Exhibition „Sami handicraft and design” is open in the Turaida Museum  Reserve. Just  almost one week left  to the day when it will be closed. Today we are publishing some sentences from exhibitiom guide. „Sami handicraft and design Duodji, Sami handicraft and design, is an importanat part of the Sami culture and a strong and unmistekable ethnic identity marker. By duodji we mean the handicrafts and artistic handicraft made by the Sami, based on Sami traditions. Every duodji article has a historic background. The influences and ideas between the Sami themselves and from other people have naturally left their mark on duodji. Duodji has been shaped by generations of master artisans including the demands of nomadic life, the natural material used, cultural influences and personal creativity. Previously the Sami themselves produced the most necessary utensils demanded for survival. The old Sami functional artifacts, which normally are considered handicrafts, have, in the modern world, lost their traditional function as utilitarian objects. Today duodji is not only refined artistic handicraft that is a joy to look at and which testifies to the skilfulness of artisans’hands, but it also radiates insightfulness and concern for the Sami culture. The native traditional handicraft is based on antler, bone, wood, outer birch bark, pewter and leather. Pewter thread production is a Sami technique. The nomadic way of life only allowed working with metals in a very limited way. Most smith work was therefeore done by the smiths in the villages. A number of Sami nowadays forge their own knife blades and other special tools. Today there are also a number of Sami silversmiths.” Exhibition is produced by Ajtte, Swedish Mountain and Sami Museum in association with Sami Handicraft Foundation Sami Duodji, both institutions situated in Jokkmokk, Sweden.