Finnish Sámi People Display Doll: "Gákti"

This doll represents the traditional clothing of the Sámi People.

The Sámi people are the indigenous people who live in the Arctic area of Sápmi, which today includes parts of far northern Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Kola Peninsula of Russia, and the border area between south and middle Sweden and Norway. Sámi who lived near the coasts made their living by fishing. Inland, they farmed, raised cattle, trapped fur animals and fished. The smaller minority of the Mountain Sámi continued to hunt wild reindeer. Around 1500, they started to tame these animals into herding groups, becoming the well-known reindeer nomads.

Gákti are the traditional clothing worn by the Sámi people. The gákti is worn both in ceremonial contexts and while working, particularly when herding reindeer. Traditionally, the gákti was made from reindeer leather and sinews, but nowadays, it is more common to use wool, cotton, or silk. Traditional gákti are most commonly in variations of red, blue, green, white, medium-brown tanned leather, or reindeer fur. In winter, there is the addition of a reindeer fur coat and leggings, and sometimes a poncho and rope/lasso.

Women's gákti typically consists of a dress, a fringed shawl that is fastened with silver brooches, and boots/shoes made of reindeer fur or leather, lined with felt. Boots can have pointed or curled toes and often have band-woven ankle wraps.

The colors, patterns and the jewelry of the gákti indicate where a person is from, if a person is single or married, and sometimes can even be specific to their family. The collar, sleeves and hem usually have appliqués in the form of geometric shapes. Some regions have ribbon work, others have tin embroidery.

Hats vary by gender, season, and region. They can be wool, leather, or fur. They can be embroidered, or in the East, they are more like a beaded cloth crown with a shawl. The gákti can be worn with a belt; these are sometimes band-woven belts, woven, or beaded. Leather belts can have scrimshawed antler buttons, silver concho-like buttons, tassels, or brass/copper details such as rings.


Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sami_people