February 10th: Jokkmokk

“… With the market coming to a close, and the rapid exodus of the masses, Jokkmokk is back to its usual small town feel. As the voyagers finish up their time in the quite town, they have yet to survive a journey across the border. Will the change of scenery be good for them, or will it throw them off of their game? …”

Hej Blog Buddies,

Wednesday, February 4th:

Today was the final day of the historic market. But before it closed, there were quite a few activities available. With a few others, I went to hear/see a group that performs folk music. (This was in the area called hembygsgården, which is essentially the area where Jokkmokk was founded. It still has several old buildings that are occasionally used for various community functions. It has also hosted many of the events for the market.)

The group that we saw was a quartet, comprised of three men and one woman. They all played various instruments (Guitar, violin/fiddle, drums, accordion, and some mystery instruments – see posed picture). They sang traditional folk songs. The venue (if you could call it that…) was jam-packed (maybe 80 people?). We ended up having to sit on the uncomfortably hard and wooden floor, but being as close as we were, made it worth the discomfort. I thought that they were pretty good. Roland said that the type of music they were performing is pretty common throughout the Möra area (our next destination), and that we should see people who are even better when we are there. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed their performance.



The historic market was opened with a torchlight march/parade to the ice church, so it was fitting that it would be closed in a similar fashion. Once again, we all received torches and followed the group (larger than on Sunday) back to the town square area. When we arrived, the stage, which was made of ice, was already surrounded by 1,000 or so people. The bailiff, (similar to the grand marshal) symbolically, closed the historic market, and declared the new market open. The mayor of Jokkmokk, as well as a few other people, welcomed everyone to the area. After the welcomes, we were entertained by a performance of “Fire and Ice…”

[These performances were very strange, but oddly intriguing and entertaining. Three women who were dressed as, what looked like, zombie brides, portrayed the “ice” portion of the show. They danced to a combination of music and live yoiking (traditional Sami singing). It was rather eerie, but was still really interesting to watch. I asked a few Sami students what, if any, symbolism was supposed to be represented by the first performance; they were just as clueless as I was. After the first performance, a fire dancer performed. He did the typical fire act (you know, swallowing and blowing fire, dancing with it, throwing it, etc.). The third part was an interaction between the fireman and the ice-women.




By the time the inauguration was over, we had been outside for at least two and half hours, and were starting to feel the cold. After some time warming up back at the dorm, I went over to the museum, where they were having an outdoor gathering. They had about ten or so fires, surrounded by benches covered with reindeer hides; at each “fire station” they had different things to see/hear/do. Some of the different things that they offered were: song singing, traditional story telling, ghost stories, hunting stories, as well as other things. They also held a fashion show (“much like you’d see in Paris,” according to the annoucers…) but the models were donning ‘High-Sami Fashion’ by ??famous?? (doubtful...) designers. The women reminded me of Japanese Geishas, in both how they moved and looked. They walked very slowly and deliberately, but were extremely graceful and delicate. They had also done their makeup so that their faces were white, almost porcelain-like. I wasn’t quite sure exactly why they had chosen that location or time, but it was very well received by the on-lookers.




What I have decided to do for the days of the Winter Market, is to write about the events that I attended, rather than give you an annotated version of my days. This will save me hours of writing. Hope you enjoy it:




Thursday, February 5th – Monday, February 9:

First and foremost, I feel a compelling need to write about the main attraction, the thing that draws tens of thousands of people to the area, the Market.

I really don’t understand what the draw to this market is. There were probably eight or nine city blocks lined with booths, that had to number well above 500 total. If I had to give the market a title, it would, without a doubt, be “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.”

The Good:
Many of the booths were selling hand made crafts: knives made out of reindeer or moose bones/antlers, cups and bowls made from combinations of birch and bone, bracelets made of leather and pewter, reindeer hides, animal pelts, traditional hats and mittens, as well as hand carved sculptures, baskets, etc. These are the things I expected to find at the market.




There were also quite a few booths selling various food and meat products, reindeer jerky, sausage, and steaks, smoked salmon, hot dogs, gyros, Thai food (surprising…), Tunn bread (tasty), hot drinks, and godis (Swedish word for candy). You wouldn’t believe how many candy booths there were, nor would you believe how incredibly massive they were; some must have spanned over 50 feet.

