Sámi craft, a shadow of art in the art discourse?

• Main Author: Guttorm, Gunvor
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: World Indigenous Nations Higher Education Consortium 2009
• Subjects: Sámi
• Online Access: https://journals.uvic.ca/index.php/winhec/article/view/18622

In this article, I will study the position of duodji, or Sámi craft, in the construction of a crafts and art theory of an indigenous people – the Sámi. I will examine the difficulties that rise when duodji gives up its name duodji after becoming involved in art criticism. Sámi craft both has and does not have distinguishing characteristics which are an expression of and have similarities with Sámi design. In discourse, we use a different background for art than for Sámi craft: we approach it through art theory. Duodji, or Sámi craft, on the other hand, has historically often been part of anthropological and ethnological discussion. This makes it especially challenging to assess Sámi craft from the point of view of art.The objective of this article is to present a view that will introduce a new aspect to the overall discussion on Sámi craft. I will study the issue from the perspective of the post-colonialist art theory.