Raittijärvi – Village of Kaijukka - Photo exhibtion 2.-28.2.2026

Summary of the story behind the photographer Jyrki Kallio-Koski's exhibition:

The exhibition presents over forty years of photographs documenting life in the Sámi village of Raittijärvi. The photographer’s interest in nature and northern communities began in his youth and deepened through repeated trips to Lapland. After meeting Raittijärvi reindeer herders in the mid‑1970s, he spent decades recording the village’s people, landscape, and reindeer‑herding traditions. Today, the fifth generation of the descendants of Aslak Juuso, known as Kaijukka, the founder of the village, is growing up there.

Raittijärvi lies deep in the Käsivarsi wilderness, accessible by a 40‑kilometre trail and inhabited year‑round according to the seasonal rhythm of herding. The exhibition, created with the community’s support, is a tribute to the village and its way of life.

This exhibition is part of the University of Oulu's 2026 culture programme's and Campus as a Stage's alternating exhibitions.