Friday, 17 June 2011

A nomadic celebration

The greatest attraction in Kautokeino is probably the jewellery shop Juhls Galleri, which is as we discovered, so much more than a jewellery shop. As we were browsing arround this magnifficent building, with its various quirky rooms, a lady came up to us and wondered if we'd like her to show us around. Turned out she was the daughter of the couple, Juhl, who started the place.





Showing us around she explained how her parents started a workshop here in the 1950's  and learned the jewellery trade when they discovered that there was a need for it in the area. The Sami people didn't know how to make their unique jewellery, what they had had been handed down through generations, and as nomadic people, their jewellry was the only thing they really owned. They brought their jewels to Juhl Senior and he studied them and started making them. Today they also sell modern jewellry collections designed by Mrs Juhl, much inspired by the local nature, as well as pottery, glasses etc again connected to the area and many to the Sami.




There was also some lovely wall mosaic in the entrance room.





The shop expanded through the decades and each decade has seen another room added on. The first one added in the 60s has a curved roof, inspired from the 8 months of winter they have in the area and the snow laying on roofs, weighing it down.



One room had a large fireplace in it and from there some stairs led down to a basement dominated by arab artefacts, mostly coming from Afghanistan, The Juhl's were very interested in the nomadic way of life and therefore ttravelled a lot to other places with such cultures. As their daughter explained, having the nomadic in common, there are many similarities between these and that of the Sami. That's why, as strange as it may seem, these Arab objects don't really seem out of place here in the cold north after all.



Perhaps more peculiar was the "barn"(separated with glass windows from the other rooms) with a ram, some sheep and hens. The animals kept wandering inside and outside and it was rather funny seeing all this spectacular and rather expensive jewllery, and right outisde there would be sheep grazing!

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