Saami. Modern Culture and Crafts, Folklore Groups, and Professional Art

The modern Saami culture is closely connected with the creation of the National Cultural Center in 1994 (Lovozero Regional National Cultural Center since 2009), where many Saami familiarize themselves with their ethnic culture. Local residents gather here to treat each other to national dishes and perform the Saami square dance. The Center also offers Saami language courses, traditional arts and crafts classes, and space for folklore ensemble rehearsals. It is a great avenue for the older generation to pass on their knowledge.

One of the brightest performers of the younger generation is Yarsem Galkin, the first Russian Saami rapper. He debuted in 2016 at the traditional Summer Saami Games, where he presented a song about the Saami youth.

The Center is located in the village of Lovozero, in a building erected in the form of a large chum, which was once a restaurant serving local cuisine. The Center's activities are aim to support and develop local national cultures, including arts and crafts, and national sports with the involvement of young people.

The creation of the first folklore ensembles was associated with the name of Nikolai Yushkevich, who was sent to Lovozero as a teacher of Russian language and literature in 1928 Being a great music lover, he studied traditional Saami songs and created the first Saami choir, which later became the famous folk song and dance ensemble "Luyavr" (Lovozero).

In 1964, the ensemble became a laureate of the All-Russian Amateur Art Festival. In 1967 it received the title of folk choir, and performed all over the Soviet Union and in Norway.

The folklore and ethnographic ensemble “Oyar” was created by four married couples and three singers of the luvvt songs in 1985 It has enjoyed great fame and exerted influence on all the existing Saami folk ensembles. The word oyyar means “circles spreading on the water from a thrown stone” and symbolizes the continuity of tradition. The ensemble members collected Saami folklore in order to arouse interest in their culture among young people. With the arrival of a new leader, the ensemble was renamed “Tavvyal Innk” (“The Northern Soul”).

One of the brightest modern Saami singers is Marina Grinchuk, who is also involved in national crafts. She is known for her rock-styled performances of Saami songs, as well as for imitating the sounds of nature and animals, which she uses in her work.

There are a number of Saami ensembles at the Cultural Center: folk amateur theater of Saami traditions “Ellmannt”, Saami family creative group “Piras” and Saami folk group “Jelle”.

Yakov Yakovlev, a native of the village of Lovozero is another important representative of the Saami art community. He began his professional journey in Leningrad, where in 1980- 1982, he studied at the school of Restoration and Construction. In 1987, he returned to his native village, where he worked first as a designer at the House of Culture, and since 1994 has been a decorator at the National Cultural Center working with the folklore Dance Theater “The Dancing Saami.” He studied traditional bone carving in Sweden, which allowed him to teach wood, antler, and bone carving at the National Saami Cultural Center in Lovozero.