World Reindeer Herders Address to UN Permanent Forum, New York

Philip Burgess — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:09:59 +0000

Chair of UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues Visits Reindeer Herd

Philip Burgess — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 09:38:45 +0000

(Pic: Dan Robert Larsen / NRK) Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, The Chair of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues visited a reindeer herd in the company of a reindeer herder from Karasjok, Johan Mathis Eira, among others. She compared the journey to the herd as like travelling in a fridge! Tauli-Corpus has been in Karasjok this week visiting the Sami Parliament, taking part in a seminar that included topics such as rights and climate change and was organised by the Sami parliament and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

When informed that she was travelling in an area that was populated by the ferocious predator, wolverine, she expressed concern but was glad to hear that they are afraid of people. The weather was overcast and windy. Said Eira,

It is in such weather that wolverine like the best.Then it can sneak in on the reindeer herd and their tracks are hidden (by the wind). Then it is only the crows the day after that tell you what has happened and that Jerven have some catch…

In our siida predators are a problem. Especially wolverine and lynx that both frighten and kill reindeer. We do not need to be long gone from the herd before these predators turn up

You can watch a video clip of her trip here on NRK Sami Radio

Source: NRK Sami Radio

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World Reindeer Herders Address to UN Permanent Forum, New York

Chair of UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues Visits Reindeer Herd