The belt was an amulet, and an unbelted Sami person was considered defenseless against demons. Over time, the belt has retained only an aesthetic and decorative function, losing its ceremonial and magical purpose. The belt remains an invariable adornment of everyday and festive outfits as well as specialized costumes.

A belt is an essential attribute of traditional costume. A belt woven of colored wool was fastened with a silver buckle. A purse, scissors and other sewing accessories were suspended from the belt.

A reed is a device for weaving belts. It looks different in different parts of the country, but it fulfills the same function of a hand loom. The Sami used it to weave belts, straps and other types of tape. A reed could be made of wood or bone.

The ethnographer Anna Pavlovna Kosmenko wrote,

A weaving reed is a flat board in which several dozen longitudinal slits are made. Each “post” separating two slits has a hole in it. Such holes can be vertically from one to three, which can be used to make the pattern more sophisticated, working with threads of different colors.

To weave the fabric, threads are passed into the reed — both in the longitudinal slits and in the “post” holes. The reed is then moved up and down. The threads in the longitudinal slits remain in place, while the threads in the holes are moved up or down. This creates a shed — a gap between the warp threads. The weft thread is passed through this shed, either by hand or with the help of a shuttle. This is how the fabric of the belt is created.

The Sami belt is unique, as everyone made it for themselves independently. Belts woven on the reed are known for their high craftsmanship and intricate decorative patterns.