Lavvu

It has a design similar to a Native American tipi but is less vertical and more stable in high winds.

It enables the indigenous cultures of the treeless plains of northern Scandinavia and the high arctic of Eurasia to follow their reindeer herds.

Reindeer hides were used as a cover until the mid-19th century when large amounts of inexpensive manufactured British textiles were made available to the Sami.

The traditional lavvus are still in use, but for ease of transportation modern designs have replaced the wooden poles with aluminum ones and heavier textiles with lighter fabrics.

The first was at the end of World War II during the winter of 1944/45 when the German troops retreated westward across northern Norway, burning most of the housing in Finnmark and eastern Troms counties before the Russian Red Army.

Because of this destruction, many Sami lived in lavvus for many years afterward because of the lack of housing and unemployment from this period.

This lavvu became center stage in the political fight for Sami indigenous rights.

Inside the living quarters of the lavvu, there is a fireplace in the middle used for heating and to keep mosquitoes away.