Nils Nilsson Skum
from Boken om Skum by Ernst Manker
Translated for Árran by Sofie Persen

In the early 1870s, the family of Nils Tomasson Skum moved from Guovdageainnu/Kautokeino, Norway, through Swedish Tome, Lappmark, looking for new grazing gounds for the reindeer.  For the local Swedish Sami of Gàrasavvon/Karesuando and Johkkiras/Jukkasjärvi, the invasion of Guovdageainnu folk meant a change in lifestyle - to a freer form of reindeer herding.

The Skum family stayed with their reindeer for a few years in Gárasavvon and then moved on to Johkkiras.  In their spring migration of 1872 while camped in the lower Tjiurutuottar mountain range, a son was born in the lavvo one night in April, and was given the name Nils, after his father.  The family moved on to the summer grazing lands.  Like all reindeer herders' children, Nils began life in the gietka (cradieboard) eventually running with the family, and then as his father's helper.  He was the second of two sons.  The hardships of migration, riding the reindeer over the snow, the warm fire in the lavvo with sparks ascending over their heads, grazing reindeer high in the mountains; all made an early impression.

Eventually, the Skum family found permanent grounds further south at Norrkaitum in Jiellevárri/Gallivare.  A siida was formed that moved seasonally from the woods of the Kalix) winterlands to the lowlands  near the Norwegian border for the summer.  If the moves made an early impression, so did life in the camping grounds; the reindeer bulls powerfu antlers fighting during the rut in the fall, the newborn calves trying to walk in the melting spring snow, and the work of father and mother through seasonal camp changes.  The joys and hardships of tending the herd, the darkness of winter, storms and the howling of wolves, winter cold and the northern lights, the spring sun and the summer heat and rides over the tundra all became experiences that, in time, Nils Nilsson Skum would picture in his artwork.

All boys had an urge and talent to draw and carve.  Nils, like the others, made images of reindeer and figures in wood, reindeer antlers and bone and at the age of 10 was given his first pencil.  He drew on
everything he could find, and was especially happy when his mother bought a sugar cone - because it was wrapped in a big piece of paper.  A few years later English visitors made drawings of reindeer in the camp.  Nils' father mentioned that his son could do a better
drawing.  The Englishman took an interest in Nils and offered to take him to England for school.  Nils, though, wanted to be a reindeer herder and stayed at home.  To his great joy at Christmas, a parcel arrived from England with pens, crayons, watercolors, and brushes.

He never did have a lot of time to draw.  He was a good helper to his father and soon became a herder on his own.  He was very strong and could, with a spear, defend his herd against bear, wolves and wolverines.  His herd grew to become the largest in the region.  He
was appointed by the authorities to be a Lapp Policeman, and at his duty shot a reindeer thief.  He testified that he hadn't used more violence than what was needed.  He left the court with honor and received a silver goblet from the villagers for his vigilance.

Nils Skum and family

Nils was married early to the daughter of one of the largest herders to the north.  He had children, his herds grew, and he enjoyed the good life.  As a generous host he offered anything available in the railroad  restaurants of Giron/Kiruna and Jiellevárri or in his lawo.  It has been told how champagne corks flew through the smokehole towards the sky.  Skum, himself, also grew bigger with wealth, weighing between 130 - 140 kilos - his friends called him "the Renaissance figure."  Nils Skum enjoyed life!

Even during his most intense herding period, Nils never forgot his pencil and paper.  Now and then he carved a knife sheath in reindeer antler for friends, but his work was only known within the local group. A few influential people belonged though and Nils' artworkwas used by Hjalmar Lundbohm for the covers of his published series, The Lapps and their Land.  The artist Ossian Eigstrom included Skum's work in one of his books and Professor K.B. Wikiund used drawings in thereading books that were published for the nomad schools.  A tourism publication, distributed abroad, also used his drawings to illustrate a bear story.

