The Interreg Aurora funded small-scale project Sámi handicraft academy, led by the Sámi Parliaments of Finland and Norway, has taken important steps toward safeguarding and strengthening Sámi duodji (traditional handicraft).
Duodji is a significant source of income and a central element of Sámi culture, alongside traditional livelihoods such as reindeer herding, fishing, and tourism. Duodji is serving both as an income and as an expression of Sámi identity and tradition.
New cross-border insights and networks
Through close cross-border cooperation, the project gathered valuable insights into the current state of duodji in Finland, Norway, and Sweden and identified key needs for supporting its future development. During the project, stakeholders such as duodji practitioners, organizations, and cultural institutions were interviewed and consulted. This dialogue revealed shared challenges, particularly the need for ethical guidelines, more systematic cooperation, and improved methods for preserving and transferring árbediehtu (traditional knowledge) to younger generations.
The cooperation also resulted in new networks, strengthened mutual understanding, and highlighted duodji’s importance as both a cultural tradition and a livelihood. The project findings form the foundation for the next phase of the Duodji Academy, which will focus on strengthening long-term cross-border collaboration to support the sustainability of duodji.
By identifying both barriers and opportunities, the project has strengthened the Sámi community’s capacity to protect its cultural heritage and ensure that future generations can continue this vital practice. Opportunities for collaboration, promotion, marketing, and networking were also identified.
The Duodji Academy project successfully achieved its objective of gathering critical insights into the state of the duodji field across Finland, Norway, and Sweden. The project findings form the foundation for the next phase of the Duodji Academy, which will focus on developing continued cross-border collaboration to support duodji’s long-term sustainability. The results will form a new Interreg Aurora project application.
A follow-up project has been granted Interreg Aurora funding
A regular project proposal was submitted to the Interreg Aurora programme, a new project was approved in June 2025. The follow-up project called Duodji Akademiija 2027, will focus on:
- transferring árbediehtu (traditional knowledge) to younger generations
- developing a plan for creating ethical guidelines in cooperation with the Sámi Parliaments and cultural actors
- creating digital learning materials and planning an online environment
- supporting entrepreneurship and strengthening cross-border cooperation.
“The small-scale project Sámi Handicraft Academy project carried out good preparatory work for the new project Duodji Akademiija 2027″, says Birit Tornensis, project planner at the Finnish Sami Parliament.
You can learn more about the follow-up project Duodji Akademiija 2027 project on Interreg Auroras website.
