During the autumn of 2023 and spring of 2024, Sámi Duodji, together with lawyer Rebecka Forsgren, developed an informational brochure. The brochure contains information about the rights and responsibilities of craftspeople, copyright, copying and plagiarism, what is permitted, cultural appropriation, the Sámi certification marks (Sámi Duodji and Sámi Made), as well as a step-by-step guide on how a Sámi person can proceed correctly when sewing their first gákti. It also includes a bibliography of duodji-related literature.

More about the brochure Rights and Responsibilities in Duodji/Vætnoe/Duodje/Duöjjie/Duojje

Across Sápmi, there is a growing desire to protect Sámi traditional knowledge and Sámi cultural expressions, such as duodji. Duodji practitioners, entrepreneurs, politicians, and others within the Sámi community see how non-Sámi individuals and organizations use Sámi traditions in ways that do not align with Sámi customs and values, a phenomenon often described as cultural appropriation. Even within the Sámi community, traditional cultural expressions and newly created duodji are sometimes used in inappropriate ways.

Through globalization and the internet, millions of people have gained access to duodji, Sámi patterns, the Sámi yoik tradition, and other aspects of Sámi culture. As a result, more and more people around the world are inspired by, and sometimes even copy or plagiarize, Sámi cultural expressions for use in their own creations, often for commercial purposes.

This brochure aims to help you understand the rights and responsibilities you have as a creator of duodji by explaining concepts such as copyright, design protection, copying, and plagiarism.

The brochure is also useful for those who are not Sámi but who may purchase Sámi products, wish to acknowledge Sámi culture, or use elements of Sámi culture in their own activities or business. It provides simple step-by-step guidance to help determine whether, and if so how, Sámi culture can be used by non-Sámi individuals.

The brochure also contains a step-by-step guide to obtaining or creating your first gákti. If you are Sámi and do not know what your gákti should look like, we offer advice on how to find out and proceed in a respectful and culturally appropriate way.