Lavvu
Encyclopedia
Sami people
The Sami people, also spelled Sámi, or Saami, are the arctic indigenous people inhabiting Sápmi, which today encompasses parts of far northern Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Kola Peninsula of Russia, and the border area between south and middle Sweden and Norway. The Sámi are Europe’s northernmost...
of northern Scandinavia. It has a design similar to a Native American tipi
Tipi
A tipi is a Lakota name for a conical tent traditionally made of animal skins and wooden poles used by the nomadic tribes and sedentary tribal dwellers of the Great Plains...
but is less vertical and more stable in high winds. It enables the indigenous cultures of the treeless plains of northern Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
and the high arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
of Eurasia to follow their reindeer
Reindeer
The reindeer , also known as the caribou in North America, is a deer from the Arctic and Subarctic, including both resident and migratory populations. While overall widespread and numerous, some of its subspecies are rare and one has already gone extinct.Reindeer vary considerably in color and size...
herds. It is still used as a temporary shelter by the Sami, and increasingly by other people for camping.
Historical definition
There are several historical references that describe the lavvu structure (also called a kota, or a variation on this name) used by the Sami. These structures have the following in common:1) The lavvu is supported by three or more evenly spaced forked or notched poles that form a tripod.
2) There are upwards of ten or more unsecured straight poles that are laid up against the tripod and which give form to the structure.
3) The lavvu does not need any stakes, guy-wire
Guy-wire
A guy-wire or guy-rope, also known as simply a guy, is a tensioned cable designed to add stability to structures . One end of the cable is attached to the structure, and the other is anchored to the ground at a distance from the structure's base...
or ropes to provide shape or stability to the structure.
4) The shape and volume of the lavvu is determined by the size and quantity of the poles that are used for the structure.
5) There is no center pole needed to support this structure.
No historical record has come to light that describes the Sami using a single-pole structure claimed to be a lavvu, or any other Scandinavian variant name for the structure. The definition and description of this structure has been fairly consistent since the 17th century and possibly many centuries earlier.
Traditional and modern lavvu
The traditional lavvu consists of two types of wooden poles: 1) three or more forked poles and; 2) several straight poles. The forked poles have a two-stem fork at the top end. These three poles are interlocked together so that they form a tripod. Upon this assembly of the forked poles, the straight poles are laid in a circular fashion. Reindeer hides were used as a cover until the mid-19th century when large amounts of inexpensive manufactured British textilesIndustrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
were made available to the Sami.
The traditional lavvus are still in use, but for ease of transportation modern designs have replaced the wooden poles with aluminum ones and heavier textiles with lighter fabrics. In addition, instead of an open fire an oven can be used. This reduces the smoke but produces less light making it quite dark inside. A lavvu of this type is easier to carry and is a common alternative to the tents often used for camping.
Very large lavvus also exist with enough room for dozens of people. These are typically used to host parties.
Symbolism
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
during the winter of 1944/45 when the Nazis retreated westward across northern Norway, burning most of the housing in Finnmark
Finnmark
or Finnmárku is a county in the extreme northeast of Norway. By land it borders Troms county to the west, Finland to the south and Russia to the east, and by water, the Norwegian Sea to the northwest, and the Barents Sea to the north and northeast.The county was formerly known as Finmarkens...
and eastern Troms
Troms
or Romsa is a county in North Norway, bordering Finnmark to the northeast and Nordland in the southwest. To the south is Norrbotten Län in Sweden and further southeast is a shorter border with Lapland Province in Finland. To the west is the Norwegian Sea...
counties before the Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
. Because of this destruction, many Sami lived in lavvus for many years afterward because of the lack of housing and unemployment from this period. Some of these Sami are still alive today who were born in these lavvus and have fond memories of them.
Alta controversy
The Alta controversy refers to a political controversy in Norway in the late 1970s and early 1980s concerning the construction of a hydroelectric power plant in the Alta river in Finnmark, Northern Norway.-Key events:...
in Norway from 1979 to 1981. A lavvu was set up in front of the Storting (Norwegian Parliament Building) which became an international focal point as several Sami went on a hunger strike to protest the proposed dam project that would have destroyed reindeer grazing grounds of the Sami herders in the area and inundated the Sami village of Máze
Máze
Masi is a village in Kautokeino municipality in Finnmark, Norway.Both names of the village are officially recognized in Norway....
. This lavvu became center stage in the political fight for Sami indigenous rights. The irony was not missed when the Oslo police bulldozed the lavvu during the protest. This conflict gave birth to the Sami Rights Committee which addressed Sami legal rights within Norway, resulting in the Sami Act of 1987. This in turn became the foundation for the Sámediggi
Sami Parliament of Norway
The Sami Parliament of Norway is the representative body for people of Sami heritage in Norway. It acts as an institution of cultural autonomy for the indigenous Sami people....
