Lavvu

Lavvu (or lávvu, låvdagoahte, láávu, kååvas, коавас (kåvas), kota or umpilaavu, lavvo or sametelt, and kåta) is a temporary dwelling used by the Sami people of northern extremes of Northern Europe. It has a design similar to a Native American tipi but is less vertical and more stable in high winds. It enables the indigenous cultures of the treeless plains of northern Scandinavia and the high arctic of Eurasia to follow their reindeer herds. It is still used as a temporary shelter by the Sami, and increasingly by other people for camping. It should not be confused with the goahti, another type of Sami dwelling, or the Finnish laavu. There are several historical references that describe the lavvu structure used by the Sami. These structures have the following in common: The lavvu is supported by three or more evenly spaced forked or notched poles that form a tripod. There are upwards of ten or more unsecured straight poles that are laid up against the tripod and which give form to the structure. The lavvu does not need any stakes, guy-wire or ropes to provide shape or stability to the structure. The shape and volume of the lavvu is determined by the size and quantity of the poles that are used for the structure. There is no center pole needed to support this structure. No historical record has come to light that describes the Sami using a single-pole structure claimed to be a lavvu, or any other Scandinavian variant name for the structure. The definition and description of this structure has been fairly consistent since the 17th century and possibly many centuries earlier. The goahti, also used by the Sami, has a different pole configuration. While trees suitable to make lavvu poles are quite easy to find and often left at the site for later use, the four curved poles of the goahti have to be carried. The traditional lavvu consists of two types of wooden poles: 1) three or more forked poles and; 2) several straight poles. The forked poles have a two-stem fork at the top end. These three poles are interlocked so that they form a tripod.