NEW YORK, NY.- S醡i Stories: Art and Identity of an Arctic People, a landmark exhibition examining the history, identity, and visual culture of the indigenous S醡i people, opened at Scandinavia House: The Nordic Center in America, in New York City, on May 10, 2014. Featuring a selection of contemporary artworks and traditional duodji (handicraft)—including a reindeer milk scoop, shaman’s drum, cradle, and a selection of hats and dolls—the exhibition offers visitors an overview of S醡i history and visual culture from the 17th century to the present.

The exhibition is organized by Northern Norway Art Museum, Troms� University Museum, and The American-Scandinavian Foundation (ASF) in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the Norwegian S醡i Parliament and 200th anniversary of the Constitution of Norway, and draws from major Norwegian collections to highlight the historical and contemporary cultural vitality of the S醡i.

Historical Background
The S醡i are the indigenous people of S醦mi, a territory comprising Northern Finland, Norway, Sweden, and Russia’s Kola Peninsula. Since the establishment of national borders in Fenno-Scandinavia, the S醡i have struggled for formal, legal recognition of their status and rights as an indigenous people, but were largely ignored until the late 20th century. In 1998, the Norwegian government passed constitutional Article 110a, which, for the first time, formally recognized the S醡i as a separate people under Norwegian law, and established the S醡i Parliament of Norway, a representative body for people of S醡i heritage. Historically, S醡i art has been the most important means of expression for the S醡i—a way to communicate S醡i identity, ideas, and values to the world outside S醦mi—and S醡i artists have been deeply involved in S醡i cultural and political movements.

Overview
S醡i Stories: Art and Identity of an Arctic People offers an overview of S醡i history, politics, religion, and identity through the pairing of historical, cultural objects and contemporary artworks. Together, the works on view highlight the issues, traditions, ideas, and narratives that have shaped, and continue to shape, the S醡i people and culture.

Several objects, like a shaman’s drum and hammer from c. 1600–1700, address S醡i religious practice, an ancient form of shamanism centered on painted skin drums. S醡i shamanism was forced underground in the 17th and 18th centuries, but many people continued to make offerings at the same sacred places, a number of which have been captured by contemporary Norwegian photographer Arvid Sveen in works from his 2003 series Mythical Landscape. In her collage Grandmother’s 448 Treasures (羑kku 448 vuorkk醫), Swedish S醡i poet and artist Rose-Marie Huuva addresses her S醡i- Laestadian religious background.

S醡i identity has long been bound up with reindeer, historically a crucial resource of the S醡i, the foundation of their livelihood and cultural identity, and an icon of “S醡iness” outside of S醦mi. This fact is evident in many of the older objects on view—a 19th-century reindeer harness, a horn knife, a birch reindeer milk scoop—as well as in the contemporary: Textile artist Aslaug Juliussen has been actively involved with reindeer herding for the past 20 years and incorporates reindeer remains into her fiber and textile works. Printmaker John Savio’s works depict the prominence of reindeer in S醡i communities and activities. And Finnish S醡i photographer Marja Helander explores the contrasts characteristic of modern S醡i life in a playful series of photographs entitled Modern Nomads.

S醡i history and politics are addressed in the works of Swedish S醡i textile artist and painter Britta Marakatt-Labba, who illustrates major S醡i events, among them the 1852 Kautokeino Rebellion and 1970s Alta Case, in her extensive, scrolling embroideries. Similarly, Norwegian S醡i printmaker Arnold Johansen focuses on the history and landscape of the S醡i territory of Finnmark in large scale, abstract woodcuts on paper.

The exhibition also includes a number of prime examples of S醡i duodji, or traditional handicraft and artwork, including dolls, caps, and cradles, as well as Iver J錵s’ contemporary sculptures, which reference traditional S醡i handicraft techniques.