Eventually age and illness began to limit Nils' abilities and with a shrinking reindeer herd he moved to have easier access to Jiellevám and Giron.  His fortune began to shrink.  He would get drunk and spend his nights in hotels, where his faithful wife, Mother Elli, would have to come and pay his debts.  Still a huge man, he lived in great humiliation.  Now only a few reindeer had his mark in their ears and welfare loomed large.  At home in his sod dwelling, Skum lay in the darkness remembering the free, healthy, happy herding lifestyle on the land.  His vision came to him clearly; what if he should draw everything he saw in his memory - a great honorable memory of his people and the life of his forefathers.

 Nils Skum wrote to A.B. Nordiska  Kompaniet, Stockholm.  In Stockholm his letter  was sent to the Ethnographic Museum.  The year was 1934.  Nils worked very hard at his drawings, and in 1936 traveled to Stockholm with a large folio of drawings.  He continued to work at home in Sjisjkavare and in 1938 he was back in Stockholm with more drawings.  Funds for printing had been arranged, including support by the Swedish State.  Skum was welcomed at the royal palace with an audience.  The crown prince asked Nils about his wife, children and grandchildren - Nils nicely asked in response, "Well,  how is daddy?"   - the prince responded, "Well, thank you, he is doing fine for his age." They met at the same level.

Skum's vision was now nearly complete, and he again found time to relax and let off steam - both at home and in Stockholm.  In thought, he wrote in a letter, "The world's well is deep, and the handle of my cup is too short."  He became famous with his picture "Saami
Siida - the Lapp Village."

Drawing by Nils Skum

Behind all of Nils Nilsson Skum's work is an ancient tradition, documented in the petroglyphs and creating a continuity through thousands of years.  The hunters' picture of the reindeer on the rock face and the reindeer on the modern knife case are by "children of
the same spirit."  There is a connecting thread - the image of the reindeer on the Sami drum.  The characteristics are the same.  The quality of the figures exist in the spiritual, the mythological and in the real world and are too complicated to have been created quickly.  The drum images were thousands of years old by the time they stunned the Christians. 

Traditional Lapp art is usually two dimensional and lacks perspective.  This is true of traditional drum images, the decoration on knife cases and even the work of Johan Turi.  The art of the work lies in the desired characteristics of the animals and their contours.

The artist Johan Andreas Savio understood perspective in his work, but he was a schooled artist.  In his personal way, the unschooled work of Nils Skum included the illusion of depth, perspective, and the
feeling of space - sometimes in astonishing ways.  He had seen the space in the mountains and valleys - the thousands grazing on the never ending snowy tundra and he transferred - projected - the memories to paper.

He sketched the airy visions of the landscape holding his pencil far out between his fingers and used it almost like a brush.  When he drew figures, reindeer and dogs, his drawing tool was held deliberately vertical to the paper moving easily to describe reindeer antlers and the herdsman's crooked knees.  In his magic way the work was naive, uncomplicated and suggestive.  He did nothing for composition or for esthetic effect -it was the projection of his vision - sometimes better collected together than in reality.

Skum's financial success was slow in coming.  The distributors of his publication went bankrupt and half of the issues disappeared.  He received a stipend from the state for some time and eventually the remainder of the publications brought income.  Nils was surprised to
learn that his paintings could sell and that brought new energy to his production.  A famous exhibition was held at Farg och Form in Stockholm and two exhibitions at Nordiska Kompaniet were sell-outs. Agents of Karl Wennberg arranged traveling exhibitions in hotel rooms
and work sold as quickly as he could produce it.  Some of his work was accompanied by texts in the colorful Skum style expressions and bizarre orthography adding a sought-after exotic touch.  He didn't drink the new money, but built a new house on his old campsite - a strange mix of lavvo and house.  With it came a studio for his work.  Eventually he built houses for his children as well, eventually creating his own village to replace sod huts.  Again he was a rich man with a big belly and a big hug - very generous - with a loud laugh he
welcomed guests and customers.  Mother Elle happily attended the household, carrying the art to storage and to viewing.  Nils gave her the monies from sales - some of which she hid and the rest went to the bank.

The railroad gave him his own trainstop at Sjisjka where a hole was cut in the snowfence to show the way to Skum's camp.  Except for his need, he told the rail people that "sj" appears twice in the name Sjisjka and that was coincidental with the rail name SJ - Statens
Järnvägor = The State Railroads.