Traditional Coastal Sámi Jewelry

Join folk artist and culture-bearer Hege Nilsen in this five-day class and learn to make traditional coastal Sámi jewelry. From leatherwork to pewter thread braiding and embroidery to mica embellishments, you will learn and recreate the folk art still made by this group of Scandinavia’s indigenous people. This class will teach you traditional methods of jewelry craftsmanship and give you an understanding of the visual heritage unique to the coastal Sámi. Your jewelry creations will be beautifully unique and will stand as a testament to the lasting legacy of coastal Sámi culture.

Hege Nilsen lives and works in Kåfjord, a village in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. In addition to her work as an EMT, Hege celebrates her Coastal Sámi culture by making traditional handcrafts, including leatherwork and jewelry with pewter and mica embroidery and embellishment, and through storytelling. She works with a community of Sámi artists, teaches handcraft classes, and has demonstrated at Høstfest, an annual festival in Minot, North Dakota, several times.

Classes with Norwegian instructors are supported in part by the Sigmund Aarseth Norwegian Instructor Endowment.

Find information about Vesterheim’s scholarships and local standby waitlist here.