Lavvu

Lavvu is a traditional seasonal dwelling of Sami people. It is known from Sami oral tradition that the lavvu design had been used for well over a thousand years. It’s a tent (a bit like tipi, but less vertical), designed for a quick set up and a quick getaway, but also to survive harsh conditions, like tundra winds.

The interior was a well organized living space, but at the same time a symbolic representation of cosmos. The floor was covered with spurce boughs and reindeer skins.

Wood and reindeer guts were sed as threads and poles, and reindeer hides were used as a cover.

Lavvu is still used today by the Sami of northern Scandinavia (made with more modern materials nad techniques) for both as a temporary shelter during the reindeer migrations and as a powerful cultural symbol of the Sami people.

Photo: Wikimedia commons (author: Maasaak)