Reindeer Blog

New hydropower projects, windmill parks and the construction of new houses and cabin put increasing pressure on the reindeer herders in Norway. The industry might vanish by year 2050 should the developments continue, a representative of the reindeer herders says.It is not climate changes, nor the high number of reindeers or the increasing motorized traffic [...]

February 6th is Sami National Day in all the countries where the Sami live and is a day for a pan Sami celebration of the Sami people. The day in Sweden was overshadowed for some by the crisis that persists in reindeer pastures - many reindeer herders have been forced to apply for aid to feed their reindeer after [...]

IGE Nordic, the daughter company of mining giant International Gold Exploration unveiled their plans for the former gold mine of Biedjovággi, 40 km West of Kautokeino. IGE Nordic visited Kautokeino last week having meetings with the municipality and reindeer herders from the  Ábborášša reindeer herding district in whose area the mine is to be redeveloped. In an interview [...]

Reindeer Luck is a TV series that is to premiere on NRK national TV next week. It follows the Eira family in Kautokeino, one of the largest herding families in the region,  on their reindeer migration, slaughter and earmarking and more besides. See more about the series here.

(Pic NRK Sami Radio) A much awaited film premiere occurs this month (January 18th) with the release of Nils Gaup’s film, The Kautokeino Rebellion (Kautokeino-opprøret) an epic that cost NOK 53.6 million (10 million USD), based on a real-life event in 1852.  Gaup, whose Oscar-nominated feature, Pathfinder (Ofelas/Veiviseren/1987), was based on an ancient Sami legend, has again returned to Sapmi. [...]

(Yle Sami) Bohcobierggu haddi lea gorŋon lagábui 15 proseanta manjimus jagi áigge sihke Ruoŧas, Suomas ja Norggas. Gávppin lea šaddan divrasut oastit bohccobierggu, muhto dál maiddai boazoeaiggádat fitnejit buoret kilohatti. (English summary below)
Mikkel Triumf eaiggáda njuovahaga MT slakt Kautokeino ja son jahkká ahte haddeloktaneapmi čatnasa čielgasit dasa ahte man ollu leat olbmot geat hálidit bohccobierggu. [...]

Due to the unseasonably mild winter conditions, including several days of rain and snow free conditions across the northern reindeer herding districts of Finland (Utsjoki, Inari and Enontekio) round ups were delayed in many reindeer herding cooperatives according to Lapin Kansa (30.12.2007), the regional newspaper.  In some cases, delays of up to a month were recorded.
The delays [...]

Watch a documentary on the struggle between reindeer herders and the industrial logging practices of Stora Enso in the Sami area - particularly in the old growth forests of Inari, Northern Finland, which are key winter grazing pastures of reindeer herders who are attempting to herd using traditional methods. The documentary is a production of [...]

Foto: Tor Schulstad. A driver who hit and killed a reindeer in Porsanger, has refused to pay compensation to the reindeer herder from Karasjok who owned the animal. The case has dragged on for some time and has now made its way to  the Norwegian Ministry of Agriculture and a large insurance company.  A representative of the [...]

 (Pic: Nrk) It is at Christmas time that global interest in reindeer is heightened, as reindeer have long been associated with Santa Claus’ preferred method of transportation. In fact a quick look at Google analytics shows that it is only at christmas time that large numbers of people type ‘reindeer’ into their google search window. [...]