On the 15 December, 2012, the Hokkaido University Museum hosted an open seminar entitled ‘The Saami Exhibition – Generating Skills and Cultural Exchange across Borders’. The lecture was given by Martina Tyrisevä, Director of the Hokkaido Branch of the Finland Center, located within Hokkaido University’s campus, and central to the creation of this seventh exhibition organized by the Global COE Program on the Saami.

In the lecture, she explained how the concept behind the exhibition had been to show the ‘Contemporary reappearance of the Saami as between traditional and modern lifestyles’. The lecture then moved on to explain, with the extensive use of visual materials, that the revitalization of the Saami language and the vocational training provided by Saami educational institutions form the backbone of contemporary Saami society. Finally, Martina spoke about the exhibiting of Ainu designs cross-fertilized with Saami cultural elements in Europe and the possibilities of reindeer herding management projects between the Saami and the Tsaatan on the Russo-Mongolian border.

Around 70 people turned up and were treated to a lecture provided in Martina’s excellent Japanese. With this seminar, the ‘Saami Culture in Borderlands’ series of seminars comes to an end. The Museum exhibition itself shall run until the 27th December.

We are planning an exhibition on the Kurils and Kamchatka to run from the end of January 2013. Please keep checking the website for further details.