ForestSámiWomen'sBonnet

At Forest Sámi Summer Expo 2024 I had a presentation about costume history and women's hat in our culture. It was connected to the lace and decorations of the hat. During the past 12 months I have received so many questions about head wears so I decided to give a presentation about it despite my costume history research is still unfinished. 

The research I make is unfortunately slow because I do it on my free time without funding. ForestSàmi culture doesn't receive any kind of funding from Sámi Parliament of Finland because they think we don't exist anymore.  We neither receive any funding from the state because they say it is Sámi Parliament's job to share the funding. Anyway, this is our alive communal culture and history so I think everyone has the right to know about it. That's why I do my best for the community and share the information when ever I have reached the point something is ready to be shared. 

Lace started to appear in Forest Sámi hats obviously at the end of 1800 or early 1900. Today we can use the lace or not, it is up to individuals like it has always been. In my hat I have used hand made bobbin lace my mother brought me as a gift when she traveled in Portugal almost 25 years ago. That is exactly how Forest Sámi people had their first lace: a gift or self bought item in trade. 

This hat is made according to old traditional design. The decoration can vary but what is common to all is the minimum use of fabric and supportive ribbon over the seam that connects the top and side parts together. Traditionally all the decorations were home made of fabric but when it became possible also Forest Sámi used factory made decorative ribbons in their head wears. For the hats you need less material than for the whole costume so many people could afford that for the hats.

This is the original hat of which I have taken the pattern at Musea Noiti Viessu in Salla. It is an old hat. It is exactly the same pattern. I had to triple check it when finished the new hat, so different it looked. But yes, it is. It just looks different and the top part stands on differently because it is not used and worn. Notice the beautiful small lace around the face part.