A case for Sápmi's Clouseau

Looking for a lilac lavvu – conjuring pink elephants

Dressed in a pink gákti of her own design, Anne Berit Anti had fun during the high energy weekend Midnightrock Festival in Leavnnja/Lakselv (along with 7,500 others). That was, until thieves struck right under the festival's nose, and her lavvu suddenly disappeared!

"Saturday at nine o'clock it was gone – only the poles were left,” explains the exasperated owner. The lavvu had already been her home for several days at the festival campground.

This is not just any lavvu, but one that she designed and had sewn by lavvu specialist Chris Pesklo in Minnesota, USA. "I wanted a lilac lavvu with pink edges and a pink door – a festival lavvu."

That her gákti and the lavvu were made to match has not made the loss any easier. "The thieves have not only stolen a piece of canvas, but an entire festival home," she emphasized.

The mystery increases since "Nobody saw anything. My sister was inside the car just before, but didn't notice anything," says Anne Berit, “But they’ve taken the wrong lavvu – they can't put it up anywhere because there is only one like it in the entire world."

She adds that it was not made for mountain living, but only as a festival shelter. The lavvu was not the less expensive since the cost included a few hundred dollars extra baggage fee on the plane.

"I've cast a spell on the thieves. They will find pink elephants trampling them and spraying them with its trunk in the lavvu if it is not returned," she warned.

Anne Berit wants tips from anyone not color blind. She contacted both the music festival organizers and the police, but no one reported a left behind lavvu, and has now officially reported the theft.


Otherwise, Midnightrock was lots of fun," she murmurs in consolation.

Ságat July 13, 2010|


Árran note:

When visiting Sami America, Anne Berit, along with her fellow news manager Katri Somby, attended the WEWIN (Women Empowering Women for Indian Nations) conference and camped at another festival of sorts, the Leech Lake traditional powwow in Northern Minnesota.