Åjtte is the world’s leading museum on Sami culture, it focuses on the story of the Sami and all that entails: the land, the people, surviving in a harsh climate, and the contributions and way of life. The museum is located in Jokkmokk, just north of the Arctic Circle, the gateway to the Lapland mountain world in the forest country, where the Sami have lived since time immemorial. Mining has been going on here since the 17th century and hydropower has been dramatically expanded throughout the last century. Here, forestry has exploited the last major untouched forests, but here is also Laponia, Lapland’s world heritage. Åjtte tells about man in his environment, about nature and culture in an ecological holistic perspective. The museum has three tasks to work with:
– the nature and culture of the mountain region
– the Sami culture
– mountain information for tourists
Åjtte’s geographical area of operation covers the entire mountain region and the traditional Sami settlement area from the national border in the west down into the forest country, 1000 km from south to north. Read more on Åjtte.com