The Land of the Midnight Sun

I've worn this silver brooch every day for the past five years.  I bought it during a trip to Tromsø in Norway, which is 217 miles north of the Arctic Circle.

The brooch has an unusual design, which people sometimes ask me about.  The midnight sun was very important to the Sámi nomads who populated northern Norway, Sweden and Finland almost 2,000 years ago.  It was seen as the personified power of the universe, and is painted on almost every preserved shamanic Sámi drum along with symbols representing other aspects of the owner's life, including reindeer and other mammals, birds, fish, hunting, the campsite and the spiritual world.  The Sámi shaman used the drum to get into a trance, when his free spirit left his body to visit the spiritual world or other places.  Although the sun was often stylised almost beyond recognition on these drums, the one depicted on my brooch is inspired by a drawing on a drum from Åsele Lappmark. This drum has been known of since 1693 but may be much older.

The Tromsø area has from ancient times been a home to Sámi culture.  Although the city has generally displayed a positive attitude to this indigenous minority culture, it has not been without controversy - even in very recent years, when an application was made for signposts to have equal space for Sámi symbols and for use of the Sámi language to be far more widespread among the governing bodies.  This was said to be very divisive for the Tromsø inhabitants.  However, in June 2013 the Tromsø municipality entered into a co-operation agreement with the Sámi Parliament which is intended to strengthen Sámi language, education and culture in Tromsø.