![Guksi](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/77/Guksi.jpg)
''Guksi'' (or ; ) is a type of
drinking cup traditionally
duodji
{{Peacock, date=May 2022
Duodji is a traditional Sami handicraft, dating back to a time when the Sami were far more isolated from the outside world than they are today. Duodji tools, clothing and accessories are intended to primarily be functiona ...
crafted by the
Sami people
Acronyms
* SAMI, ''Synchronized Accessible Media Interchange'', a closed-captioning format developed by Microsoft
* Saudi Arabian Military Industries, a government-owned defence company
* South African Malaria Initiative, a virtual expertise net ...
of northern Scandinavia from
carved
Carving is the act of using tools to shape something from a material by scraping away portions of that material. The technique can be applied to any material that is solid enough to hold a form even when pieces have been removed from it, and ...
birch
burl
A burl (American English) or burr (British English) is a tree growth in which the grain has grown in a deformed manner. It is commonly found in the form of a rounded outgrowth on a tree trunk or branch that is filled with small knots from do ...
.
Manufacture
The burl is contoured to a rough shape, carefully dried to prevent the wood from cracking, then formed in accordance with the local traditions. Birch burl ''kuksas'' last longer than plain birch ''kuksas''. Originally ''guksi'', or ''kuksa'', were widely used in Arctic areas as a personal drinking cup; a well-made ''guksi'' would last a lifetime.
[material that a Kuksa is made of: http://finnish-puukko.blogspot.com/2007/02/kuksa-ancient-lapland-drinking-cup.html ]
Maintenance
''Guksi'' was traditionally only rinsed with clean water and dried with a cloth after use. No detergents are used, since many people believe that it will damage a ''guksi''.
Modern ''guksis''
Today, a traditional ''guksi'' is difficult to find outside northern Scandinavia, partly because burls are seldom harvested in modern mechanized forestry. With the introduction of glass, ceramic and metal drinkingware, the skill of making such ''
duodji
{{Peacock, date=May 2022
Duodji is a traditional Sami handicraft, dating back to a time when the Sami were far more isolated from the outside world than they are today. Duodji tools, clothing and accessories are intended to primarily be functiona ...
'' artwork has become a pastime skill rather than the essential one as it was in the past. Nowadays it is also used for
Bushcraft
Bushcraft is the use and practice of skills, thereby acquiring and developing knowledge and understanding, in order to survive and thrive in a natural environment.
Bushcraft skills provide for the basic physiological necessities for human lif ...
. When used this way, it is carved by the person who is going to use it, or it's a gift from a friend.
References
http://www.jonsbushcraft.com/Kuksa%20tutorial.htm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQJPoUsJuiM&t=41s
External links
bushcrafter carving out of a piece of Oak Burl not using any power tools
Drinkware
Sámi culture
Finnish design
{{drinkware-stub