Máttaráhkká is the mother goddess in Sámi mythology, associated with creation, life and the continuation of the family line. She is the mother of the goddesses Sáráhkká, Juksáhkká and Uksáhkká.
In this work, she wears a traditional Sámi horned cap, ládjogahpir, a distinctive women’s headdress that was opposed and, in some places, prohibited in the 19th century under the influence of Laestadian preachers. Here, it becomes part of Máttaráhkká’s expression as the mother goddess: a symbol of female identity, heritage and something that has endured attempts to erase it.