The calm has settled after this year's big event at the Centre for Northern Peoples, and this year's Etegilde is history.
First of all, we at the centre would like to thank all of you who came to this year's Etegilde and made this important celebration with us, without you no Etegilde. We know that many of you look forward to this annual event where we can enjoy our fantastic cultural heritage and where the buffet is overflowing with good traditional food. You might take it for granted that good traditional food from our Sea Sámi kitchen will be served, but for us it's not a given. To make this happen, you need important knowledge, and without the knowledge of our eminent chef Ann Kristin Hansen, this would not have been possible. Organising feasts and other cultural events requires knowledge and expertise that very few people have today, and we are very fortunate to have had Ann Kristin in our Sea Sami kitchen for many decades. The knowledge she has built up as head chef over time is simply unique, especially in the light of sustainable cultural communication.
This cultural heritage reminds us of who we are. Memories from childhood emerge and bind people together in a community of identity. This is our shared culture and history.
Many of the people growing up today are not used to eating sheep's skin, black pudding, bokna fish, tallow dip, bokna meat, roe ball soup, fish cakes, cod tongues and flatmølja. That's why such events are incredibly important for us to be able to preserve and, not least, pass on our good food traditions in our Sea Sami areas. We are also very pleased that our Mayor Bernt Erik Isaksen Lyngstad in Kåfjord recognises the value, and not least the importance, of inviting young people aged 18-25 to a free food festival. This is also how we can spread the word and make our old food traditions known to the next generation.
Once again, we would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who came and for all the good wishes. Special thanks to Espen, Even, Kevin and Odd Isaksen for their brilliant entertainment.
So we're already looking forward to Etegildet 2025.
On behalf of all of us at the Centre for Northern Peoples AS
Svein O. Leiros
Day-to-day manager