Čiktingeahpa / net needle

Čiktingeahpa, or net needle, is a tool used to tie or repair fishing nets. This used to be one of the day-to-day duties of a fisherman. People that needed fishing nets would make them themselves. They were made using ropes that were tied into a suitably sized mesh for the desired catch, whether it was cod, pollock or halibut. The mending needle had to fit in your hand, it had to be supple and comfortable to hold and it had to have enough tension that the thread released easily to give flow to the repetitive work. Many people have memories of their fathers or grandfathers mending fishing nets in the kitchen, some may have tried their hand at it themselves or seen photos in the family album. The kitchen used to be an important space for transferring knowledge and skills in Sea Sami communities - the kitchen was where people worked, received visits and told stories. Being able to make a good čiktingeahpa and use it efficiently to make strong nets, as well as using the nets in good fishing spots found through the accumulated knowledge of generations, were all important factors in becoming good fishermen, perhaps even the fishing boat master. When cheap nylon nets entered the market, it became more profitable in terms of both time and money to buy nets rather than make them yourself. However, this also resulted in the loss of some of the cultural expertise that was passed through the local community.

In 1985, Alta Museum received a collection of net needles that were owned and made by Knut-Oskar Valdemar Murberg from Store Lerresfjord, Altafjorden. One of the net needles is particularly well marked and decorated with the initials of the owner and his place of residence, together with Sami ornamentation (see photo). For 33 years, the net needle was stored in the museum’s archives, together with nine other net needles, categorised only as Norwegian Coastal Culture. In connection with the exhibition on the return of Sami Cultural Heritage in 2017, the museum reached out to a relative of Knut-Oskar, Siv Malén Murberg. She has looked after net needles that her father made and used, as well as other Sea Sami artefacts. The initials K.O.V.M were etched onto one side of the net needle in beautiful lettering and a triangular symbol has been made in between each letter with a knife. The other side shows the place and date, S.L.F (Store Lerresfjord) 1905. The triangular shapes have been etched between each letter and the letters are followed by a collection of four more triangles with the tips pointing inwards, forming a cross. What does it mean? Decoration or an additional signature? Was there a specific reason why Knut-Oskar added this pattern? This pattern can be found on many Sami artefacts and is linked to relationships between individuals, communication and Sami communities.

Fishing tools and netting needles are some of the earliest artefacts recorded in Alta Museum’s collection. The majority were collected in the 1970s and have now been linked both to Sea Sami culture and Norwegian coastal culture. Today, we can buy plastic mending needles. Some are based on the same model as this one from the museum archives and are available in different sizes depending on the net that needs to be tied. Others have been adapted for more specific purposes, such as moardit/ linking nets, i.e. repairing the edges of a net (Expression skyte garn eller not – TermWiki (uit.no)). Through collaborations with local resources concerning the selection of Sami artefacts and the curation of the exhibition, the museum gained new knowledge relating to the artefacts in the collection. Additional information was obtained about the mending needle and it gained new value as a museum artefact. It is now a historical relic in the museum’s new collection, helping to disseminate understanding of Sea Sami values along the northern Norwegian coast.