Crafts

Photo: Birger Nesholen

The Forest Finns were skilled craftsmen. They are best known for knot braiding from birch shavings, the braided backpacks, shoes, knife sheaths, scythe shoes (for scythe blades in), storage containers, etc.

The shoes were durable, and we know that they were used in certain places right up to the interwar period. They were also nice to use when log rafting.

There are many indications that the braided fist technique is a legacy of the forest Finns.

The Forest fins also had a special type of traveling box with a flat lid. They were originally called food box, bride box, sweep box or sweep basket. The base stem is a piece of wood shavings that is swept together and fixed in an oval wooden base. The ends of the sweep are attached to each other, often with decorative techniques. You can find these in the Finnish settlement areas, for example in the south of Norrland in Sweden, as well as in the Varaldsskogen in Norway. The travel chests of the Forest Finn type are also found in Karelia and in Russia.

We also see that in the Forest Finn areas it was common for a woven basket hanging from the roof to be used as a cradle. Instead of the Norwegian and Swedish cradles who stood on the floor.