There was also a large display by the largest supplier of electricity to northern Sweden, a company called Vattenfall. They were showcasing the environmentally responsible ways that they are producing electricity; the area that Jokkmokk is in, relies heavily on hydroelectricity to supply their power. In certain areas they have utilized geothermal, wind, and solar electricity. (I had seen a bunch of people wearing this really cool looking hat that had the Swedish flag on it. I asked a number of people if they knew where I could buy one, they all said they had gotten it at the Vattenfall tent, so I went to the display and had to enter a drawing, and I actually won one!)

The Bad:
While there were many quality items, it seemed like two out of every three booths were selling complete crap; case in point, neon pink Disney princess and Hanna Montana shirts (sorry Shawn, but its true…) It was like a dollar store gone horribly wrong. In fact, there were even booths that only had items priced at 10SeK (~$1.25). There were also tables, upon tables selling nothing but socks; they were also the cheapest socks I’ve ever seen (23 pairs for under $10). One booth I did find rather comical, was a man selling Country music, but in Swedish. He was dressed in stereotypical Texas cowboy attire, and line dancing (by himself, mind you) to his own music.


The Ugly:
This market has been tainted. It has gone from what could have been (and used to be) a great display of all things Sami, and been turned into the pedaling of complete junk. Globalization has spoiled the heritage of this market. For example, the dancing cowboy I don’t think has any place at the Market. I think it also removes the credibility of it being a true experience of Sami culture, and rather makes it feel like any random crappy flea market.

Another problem I saw in the market was the dilution of products, even the quality ones. I would go from booth to booth, and see cups that looked extremely similar, knives that looked very much alike, and hats that were practically identical to one another. I know that they weren’t, but it’s almost like they were mass-produced, which I think ruins any uniqueness that they usually have had.



Concert for Old Forest Growth:

On Thursday night I attended a concert put on by the choir of Jokkmokk. This choir was comprised of Sami men and women, Swedes, and Finns who all reside within the Jokkmokk area. They sang in four different languages, including the Sami jojk. This was probably one of my favorite events of the entire week. The choir was accompanied by a bassoon, accordion, and violin. It was a unique combination of instruments, which surprisingly meshed very well with the vocals of the choir. My favorite song was one called Itäjitär (if anyone is able to find it, let me know!) The songs were separated by poems, and short stories in the various languages.



Jojk Concert:

When we were in Umeå, one of our teachers was a Sami man named Krister Stoor. He along with two other men gave a joiking concert on Friday (which also happened to be national Sami day). Joiking is a traditional method of singing for the Sami. It can be to express elation, sadness, or as a form of communication. It often tells a story and includes animal noises. This concert was held at a local church, which was filled to standing room only. They gave an amazing performance. (Joiking involves a lot unusual inflections of the voice. I was able to get a video; I will try to get that posted on here, as well…)


Cultural Dinner:

On Saturday night, Alex and I attended an even toted to be “The unforgettable cultural tasting experience of a lifetime.” While it wasn’t what I thought it was going to be, (obscure things like boiled skull, bone marrow, blood dumplings, etc.) it was a pretty impressive showing. It was a three-course meal, with each course being paired with a complementary drink. The first course was a lightly smoked fish (röding) fillet, served over a small salad with a white, caviar sauce on the side; this was paired with a Riesling wine. The second course was probably the most tender cut of meat that I have ever had; it was a reindeer filet served with something that looked like, but wasn’t, mashed potatoes (the waitress didn’t know what it was called in English) which was served with red wine sauce. The dessert was a vanilla-lingon ice cream with cloud berry sauce served with a surprisingly tasty sherry.

When we first arrived we were seated at a table with some very unfriendly looking people. We said hi, but they clearly had no interest in talking to us. We asked the waitress if we could move, she found another opening so we took it. We were very glad that we did. We met a nice brother and sister couple from Stockholm and Gothenburg, they both spoke fluent English, and were very encouraging of us to practice our Swedish. The addition of this couple made the dinner quite enjoyable. Good food, good company, what more could you ask for?




There were other events that I attended, but as it is getting late, I will not write about them, tonight at least.

Tomorrow we travel to Pajala, which is on the Finnish border, on Wednesday we go to Kiruna and the ice hotel. Check back for updates.

Hej hej,

Andrew