no DNA in the databases to match to. I understand that many indigenous groups steer clear of these kinds of tests for very good reasons. But that makes it difficult for someone who suspects an indigenous heritage to get information. To put it another way @Ekinnajay lack of genetic matching does not necessarily mean that someone isn’t part of a particular population.

Thank you for spreading awareness! This is the best brief history of Sámi oppression that I've seen on YT. Like your friend, I'm a young adult who've had to discover and claim my Sámi heritage as an adult. A couple of years ago, I was lucky enough to meet an elderly Sámi seamstress and luhkka maker who custom-made a luhkka for me. We struggled somewhat to communicate, because I only speak Norwegian, and she clearly had a Sámi language as her native tongue. Still, the luhkka was made and it's incredibly special to me.

@KristineVike

2 жыл бұрын

That is such a lovely story! I am so happy this video proved valuable to you. ❤️

The Nordic countries have piqued my interest many years ago, and I've always wanted to know more about the Sámi. Thank you so much for this little piece of their history! The part where you speak about Sámi languages being forbidden and children being punished for speaking it reminds me very much of how Breton was treated in the late 19th and early 20th century - first forbidden at church, then at school, in favour of French. Children caught speaking Breton at school were also punished, and when Breton draftees returned from WW1 having spoken only French with their comrades in arms, the language was spoken less and less and nearly went extinct - until a revival movement saved it in the 1970s.

@KristineVike

Жыл бұрын

Yes, this was sadly a thing enforced by white colonizers to a large degree in many parts of the world around the same time. Super sad and frustrating for all the culture that got lost. :(

Thank you for making this! As someone who is learning of their Sámi heritage and unearthing the family secret to my parents, uncles, and aunts; this video meant a lot to me. Your content is beautifully done, and you are truly a well spoken artist. Continue sharing thé wisdom you have gathered, and breathing life into all cultures. You deserve so much for this

@KristineVike

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for your kind words and for watching the video! I wish you all the best in the terribly hard work it is to reclaim and rediscover a culture that was wrongfully taken from you. ❤️

What a treasure! This was an excellent short history that I look forward to sharing with friends. Your friend is so fortunate to have you in their life.

@KristineVike

2 жыл бұрын

Aw, thank you! I am lucky to have her as well!

I'm a 10th century viking reenactor and I have struggled so hard to find Sami and Sapmi resources and history, it took me ages to learn why, and I'm glad you made this video so i could learn more!

It is always the same story in the end. Those in power opress who they come across and it is never other taking an interest in a culture, talking about it, getting inspired by it that destroys said culture, its always forbidding it that leads to its loss. You can not steal culture, only kill it by forbidding people from living and sharing it. Thank you for talking about it, thank you for spreading awareness and offering those open to it a way to discover a part of this culture.

Your friend is lucky to have such a kind and talented friend 🙂. Beautiful Luhkka, great job.

@KristineVike

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you. She tells me it is very warm. 😊

I have enjoyed your videos for some time now- always an edifying pleasure. But this video spoke to my soul. Thank you for being an excellent ally to the Sámi- myself included.

@KristineVike

10 ай бұрын

It makes me so happy that people are enjoying it so much, thank you!!

What a lovely, lovely post! I adore your kitty, the Luhkkas look so warm and professional. I do hope that somehow the Sami will rediscover their ancestral nature wisdom and reclaim their sovereignty, pride and be respected by all.🕊🕊🕊

Thank you so much for this information! I feel more and more drawn to Sami culture though have no idea why. I hope this revival continues! Btw, your voice and accent are so beautiful I could listen to you all day. 😊

This is so wonderful! I have been involved in one form or another of fiber arts since I was 4 or 5 yrs old. (about 65 yrs.) I truly appreciate your video for the explanation of the history of this special garment! I also truly appreciate all the love, care & attention to detail you put into this absolutely marvelous, thoughtful and caring gift for your friend! I so hope she greatly appreciates it! The involvement of your beautiful kitty is the icing on the cake! I love this so much! Thank you for making this video and sharing it with everyone! 🥰🥰🥰

Thanks!

@KristineVike

10 ай бұрын

❤️❤️❤️

Thank you for this video. I only had some basic awareness of the topic, and even though this is still an introduction, it still gave some important information and perspective. Also, the cape is beautiful! The double piping especially looks so good as a fun contrast to the grey, well worth the effort of sewing through all those layers. Congratulations on completing it!

@KristineVike

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you! I agree, the double contrasting double piping really pulls it all together. I want to use it for more projects now!