(Sami Parliament of Norway), a democratically elected body for the Sami in Norway in 1989, and the Finnmark Act
Finnmark Act
The Finnmark Act transferred about 95% of the area in the Finnmark county in Norway to the inhabitants of Finnmark. This area is managed by the Finnmark Estate agency....
of 2005.
The strong symbolism of the lavvu has also been shown in its pictorial form as the coat-of-arms for the municipality of Guovdageaidnu (Kautokeino) and in the physical shape of the Sámediggi building, whose shape was inspired by the lavvu.
Modern controversy
Bell tent
A bell tent is a human shelter for inhabiting, traveling or leisure. The design is a simple structure, supported by a single central pole, covered with a cotton canvas. The stability of the tent is reinforced with tension by guy ropes connected around the top of the walls and being held down by...
or conical tent which has been in use since the 1850s, and possibly much earlier. The bell/conical tent is different from the lavvu in three major ways:
1) "The tent is pitched by means of a single pole…" in the center of the tent which is essential for support of the structure;
2) stakes are used and are essential to provide support and fullness to the tent as without them the structure would collapse; and,
3) guy-wires or ropes are often needed to provide fullness to the structure, depending on the size of the tent.
No historical records have been found that described the Sami using this single-pole construction. Only since the 1990s have these tent manufactures mentioned this type of single-pole structure to be a lavvu. The placing of the word "lavvu" on a single-pole tent structure different from the historical tent described as being used by the Sami, may be an example of cultural appropriation
Cultural appropriation
Cultural appropriation is the adoption of some specific elements of one culture by a different cultural group. It describes acculturation or assimilation, but can imply a negative view towards acculturation from a minority culture by a dominant culture. It can include the introduction of forms of...
.
Using a lavvu
Inside the living quarters of the lavvu, there is a fireplace in the middle used for heating and to keep mosquitoes away. The smoke escapes through the smoke holeSmoke hole
Smoke holes refers to the historical and modern reconstructed Native American long house ceiling ventilation...
in the top of the lavvu that is usually left open. Occasionally a rough blanket is wrapped round the smoke hole to make the opening smaller, but not to the point where smoke would be prevented from escaping. In order to prevent smoke from building up inside, proper air circulation is maintained by leaving an opening between the ground and the cover, or leaving the door slightly open. Keeping the fire hot enough to let the heated smoke rise through the smoke hole is necessary.
Traditionally, there was a smaller door in the back of the lavvu, opposite the front door, called the bear door. This was used for ceremonial purposes, such as removing the dead (not appropriate out of the front door) and similar functions. Few lavvus today have this door for such purposes.
Other tent designs similar to lavvu
- TipiTipiA tipi is a Lakota name for a conical tent traditionally made of animal skins and wooden poles used by the nomadic tribes and sedentary tribal dwellers of the Great Plains...
- The Native American tipi is visually similar to the lavvu but has a different cut to the fabric and a slightly different pole structure and placement.
- Chum (tent)Chum (tent)A chum is a temporary dwelling used by the nomadic Yamal-Nenets and Khanty reindeer herders of northwestern Siberia of Russia. They are also used by the southernmost reindeer herders, of the Todzha region of the Republic of Tyva and their cross-border relatives in northern Mongolia...
- The NenetsNenets peopleThe Nenets are an indigenous people in Russia. According to the latest census in 2002, there are 41,302 Nenets in the Russian Federation, most of them living in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug and Nenets Autonomous Okrug...
and KhantyKhanty peopleKhanty / Hanti are an indigenous people calling themselves Khanti, Khande, Kantek , living in Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, a region historically known as "Yugra" in Russia, together with the Mansi. In the autonomous okrug, the Khanty and Mansi languages are given co-official status with Russian...
people of northern SiberiaSiberiaSiberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
and the Tyvan Todzhans of southern Siberia have a tent structure that is similar in design and often much larger than the lavvu. It is still in use by these people as a year round shelter.
- GoahtiGoahtiA goahti is a Sami construction that can be similar to a Sami lavvu or a peat covered version using the same base structure. It is often constructed slightly larger than a lavvu...
- The goahti is often confused with a lavvu, although it has a different pole structure, is more elongated and is typically lower to the ground. In the first photo above, the tent in the background is a lavvu, while the tent in the foreground is a goahti.
- KohteKohteThe Kohte is the typical tent of German Scouting and the German Youth Movement. It was developed about 1930 by Eberhard Koebel as a variation of the Sami lavvu and became very quickly popular within the Bündische Jugend...
, a traditional GermanGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
scoutingScoutingScouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, that they may play constructive roles in society....
tent derived from the Lavvu, but is usually black.
External links
- Emmons, Rebecca (Risten), An Investigation of Sami Building Structures. December 4, 2004, http://www.utexas.edu/courses/sami/dieda/anthro/architecture.htm Retrieved 11/6/2007.
- More information about a Lavvu. In Norwegian with illustrations. Retrieved 5/16/2009