Join the NONAM this Sunday, June 22. The Zurich-based museum welcomes Indigenous artists, creators, and representatives from the Yukon and Norway for a day of festivities and intercultural dialogue.
On June 22, as the sun peaks in the Zurich sky, the North American Native Museum (NONAM) invites its visitors to a special event: Indigenous Peoples Day, an annual celebration in honor of indigenous peoples. With concerts, guided tours, and discussions, the 2025 edition promises to be a gathering of voices from the far North, from the Canadian Arctic Circle to the Sámi lands of Norway.
In the spirit of Canada’s National Indigenous Peoples Day, celebrated on June 21, NONAM has deliberately chosen the summer solstice to highlight Indigenous cultures. “The solstice holds deep significance for many Indigenous peoples of the circumpolar regions,” explains Sarah Manthei, Head of Communications at NONAM. “In these northern latitudes, the cycles of light and darkness are extreme, with months of polar night in winter and continuous daylight in summer. The solstices mark powerful turning points in these cycles, moments when the sun “returns” or reaches its peak and are closely tied to natural rhythms and cultural traditions.”
For the Sámi people of Norway, Sweden, and Finland, these seasonal cycles shape both daily life and ritual practices: reindeer herding, community gatherings, songs, and storytelling. In Zurich, this living heritage will be embodied by a special guest.
Ailloš, a vibrant voice of Sámi tradition
Sámi singer and artist Ailloš, whose real name is Iŋgor Ántte Áilu Gaup, returns to NONAM for a joik concert, an ancient Sámi vocal art form blending breath, emotion, and a call to nature. Born into a family of reindeer herders in Norway, he has spent the past forty years weaving together Sámi traditions with musical influences from jazz, classical music, African rhythms, and Inuit chants.
A multidisciplinary artist and co-founder of the Sámi National Theatre Beaivváš, he is also a composer, playwright, and translator. “His work is deeply rooted in Sámi culture while reaching across cultural and artistic boundaries”, emphasizes NONAM. His performances, on the threshold between ritual and contemporary stagecraft, embody the plural identity that runs throughout the event.
Yukon in full regalia
Another highlight of the day was a visit to the Honouring Our Future exhibition, dedicated to regalia, the ceremonial garments worn by young Indigenous graduates from the Yukon, to which polarjournal.net had already devoted an article. Among the guides: Shania Hogan and her mother Robin Smarch, both members of the Teslin Tlingit First Nation and co-creators of one of the showcased outfits. “These elaborate garments tell stories of cultural as well as personal identity, tradition and the future,” says Ms. Manthei. They also reveal remarkable skills in beadwork, caribou hair tufting, weaving, and basketry, crafts that visitors will have the opportunity to explore during guided tours.
The tour will take the form of a three-voice exchange with Florian Gredig, the exhibition’s curator. A moment of dialogue that will bring to light the hidden stories behind the symbols, patterns, and materials. “Fashion meets tradition when Indigenous families develop designs for the Regalia long before the graduation ceremony and create them in outstanding craftsmanship,” explains the museum.
Decolonizing perspectives, broadening horizons
While NONAM is primarily dedicated to the Indigenous cultures of North America, the museum is also committed to highlighting European Indigenous cultures, such as the Sámi. A clear expression of openness from the Zurich institution. “While NONAM’s primary focus is on Indigenous cultures of North America, we also see it as part of our mission to create awareness for Indigenous communities globally – including those closer to home, like the Sámi,” says Ms. Manthei. By giving a platform to the Sámi, the museum hopes to encourage reflection on the diversity of Indigenous experiences and “[…] highlight shared issues such as land rights, language preservation, and cultural resilience, while also acknowledging the unique history and identity of Sámi communities.”
This approach reflects a broader shift in public perception. “We have observed a shift in the perception– subtle, but meaningful. Visitors no longer come just with the wish to discover cultures perceived as different or unfamiliar, but in understanding the histories, contemporary realities, and self-determined voices of Indigenous communities.”
This growing recognition also brings renewed attention to issues of historical justice, cultural appropriation, and Indigenous knowledge in environmental struggles. For the museum, which has long favored participatory work and dialogue, this evolution is a source of hope. “The fact that this participatory and respectful approach is now gaining more recognition encourages us in our museum practice.”
Based in Zurich, NONAM thus plays the role of a cultural connector, linking distant territories and memories that, despite their separation, are united by shared struggles. At the end of June, in the museum’s courtyard, Arctic voices will resonate through Sámi songs and Tlingit stories, weaving a sensitive map of circumpolar Indigenous cultures, right in the heart of Europe.
For a detailed program, visit the NONAM website.