Sari Saxholm keeps Skolt Sámi dance tradition alive with accordion

Sari Saxholm is currently the only Skolt Sámi traditional folk musician who accompanies the community’s katrilli dances, Yle reports. Playing the accordion brings her back to Sevettijärvi, the village in northern Inari where she grew up and where the dance was part of everyday life.

When Saxholm was a child, families would move furniture aside and begin dancing spontaneously. She often went to dances with her father and grandmother, and the village dance floor was next to her home. She began dancing when she was young, and her father later bought her a piano accordion. Experienced Inari musician Ahti Similä taught her to play.

Katrilli is a traditional group dance whose roots reach back to European courts. Saxholm says live music is essential to it: she follows the dancers’ movements, pace and mood as she plays.

After school, Saxholm moved away to study at Kaustinen Music High School. She later moved to Helsinki for work as an engineer. Today, katrilli gatherings are less frequent and must usually be planned in advance. Playing at home often makes her think of Sevettijärvi and her relatives, and of when the community might next dance together.

The tradition is beginning to revive as young Skolt Sámi take an interest in dancing and pass it on. Saxholm hopes more people will learn to accompany the dances. Since the summer, she has practised with a friend’s son who became interested in the accordion.

Katrilli was not originally intended as a performance. It was a shared moment of play and celebration; in Skolt Sámi, people speak of “playing” the dance.