Med verdens største skog som klasserom høster og foredler vi naturressurser.

Arctic Bushcraft – Indigenous Traditions

In the “Arctic Bushcraft – Indigenous traditions” course we try to live in harmony with nature and utilize its resources. We collect and preserve berries, hide, meat, fish, herbs, mushrooms, and vegetables. We study local traditions from the indigenous people in the European Arctic. We learn Duodji – the handicraft of the Sami people, and we learn how to fix and make our own tools, clothing, and equipment in a sustainable manner. We set out on a journey to a simpler and more harmonious life with nature. One of the highlights is to live alongside the reindeer herding Nenets people of the vast Russian tundra.

Here are some things you get to experience:

Narjan Mar

In the middle of the tundra in northwest Russia you will find Narjan Mar. In this place there are no roads or train connection. You only get there by boat or plane. On our journey in this vast expanse of permafrost, we are greeted by the warmth of the indigenous Nenets. You get to live in their kiln-fueled Lavvo, ride with sleds pulled by reindeer and get to know the nomadic way of life.

Building a Gamme

One of the oldest living forms in the north is the Gamme. This is a hut that is in harmony with the nature around it and where the building materials are found in the immediate surroundings. At Arctic Bushcraft we build our own Gamme from the ground up.

Alone in the wilderness

In late autumn, during the transition between Čakca (reindeer mating season) and Čakcadálvi (autumn winter and harvest season), you will try to spend two days alone in the wilderness. Here people have lived safely and well for ten thousand years, and with your newly acquired skills you will also experience the deep affiliation with nature. You make a bivouac, get your own wood, light a fire and prepare food over a fire. Hopefully with the Northern Lights in the sky.

Reindeer herding in Varanger Peninsula

In the open tundra of Varanger Peninsula, the reindeer herding culture has rich and long traditions. We participate in the herding and separation of reindeer, and participate in the processing of raw materials.

Wintercamp

The Sami traditionally divide the year into eight seasons. The time when the reindeer meat is dried and the flocks gather before the trek to the coast is called Giđđadálvi (spring winter). During this time we embark on a longer ski trip with sledges, where we spend the nights in tents and learn the art of building snow caves, which are warmer and cozier than tents when it's very cold in winter. Ice fishing and winter orientation will be exciting parts of the trip, while we enjoy the sun and bonfires.

The Sami of the north

On the first trip this fall, we visit Sami areas in Finnmark and Finnish Lapland. We get to know the people, traditional building customs, crafts and food.