During our recent visit to Oslo, Norway, as part of the ArcticHeritage project, we explored into the life and legacy of Lars Hætta, who was imprisoned at Akershus Fortress following the Guovdageaidnu (Kautokeino) Rebellion. Our visit was dedicated to examining Hætta’s experiences during his imprisonment, with particular attention to the miniature objects he crafted while in captivity. This exploration took place in collaboration with leading scholars, museum professionals and knowledge holder Aslak Hætta, Director of Kautokeino Bygdetun; Karoline Trollvik, Curator at the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History; Olav Hamran from the Museum of Cultural History (KHM); Justin Kimball Engineer, Museum of Cultural History, University of Oslo; Anna Mossolova Postdoctoral Fellow, Museum of Cultural History, University of Oslo; Professor Gro Ween (ArcticHeritage) Maria Nordvall (ArcticHeritage); and Pål Friis, a representative of the Friis family.
Building on this inquiry, we continued our research at the Historical Museum, where we engaged with the exhibition Control – Attempting to Tame the World, curated by Ween. Among the many objects on display, the exhibition features several of Hætta’s miniatures.Expanding further on our investigation Nordvall visited the National Museum of Norway, where she met with PhD researcher Trine Nordkvelle and curators Bente Aass Solbakken, Anja Sandtrø, and Randi Ellinor Victoria Godø. Beyond the exhibitions, they also examined prints and illustrations housed in the museum’s archives—visual materials that, in various ways, engage with the conceptualisation and representation of Sámi dwellings. A key focal point was Joar Nango’s Máilmmioainnuid goahti / A House for All Cosmologies, an architectural installation situated on the museum’s rooftop. The days in Oslo thus encompassed both an in-depth engagement with collections and Sámi histories in diverse contexts, as well as networking activities that fostered connections set to further enrich the ongoing research within ArcticHeritage.
