Echoes Across Sápmi:

De la Guardie's Home

Among these treasures were six drums, three of which originated from the collection of the influential Magnus de la Gardie. This collection contained a rich variety of Sámi objects, including these intriguing drums from two geographical and cultural regions of Sápmi.

North Sámi

The one type of drum of the six drums was the bowl drum (goavdát), is characteristic of central and northern Sápmi. These drums showcase reindeer skin tightly stretched over a hollowed-out birch burl, with two slits at the back forming a handle for easy manipulation.

South Sámi

The second type of drum, the frame drum (gievrie), a creation from the southern parts of Sápmi, is fashioned from bentwood, typically spruce, but occasionally pine. These frame drums often came with metal rings attached and dangling strands of leather-wrapped with pewter thread, bone, and metal charms.

Thomas von Westen's Drum Collection

Thomas von Westen, a Danish-Norwegian theologian and missionary, played a significant role in the transmission of the drums. During his missionary work among the Sámi in the early 18th century, von Westen collected about a hundred drums. The Freavnantjahke gievrie, which belonged to Sámi elder Bendix Anderei is the most noticeable as depicted above along with Joen Andersen's drum came from Trøndelag

Thomas von Westen: The Fate of His Sami Drum Collection"

In 1725, he’d shipped his collection of drums to the College of Missions in Copenhagen due to health and money issues.

Two Drums: A Unique Find Among Thomas von Westen's Drum Collection

The Freavnantjahke gievrie wound up at the Kunstkammer, together with a drum previously owned by a guy called Joen Andersen. Frederick IV was the College of Missions' royal sponsor, and he was personally invested in the difficult job of converting the Indigenous peoples of his northern territories to Christianity. Perhaps the drum's hanging metal strands drew the king's attention, distinguishing it as something unusual in his collection. It was fortunate for the drum's fate that it joined the thousands of other wonders in the royal library and Kunstkammer, for only by this stroke of luck did the drum escape the inferno that would soon devour Copenhagen.

Freavnantjahke gievrie

Freavnantjahke gievrie, or the “drum from Frøyning Mountain,” owned by Sámi elder Bendix Anderei. The Freavnantjahke gievrie was taken from Bendix Andersen in 1722 and eventually ended up in the Kunstkammer of Duke Ernst Ludwig I of Saxe-Meiningen in Germany. The drum was lost for many years but was rediscovered in the early 1990s and is now on display in the Meininger Museum.

The surviving four drums

Four of the Sámi drums that survived the fire are displayed in a glass case in the section of the National Museum called “Peoples of the Earth"

Professor Wiklund's Drum discoveries

Professor Wiklund explained to Ernst Manker, who had seen drums in the State Historical Museum and the Nordic Museum, the basics of how the “sorcery tool” worked, along with the unknown mysteries of the figures and symbols painted with alder-bark ink on the surface.

Ernst Manker trail of drum discoveries

Ernst Manker embarked on a comprehensive journey across Scandinavia and Europe in Berlin, Leipzig, Dresden, Cologne, Hamburg, Rome, Paris, London, and Cambridge. In the early 1930s, accompanied by his wife, Lill Jansson, to inventory sacred drums of the Sámi people. Their quest led them to discover seventy-one intact drums across various museums and private collections, with some dating back to the early 1700s. Manker meticulously documented each drum's provenance, condition, and unique features, including original hammers and pointers.

While some drums had documented histories and signatures, others remained shrouded in mystery, their origins unclear. Manker's dedication to preserving Sámi culture led him to make reproductions of the drums for further study. Despite his thorough efforts, he encountered challenges in capturing the intricate details of the drums through photography and turned to tracing paper as an alternative method.

Echoing of Resilience

Among the objects housed at Ájtte are several drums, each with its own story of transmission from place to place. One such drum, known as the "Drum of Resilience," has a particularly remarkable journey. The Drum of Resilience was crafted by a revered Sámi shaman centuries ago, its surface adorned with intricate symbols representing the spiritual connection between the Sámi people and the natural world. Passed down through generations, it bore witness to the trials and triumphs of the Sámi community. However, during a time of cultural suppression and religious persecution, the drum was seized by colonial authorities along with many others, seen as symbols of pagan worship to be eradicated. Taken far from its homeland, it found itself among the collections of a museum in the South. Yet, as time passed and attitudes shifted, a movement for cultural recognition and restitution began to gain momentum. Ájtte, standing as a beacon of Sámi heritage and resilience, spearheaded efforts for repatriation. Through negotiations and advocacy, the Drum of Resilience was among the first objects to return to its rightful place in the North. Its journey back home was not just a physical one but a symbolic reclaiming of identity and cultural autonomy. Now housed within Ájtte, the Drum of Resilience serves as a powerful emblem of perseverance and cultural revival. Its rhythms echo through the museum halls, carrying the stories of generations past and inspiring future generations to embrace their heritage with pride. But the journey of the Drum of Resilience is not just a singular tale. Alongside it, other drums and artifacts continue to find their way back to Sámi communities, each carrying with them a piece of history and a testament to the enduring spirit of a people determined to preserve their cultural legacy against all odds.