So interesting to hear that this same suppression of natives happened in this part of the world as it did here in NAmerica everywhere.

Thank you so much for this history. The world needs this. The young folk who have no idea any of this ever happened love KZread, so hopefully some will see and learn. And tell their friends. Knowledge runs around the world in seconds now.

A gift of love!

Thank you so much. I have learned so much from this video. You are an excellent presenter. I am fascinated by the Sami but it's difficult to find information on them here in UK. Very sad they had such a difficult time with the so called Christians not exactly Christ consciousness in fact the opposite. I wanted to cry at their treatment. I will be watching all the videos you have made as I really love the traditional dress for the Sami and Eastern Europe and Scandinavian cultures. Thank you again and please do more on the Sami!

Thank you so much for this video. I'm a Scandinavian American who knows practically nothing about my ancestral lands. I do a bit of viking historical reenactment and this is wonderful to learn about. I'm very interested in the indigenous spirituality of my ancestors as well. Loved this video!

My gramma is saami. I grew up in Canada and will be living in Texas. My aunt has been keeping our historic photos etc. My gramma was from the most northern part in arctic circle “ Norway”. Asta munsen…I was told that my great great great uncles were part of an uprising against priests . I feel really proud. I’ve always hate a deep hatred for churches for sone reason. I don’t like going into missions here in California and I don’t even like attending church. I’m looking forward to revisiting the north and painting portraits. And landscapes

A combination of a fascinating history and the creation of a truly beautiful cape - thank you.

thank you for telling us about the Sami people, i am danish and never knew about this (my country has a lot of destruction in its history and we learn nothing of it) i'm very glad to know and also the luhkka is very pretty, keep up the good work (also your videos make me want to learn to sew and find some patterns for guys to make for myself) edit: also saw your viking dress video and really enjoyed it - i'll remember to go back and leave a comment for the metrics :))

Oh wow, I knew little about Sami history. Your history lesson was maddening (as it seems to reflect the same treatment of indigenous people around the world, certainly in the US). The sewing was beautiful. Well done! Thank you.

@KristineVike

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you. And yes, sadly a lot of these ideas were pretty similar around the world at the time. Heartbreaking as that is.

@lynnecurran1787

2 жыл бұрын

The US, Canada and Australia all experienced this sort of thing.

It is so very sad that our Sami heritage was denied for so long. While my Father & paternal Grandmother were proud of our Sami connections, when I was preparing to visit Norway, one of my cousins who is a generation less removed from the old country warned me to be very careful who I let know of our Sami heritage (she told me that when her Mom married her Dad, her Mom's family were upset that she was marrying into our family, & that Sami are still looked down upon as being ignorant, dark, and dirty). If I ever get another chance to visit in Norway, more exploration of our Sami heritage will be a priority.

Merci infiniment pour cette decouverte du peuple Sami que je ne connaissait pas du tout🙏💜et surtout merci d avoir mis le traducteur. j aime beaucoup votre chaine qui est tres enrichissante et de grande qualité en couture. Je vous situais en Amérique et non en Norvege , mais au vu de cette vidéo et de celle sur les "red pointy hat" j en deduis que je me suis trompée 🤭. quant à votre Kitty...mon Dieu...j ai cru revoir ma Deva💝😻. Donc un grand merci de partager votre travail et de nous enrichir d histoires et je regrette de ne pas comprendre votre langue. Amitiés de France. Violette.

A beautiful garment with lively finishing touches. I had never heard of the Samli - seems they were treated much like our Native Americans. Thank you for the history lesson.

you may be a small youtube channel with a limited suscriber base, but that really means nothing when it comes to who you might reach on the internet (as i'm sure you know). As an american, the story of the Sami histroy echoes the treatment of native Americans by European colonists, and later by the U.S. government- right down to the schools used to eradicate native languages and links to culture and spirituality. Echoes also the attitudes and methods used to keep enslaved Africans submissive ... something which continues to this day in far too much of the U.S. I was touched by your ability to educate us with care, delicacy, and sensitivity to a history that isn't 'yours' (being before you were born) but yet without disavowing ownership of your society's role in the story. Beautifully done, and i applaud you. (thumb has been clicked!) I wish more people could face their own culture's role in subjugating and eradicating other races in such an honest and genuine manner. Perhaps, then, we'd make some progress in healing so many wounds.

A beautiful gift. Thanks for the history as well

Beautiful video. Thank you.

Thank you for the knowledge sharing ♥️

Wow love your voice and great teaching. Ty

Thank you for sharing this history. Many Blessings to you and your friend.

