The East Sami way of life was different from that of the Sami living further west and south in Norway. Small autonomous group called sijds moved between seasonal dwelling sites, exploiting the resources to be found there at various seasons: Fall and winter by lakes and rivers inland, spring by the fjord, and summer by the salmon-rich river. Everywhere, fishing was important. For this they needed boats that were handy and practical and light enough to be transported overland. The bask type, which is displayed here, was useful in rivers and lakes and in the smooth waters of the smaller fjords. For open-sea fishing, the Sami used a bigger boat called a schnjalka.
