Reindeer Blog

(Source - The Kremlin) Many Finno Ugric Peoples are reindeer herders - Sami, Komi, Khanty, Finns, Nenets, to name a few. While reindeer were not on the agenda at last weeks Finno Ugric Peoples congress in Khanty Mansisk last week, reindeer were not too far away..as seen in this picture with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Finnish President Tarja Halonen. Medvedev promised to visit to Finland in the near future - perhaps Reindeer will feature then?

      С  7 по 10 апреля 2008 г . в селе Тополиное Томпонского района  Правительство Республики Саха (Якутия) и  Международный  центр оленеводства (Каутокейно, Норвегия)  готовят проведение Международного семинара “EALAT”, посвящённого 90-летию со дня рождения Погодаева Петра Егоровича - оленевода, участника Великой Отечественной войны.

  В мероприятиях семинара примут участие оленеводы из 9-ти районов РС(Я), гости из Красноярского края, Чукотского АО, Ямало-Ненецкого АО, Норвегии, Финляндии, Монголии и Японии. 

  В рамках семинара планируется организация и проведение ежегодных республиканских мероприятий для   сохранения языков, культуры, традиционных занятий коренных малочисленных народов Севера: праздник  “День оленевода”, конкурсы  ”Кочевая семья”  и  “Сээдьэ”, семинар  “Семейная педагогика народов Севера”.  

The leaders of NBR-NRL at their AGM recently urged for an assessment of nuclear power as a power source, pointing out that all forms of power development impact reindeer husbandry, including wind power, which is generally thought of as being more environmentally benign and there are plans for extensive development of wind power on the Finnmark coast - on the agenda was a presentation by Ellenor Guttorm Utsi entitled ‘Wind Power-Reindeer Husbandry’s battle with Goliath’ . Traffic - another byproduct of development is taking a severe toll on reindeer as road kill has increased enormously in Finnmark. Sámi Council Vice President Olav Mathis Eira called for the Sámi Parliament in Norway to be allowed adminster reindeer husbandry, instead of the current administration in Alta. This was responded to negatively by the State Secretary for Agriculture, Ola T. Heggem who said it was natural for the state to administer reindeer husbandry. Karasjok municipal leaders have ‘Gold Fever‘, as a major Norwegian mining company is promising ‘hundreds of jobs’ in the municipality as they plan to develop gold mining in the region. ICR employee, Elna Sara was quoted in an AFP report on how climate change is threatening indigenous peoples. Meanwhile, Reindeer meat has to be ‘treated like gold‘ as it is becoming increasingly popular and harder to get - the slaughter house in Kautokeino was empty by Easter and demand is rising. Finally, the annual NBR NRL meeting in Mehamn was the site of the competition to find reindeer husbandry’s best lasso caster! The best woman was Inga Berit Marie Triumf and the best man was Olav Mathis Eira from over 70 participants. The best woman won a 1.5 year old female reindeer (vuonjal) and an unmarked 6 month old reindeer calf (čearpmat)!

It is not only billionaires who are interested in developing an export market for reindeer meat. ‘Yamal Deer’ are hoping to export reindeer meat to Germany this year according to reports, though one wonders how realistic it might be. In Norway, the implementation of the proposed new Reindeer Husbandry law has been delayed. This law will replace the 1978 reindeer husbandry law. Under the proposed new law, more aspects of reindeer husbandry management will be transferred to the siida system. The siida is a collective, often family based working group within Sámi reindeer husbandry. Meanwhile, in Tromsø, a consultancy firm employed by the city has proposed a number of areas for the development of a new target range for gun and sports enthusiasts most of which are not acceptable to reindeer husbandry as they will impinge on already reduced pastures.

Swedish Sámi reindeer herders are considering taking action against the Norwegian authorities if they continue to prevent their herds from using pastures on the Norwegian side of the border. Last week, Norwegian authorities drove reindeer back across the border claiming that the reindeer ‘did not have a permit’, a continuation of a long running dispute between herder and authorities on both sides of the border over grazing rights. Administration figures claim it can be solved before the summer…

Billionaire Roman Abramovich, Chelsea football club owner and Governer of Chukotka was in Rovaniemi, Finland yesterday visiting the Lapin Liha Company who showed him their products from reindeer meat. He has already purchased a reindeer slaughter house  in Finland, which he has shipped to Chukotka, where one of the primary activities of the indigenous peoples there, is reindeer husbandry. He is also connected to a mega project that is under discussion in the region: the building of a tunnel under the Bering Strait, another version of the age  old dream of connecting the continents. Meanwhile, 40 reindeer were killed in Hopseidet, Finnmark, with the construction of a road through their traditional migration route being the most likely cause.