Loved watching this episode, very interesting! Thank you for sharing.

oh so sweet and historically informative; and very much enjoyed learning the traditional sewing process

Fabulous, thank you so much!

Love this beautiful cape you made so well! 😀💖🌟

This was another amazing video and journey!

Thank you so much

Thanks so much for the history of the Sami people and the beautiful sewing. I very much enjoyed your video.

Thank you! This is important.

@KristineVike

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you! ❤️

I had no idea the Sami even existed as I had never heard of them before. Thank you for putting this brief history of them online since like i found this many others will.

I am so grateful you gave me (from the United States) the opportunity to learn a bit about the Sami. Thank you so much.

Thank you!

Found your channel yesterday, and am enjoying your videos while I finish hand-sewing buttonholes on a waistcoat I'm making my 13 yrold for Christmas. Thank you!

@KristineVike

2 жыл бұрын

Aw, that sounds so lovely! I’m sure they will love it! 😊

Your work is fascinating and charming!👏👏👏👏👏👏😻😻😻😻 You rescue precious abilities almost forgotten. Thanks for your work! And in today's video, I was able to learn a little about the history of your people, which I unfortunately completely ignored, so far from mine in every way: geographically, culturally, every way. But in the end, we are just human beings trying to learn how to be happy. Thanks for the important class. Best regards from a so distant land, Brazil! 💙💙

Absolutely love your cat ❤

Awesome video!

Thank you for.....more than I can mention...Please tell us more

thank you for teaching me

What a beautifully thoughtful creation....

@KristineVike

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you! 🥰

Thank you so much for this. I had no idea of this history of abuse and I'm grateful that you've shared, because it is so important to know. Even though it's horrible. Especially because it's horrible.

@KristineVike

Жыл бұрын

Especially because it is horrible. 💔 We are far too eager to want to look away from the ugly parts.

That wa beautiful!!! Love your Freja sewing mashine. That makes me jealous. I am addicted to sewing machines. Unfortunately my space is limited and my husband does not share my passion. I am still struggling to smuggle an adler 30 into my house as I am not ownly a hobby sewer but also a hobby shoemaker. Hello from Kristine to Kristine

As a Dane I was taught so little about Sami. And I even know more than many here. What I "knew": Exotic, nomadic reindeer herders who had never had their own land, rather lived on the lands of Norway, Sweden, and Finland. And sometimes recently it was decided to "modernise" them, which also meant to discourage their culture. And they intergrated and stopped being reindeer herders and became part of civilised society. The whole of the terrible actions, the forced assimilation, the cultural eradication wasn't taught.

What a beautiful friend you are. Words are good but when we put our love friendship and respect into actio 😅n then I believe healing can start 💖😊 take care and Katy from NZ

@KristineVike

Жыл бұрын

Thank you, I hope so. 🙂

That is beautiful!

@KristineVike

Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

I just found you, I think yesterday. I am totally entranced by you and by your subject matter. I hope you decide to do a biography of Elsa Layla Rehnberg. With your sensitivity, remarkable way with words, I can almost hear you reading that biography to us. I wanted to reap during the discussion of Sami persecution. I hate the parallel with North American indigenous populations. I’ve lived among the Inuit and Athabascan in Alaska as well as come from Comanche and Apache forebears. Wishing you happiness and joy as you explore these topics obviously so dear to you.

@Gritsnbutter

Жыл бұрын

Reap=weep

@KristineVike

Жыл бұрын

It is such a heartbreaking history. But I do think ignoring it would be far, far worse. ❤

So much the same happened to native American s here. Right down to eliminating their language s. Just now are various tribes are teaching their children their culture.

I cannot describe how disappointed I am in not having been taught all this history in school in Southern Finland. So much of this painful history is caused by the people I come from. We learned about vikings, but Sami culture was completely ignored or horribly presented through racist stereotypes which had no real purpose to begin with. This was in the early 2000s. One can only hope that the younger generations are learning a decolonised history that is narrated by the Sami, as they would like it told. Thank you for giving me the Norwegian perspective, I will definitely go do my own reading about the same timeline in Finland. And what a beautiful Luhkka you made.

@KristineVike

Жыл бұрын

I am so glad you found it helpful! We didn’t learn much about the Sami where I went to school in Southern Norway either. And what little we were taught was cartoonish in its simplicity. Such a disservice! I only learned more once I moved north for university. We really have work to do to try to get rid of the stereotypes and misconceptions.

Such a nice work; great heritage representation!! Have you seen the Fjällräven Luhkka?

The four-stranded plait looks just like the ones I make - though I am sure I have no Sami ancestry.

