Gákti

Gákti is the Northern Sámi word used by non-Sámi speakers to refer to many different types of traditional clothing worn by the Sámi in northern areas of Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Kola Peninsula in Russia. The gákti is worn both in ceremonial contexts and while working, particularly when herding reindeer. The traditional Sami outfit is characterized by a dominant color adorned with bands of contrasting colours, plaits, pewter embroidery, tin art, and often a high collar. In the Norwegian language the garment is called a 'kofte', and in Swedish it is called 'kolt'.

A goldwork collar of a traditional Sámi woman's gákti. This gákti has a metal embroidery collar with pewter or silver thread and traditional Sámi silver buckles.

A pattern of a metal embroidered collar for a traditional male Sámi gákti from Åsele, Västerbotten, Sweden. The metal thread most commonly used for the embroidery is Pewter.

Two Finns dressed up in fake gákti outside of Rovaniemi, Finland. Though at first glance authentic to non-Saami people, the patterns on these gáktis are not traditional anywhere in Sapmi.

Characteristics

The colours, patterns and decorations of the costume can signify a person's marital status and geographical origin. There are different gákti for women and men; men's gáktis are shorter at the hem than women's. Traditionally the gákti was made from reindeer skin, but in modern times, wool, cotton or silk are more common. The gákti can be worn with a belt (pleated, quilted or with silver buttons), silver jewellery, traditional leather footwear and a silk scarf. Traditionally, if the buttons on the belt are square, it shows the wearer is married. If they are round, the person is unmarried. If a married couple divorce, and the ex-husband still continues to use the Sami costume made by his ex-wife, he states by this that he wants her back.

In other Sámi languages

"Gákti" is the Northern Sámi term for the clothing. The following terms in other Sami languages do not refer to the Northern Sami gákti, but their own clothing:

South Sámi: gaeptie/gapta/gåptoe

Ume Sámi: gápttie

Pite Sámi: gáppte, gåppto

Lule Sámi: gáppte/gábdde

Inari Sámi: mááccuh

Skolt Sámi: määccaǩ

Kildin Sámi: ма̄цэх/юххьп/юппа

Ter Sámi: ма̄ца (mā͕ᵈtsa͕ᵍ)

Fake gákti

The Finnish tourist industry is notorious for displaying fake Sámi culture for tourists. Ethnically Finnish actors dress up in fake "gáktis" and perform fake "traditional rituals". This activity has been met with fierce protests from ethnic Sámi since it creates a false image of Sámi culture, diverts tourist industry money from ethnic Sámi to ethnic Finns (thereby exploiting the Sámi presence in Lappland without giving anything back to the Sámi) and is dishonest towards tourists.

See also

• Four winds hat
• Luhkka
• Beaska

External links

• Clickable map of information about the traditional clothing of various Sámi groups

References

• Fra hverdagsplagg til kulturelt kjennetegn Archived 2016-08-08 at the Wayback Machine Norwegian Digital Learning Arena / Norwegian News Agency (in Norwegian)

Media related to Sami clothing at Wikimedia Commons