Photoalbum

The Saami`s interest in fine art was reflected in:

a) choosing colour furs and suede while sewing clothes, shoes, bags, tobacco-pouches, small bags, tablecloths and fur "carpets";

b) drawing ornaments on woolen articles (socks, belts, "obory", gloves, caps);

c) choosing colour cloths while sewing and decorating clothes and shoes;

d) making ornaments from beads, bugles and mother-of pearl on clothes, holiday women`s harness and articles used at home;

e) carving images of animals and other ornaments on bones and wood;

f) stamping of ornaments on articles made from bark.

When the Saami chose furs they preferred those of white colour. "Kan`gi", "jary" and mittens made from white fur were appreciated higher than that from grey, brown or red fur. "Jary" and boots (pimy) were often decorated with white stripes. Women`s small bags were used for keeping there trifles like needles, sinew threads, bone awls, beads, etc. These bags were made from pieces of skin cut from reindeer`s forehead; they were decorated with squares from white, brown and grey fur and also had ornamented folds made from bones.

When sewing "obory", stockings, belts and mittens skins were painted with the help of alder, willow or birch bark, later - with red, yellow, violet and other paints.

Red - was the Saami`s favourite colour and the colour which was widely used in pieces of art. Probably, this can be explained by the fact that the Saami for a long time used alder bark infusion for practical and religious purposes.

Yellow - was the second popular colour. Then followed a blue colour. Shadows of green were seldom while all the other colours were almost completely absent. Typical combination of colours on harness, clothes and home articles consisted of red, yellow and blue. But beads (pesser) played a much more important role in fine arts.

Drawings carved on bones and wood looked like ornaments. The same may be said about stamping on articles from bark made with the help of a blunt knife or a bone.

The characteristic feature of the Saami`s ornament is its geometrical style. The real meaning of ornaments is so skillfully disguised that it is sometimes difficult to guess what stands for them. Here we don`t find so typical for other nations pictures of plants, animals or articles. Only one ornament made on men`s and women`s head-dresses makes possible to interpret it as a man with both hands outstretched.

Ornaments which can be found on the Saami`s clothes, tools and utensils can be grouped into three main types:

1) rhombus and square;

2) triangle, zigzag, broken line;

3) circle, rosette, star, cross.

The majority of signs have the meaning of the sun. A disk, a rhombus, a square and a square with straight lines going into four directions signify the sun according to the explanations given by the Saami living in the 17th-18th centuries.

Besides the sun, the moon and stars the Saami draw spirits-patrons, rings, amulets and various pictures of the surrounding (dwellings, animals, etc.). Pictures on shamans` tambourines allow us to connect ornaments used in fine arts with ancient Saami`s beliefs.