Goahti
Goahti
Welcome to the Goahti!
Sit down, lean back and learn along with us about the Arctic, Native culture, and traditional ways.
'Goahti' is updated with new pages as we move along seeing and hearing about stuff on the expedition trail.
So, check back every week!
There are two types of goahti. The permanent goahti is covered with turf. The mobile goahti is a light-weight construction, consisting of poles and a tent fabric. There are unwritten rules about how to behave in a goahti. Without these, family life with many members would not function. Each member of the family and every item have their specific place in the goahti. In the middle of the goahti is the campfire which gives warmth and light. Opposite the door is the kitchen. The place used to be considered holy. One of the gods of the goahti lived underneath.
When guests entered he or she was to sit near the door, by the dogs and the wood, until being invited farther in. Today the Sámi live in modern houses, but some use the goahte as dwelling place in the summer.
From: The Saami People of the Sun and Wind, Sunna Kuolijok & John E Utsi 1993