My great grandparents are from the arctic circle in Finland. Have no idea if they were Sami or not. History lost to time.

Many things you have spoken about occurred here as well on Turtle Island (America). The sad history of oppression of Indigenous people is repeated throughout the world.

@KristineVike

2 жыл бұрын

Yes, it was an idea shared by many Eurocentric cultures at the time, tragically.

Thank you for the education and cultural arts history. The history of white washing of Native peoples in the Americas seems to echo what happened with the Sami peoples.

@KristineVike

Жыл бұрын

It is sadly a toxic idea that was prevalent in Europe and Eurocentric colonies at the time (and that we still feel the effects of today). So as far as I can tell, most all indigenous people in those regions suffered similar atrocities across the globe.

Also Inarinsami is a small laungage spoken in Finnish sápmi

@KristineVike

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for the feedback! I think I might barely be able to squeeze that into the description within the character limit. 😅

May I ask about the green wrap you are wearing? Can you tell me more about it, please?

@KristineVike

8 ай бұрын

It is a crocheted Victorian “Sonntag” gifted to me by a dear friend. I love it so much. It allows my core to stay warm while my arms are free to work. Here is the pattern for it: 🙂 www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/crocheted-sonntag

While unrelated to the topic of this video but, what is the name of the green knitted(?)/crocheted(?) wrap that you are wearing. Just asking because I love the drape of it and would love to knit one but don't know what it's called so I don't even know how to look up a knitted pattern for it or where to begin to look for a knitting pattern for it.

@KristineVike

Жыл бұрын

It is called a Sonntag or bosom warmer. My friend gifted me this one and I wear it a lot! It can be either knitted or crocheted, but this is the pattern she used. :) www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/crocheted-sonntag

@lesliehyde

Жыл бұрын

@@KristineVike thanks!

You don't strike me as someone who watches Disney films, and obviously it is highly fictionalized and mysticized and the countries are all fictional, but it is interesting how the movie Frozen 2 explores the relationship between white "Arendelle" folks, and the indigenous "Northuldra", as well as the obscured history and the way Northuldra descendants may only learn of their heritage in adulthood. It's really great the way you folded this history and cultural context into your video.

@unrightist

Жыл бұрын

Reading some of the comments here from people of Sàmi heritage I feel a bit... naïve

@KristineVike

Жыл бұрын

We still have a rather long and winding way to go for reparations. But knowledge and awareness is a great start. ❤️

I thought it is a cape of Finland( Suomi)

@KristineVike

2 жыл бұрын

Sapmi (traditional area of the Sami) covers large parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland and parts of Russia, so it would show up with Sami people in Finland too. And there was/is of course trade and cultural exchange over the centuries. 🙂

This was an interesting video, but I was completely distracted by your shawl. In the U.S. during the 19th to early 20th century there were patterns for them in women's magazines. I think the style pre-dated the printed patterns. They were named Sontag, Bosom Friend, and sometimes Hug-me-tight. I've been looking for a pattern. Yours looks "right" for a 19th century woman who has to move about and get things done. I would like to buy the pattern if it's yours. If it is a reproduction from an extant garment or old pattern, would you share the source?

@KristineVike

Жыл бұрын

The Sonntag was a gift from a friend, based on an extant pattern. Normally I try to include these things in the description, but there are just so many other things in this video that takes precedence with the character limit. The pattern can be found on Ravelry: www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/crocheted-sonntag

@EmergingNow577

Жыл бұрын

@@KristineVike No, I didnt mean to imply that you should have included the info. I just have an interest in them, so it caught my eye. It was different than the reproductions that I've seen, and I like the design. Thank you for information.

Unfortunately Australia has a similar history even more sorry as they have now found out that native Australian have a different biology than the white oppresser so medically they were not even treated right or understood,now they are claiming their heritage and we are encouraged to give thanks to them and recognise them at all official functions,and on our mail,but there are still a great many problems and a large proportion of people treat them still as second class citizens,society in general after reading all the comments has a lot to learn and Darwin should not be lauded but read in context maybe and see that theses people had so much to offer that we have now lost or just don’t understand.

@KristineVike

Жыл бұрын

It is such an awful tragedy what happened and is still happening worldwide. We still have such a long way to go!

🇨🇦 Canada’s similarly ugly history, and not adequately improved contemporary behaviours, says Hello.

@KristineVike

2 жыл бұрын

Yeeeah 😬😬😬

Such great info, wish you would've left all the virtue signaling out and just told the story.

This was so informative and your work is beautiful 💚🧶🪡💚