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It’s always a fascinating story to hear of the origin of goods, and how they made it into the market. Every single manufactured product in existence, from flint tools to the space-shuttle originated as an idea – a vision, driven often by a passion and determination to succeed.

The origins of Tentipi are no different, of course, and the vision behind the brand in this case was (and still is) driven by Bengt Grahn, the founder, who developed this into a product line, meticulously considered, designed and manufactured to meet a wide range of needs and environments. The vision in this case was to make the perfect tent, incorporating modern technology and materials, and yet drawing upon a Sami heritage for many of its influences. Bengt’s vision for these designs also had a unique relationship with the primary elements of water, air, Earth and fire – evident in the video which follows.

Bengt’s background provided him with a good foundation in practical problem-solving. Born in the north of Sweden as the second youngest of five children, his family were farmers and part-owners of a saw-mill. By necessity his parents were very practical people – able to work with, repair or produce items in yarn, textile, wood or metal, and these early practical influences were absorbed in the beautiful Swedish natural forest environment – unpolluted by traffic, industry, or city lights, and watched over by the Aurora Borealis. This was home for the first 18 years of his life.

These natural and practical influences took root, maturing over the years and interwoven with his parents’ very sound Christian values – Universal in their essence and applied in their everyday life with family, friends and strangers alike. These strong influences continue – shared by Lena, his wife, and daughters Joni (14), and Tilde (11).

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Tilde, Lena, Joni and Bengt Grahn.

 

Sports for Bengt were very much a product of his passion for the outdoors and his closeness to the natural environment. Skating and skiing in the wilderness of Swedish Lapland gave way as the seasons changed to forest running and whitewater canoeing trips on rivers swollen by meltwater, and it was on one of these trips where the idea which was to become Tentipi came into being. In 1989, under the Company name Moskoselkatan AB, the Tentipi brand came to life – influenced by the Sami Kata heritage, the varied environment of Swedish Lapland, and also by Bengt’s enquiring and problem-solving mind.

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Bengt, at home in the outdoors.

 

His focus on providing the absolute best quality at all stages of design, materials and production is evident everywhere and this was to provide the stimulus for acquisition of the Company’s own manufacturing facilities, providing the ultimate in terms of quality control. Design rights and Patents for their original ingenious designs have been granted, and the company have been awarded several prestigious industry awards too.

We deal with detailed descriptions of designs, constructions and materials elsewhere in our Blog, but Bengt’s original vision of producing an all-weather Nordic tipi using totally modern constructions and yet still faithful to the original design principles of their Sami predecessors has been ultimately successful. Now, 22 years after manufacture of their very first product, Tentipi are regarded as the World’s leading producer of premium quality Nordic tipis, with their products in use across the globe.

 
 

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Wouldn't it be exciting to spend the night right in the middle of a zoo? – That is exactly what you can do at Skånes Djurpark, a wildlife park in southern Sweden. At their campsite, Camp Oak, you stay in the park after it closes and will make yourself at home in a Nordic tipi from Tentipi. When the night comes you might just fall asleep to the wolves’ howls.

Skånes Djurpark is a Wildlife Park with a long history, it dates back to 1952. It focuses on animals from the Nordic area and has always lived by the ruling with “no animals in cages”. The animals live in large paddocks that recreates the animals’ natural environments.

Lennart Pittja is a Sámi entrepreneur with a mission: with his world-renowned eco-tourism company he wants to spread the knowledge about his people – the Sami, indigenous of northern Scandinavia and Russia. With over 20 years of experience as a wildlife guide and nature photographer in the arctic region he started Sápmi Nature Camp. Where his guests stay in Nordic tipis from Tentipi on his reindeer herding land outside of Gällivare, in northern Sweden.

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Stratus 72, the giant Nordic tipi shaped like a witch’s hat has become one of the most iconic and loved product from Tentipi. The story behind it is both long and fascinating. It involves the Sami, a 1000 square meter booth, and a mobile slaughterhouse.
The United Nations general assembly proclaimed 1993 to be the year of the world´s indigenous people with the goal to protect and promote the right of indigenous people. This made it possible for interest groups and organizations to apply for grants for projects relating to these issues.

Ivan Eriksson is Sami and he has been working with projects to strengthen and further the Sami-culture for most of his life. He has always had one leg in reindeer husbandry and working to strengthen Sami rights has always been close to his heart. When he heard about the opportunity to do something during the special UN-year he knew that he had to make something extraordinary.

It was the first day of the trip, adventurer Mike Fuchs and his friend Eric Folz had just a couple of hours before been dropped off as far north as they could possibly come in Svalbard when they saw them. Two polar bears, one mother and its cub. A situation that could become deadly if the bears decided to have a closer look on their new visitors.

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Fredrik Broman is born and raised along the Råne river valley in Norrbotten. The forest, the flowing waters and photography are passions that have been important all through his life. Fredrik is a trained teacher and as part of his teaching degree he travelled to Kenya in the late 90’s to work at the Swedish school in Nairobi and to write and take photos for a textbook. As time went by he got to spend more time with his camera and developed his great interest in photography.

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