Sami Reindeer Herders : An Arctic Tradition Imperilled (44 images)

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  • A reproduced cave drawing of reindeer and hunters illustrates the prehistoric origins of the Sami. Europe?s only indigenous group, the Sami trace their history to the Palaeolithic Era. Despite the inhospitable arctic climate of northernmost Finland, Norway, Russia, and Sweden, they have lived off the land fishing, hunting, and reindeer herding and now pursue a host of other occupations while reindeer herding endures as an integral aspect of their culture.

  • Hirvas Salmi, FINLAND. October 15, 2007- Reindeer race through the morning mist evading the lassos of Sami herdsman. After a three week span in which 2000 reindeer are brought down from mountains, the Hirvas Salmi herdsmen, comprising 100 owners, gather their calves for the corral and then slaughter.....

  • (selected for the National Portrait Gallery's Photographic Portrait Prize- exhibited from November 4, 2008- February 15, 2009)..A father and his 7-year-old daughter scan the galloping reindeer in search of their calves. The Sami herding lifestyle struggles to maintain its force in numbers with lower wages and a demanding work schedule. Very few youth seek a future as a full time herder. Despite the inhospitable Arctic climate reindeer herding has been the livelihood of the Sami for hundreds of years, but amid the economic, technological, and environmental problems of modern society their indigenous culture must increasingly reconcile these radical changes in order to preserve age-old traditions, customs, and mores.

  • Hirvas Salmi, FINLAND. October 15, 2007- A trio of reindeer sprint through the morning mist. On the second day of the roundups Sami herdsmen lasso their calves and corral them for slaughter on the following morning...

  • Hirvas Salmi, FINLAND. October 23, 2007- A Sami herdsmen corrals his reindeer during the first roundup of the year. Despite the inhospitable Arctic climate reindeer herding has been the livelihood of the Sami for more than a thousand years, but amid the economic, technological, and environmental problems of modern society their indigenous culture must increasingly reconcile these radical changes in order to preserve age-old traditions, customs, and mores...

  • Hirvas Salmi, FINLAND. October 15, 2007- Veggai, 58, reigns in a calf after lassoing with a 40m throw. A champion lasso thrower throughout Scandanavia in his younger years, he learned to throw the lasso when he learn how to walk.

  • Hirvas Salmi, FINLAND. A reindeer calf lurches after being lassoed by a Sami herdsman. Sami lassoing utilises the underarm motion always catching the back leg.

  • Hirvas Salmi, FINLAND. October 14, 2007- Sami herdsmen Matti Nakkallarve, 51, corrals his reindeer during the first roundup of the year. Despite the inhospitable Arctic climate reindeer herding has been the livelihood of the Sami for more than a thousand years, but amid the economic, technological, and environmental problems of modern society their indigenous culture must increasingly reconcile these radical changes in order to preserve age-old traditions, customs, and mores.....

  • Hirvas Salmi, FINLAND. October 16, 2007- A herd of reindeer circle in a tight pack after being released into the corral, herdsmen then begin the difficult process of finding their own reindeer grabbing them by the antlers. 90% of the reindeer are female and many males are to be castrated and have their antlers sawed off to guard against fights for females during the mating season.

  • Hirvas Salmi, FINLAND. October 18, 2007- Two calves are cordoned off into small fenced partition. Nearly all the yearlings are slaughtered because otherwise many would perish in the harsh winter.

  • Hirvas Salmi, FINLAND. October 16, 2007- Lunging for reindeer antlers and falling to the ground, Veggai, 58, grabs onto his calf. After the corral he will then determine which of his reindeer to slaughter and which to release into the wild for another year of grazing.

  • Hirvas Salmi, FINLAND. October 18, 2007. With flecks of mud and reindeer blood across her cheeks, Annirauna Triumf, 16, corrals her reindeer during an 11 hour day. She lives in Norway with her mother but comes to Finland for this ?reindeer school? five times a year. This is a way that youth straddle both the modern day lives while retaining age-old traditions...

  • Hirvas Salmi, FINLAND. October 19, 2007- Pauli, 60, (blue jacket) and Harri, 29, (red jacket) deskinn a reindeer in the late morning sun. Time intensive slaughtering that occurs in this way is for small scale family use. Their reindeer group's own abattoir processes much larger operations, about 3,000 per season. Another 3000 of the reindeer are transported by truck to Rovaniemi, a city of 50,000 8 hours south, where the meat will be slaughtered at a much bigger abbatoir and sold commercially throughout Finland.

  • Veggai (left), 58, a Sami elder and once champion lasso thrower, confers with his daughter as to how many reindeer she would like him to slaughter. This day marked the first snowfall, roundup, and slaughter of the year. Taneli Nakkalajarvi, 28, takes a smoke break from slaughtering reindeer. He is one of five herders who slaughter, earning only £.40 per reindeer. Despite the inhospitable Arctic climate reindeer herding has been the livelihood of the Sami for hundreds of years, but amid the economic, technological, and environmental problems of modern society their indigenous culture must increasingly reconcile these radical changes in order to preserve age-old traditions, customs, and mores.

  • Hirvas Salmi, FINLAND. October 14, 2007- Reindeer carcasses hang to drip blood after the first slaughter on the first day of the first roundup and the first snowfall. Reindeer slaughtered in this labor intensive way are done only for family use. Large scale slaughtering operations are conducted in the reindeer group's own slaughterhouse or in a commercial slaughterhouse in Rovaniemi, a city of 80,000, 7 hours south.

  • A reindeer herding dog whisks across the icy tundra after the first day of the roundup and the first snowfall of the year. Temperatures in winter can plunge to -60 degrees C. Despite the inhospitable Arctic climate reindeer herding has been the livelihood of the Sami for more than a thousand years, but amid the economic, technological, and environmental problems of modern society their indigenous culture must increasingly reconcile these radical changes in order to preserve age-old traditions, customs, and mores.

  • Hirvas Salmi, FINLAND. October 14, 2007- Reindeer carcasses hang to drip blood after the first slaughter on the first day of the first roundup and the first snowfall. Reindeer slaughtered in this labor intensive way are done only for family use. Large scale slaughtering operations are conducted in the reindeer group's own slaughterhouse or in a commercial slaughterhouse in Rovaniemi, a city of 80,000, 7 hours south.

  • Hirvas Salmi, FINLAND. October 20, 2007. The cabin of slaughterhouse master is seen through the window of the carcass racks from within the slaughterhouse. Days slaughtering reindeer are vigorous and demanding. Every year accidents with the overssized knives require stitches.

  • Hirvas Salmi, FINLAND. Inebriated at 10:30a.m., Taneli Nakkalajarvi, 28, (left) drives to the slaughterhouse for a long day of work slaughtering 300 reindeer. Alcoholism is endemic to Finland and even more pronounced in the Sami.

  • Hirvas Salmi, FINLAND. Taneli Nakkalajarvi, 28, takes a smoke break from slaughtering reindeer. Days slaughtering are onerous, lasting 12 hours or more. A team of five herders slaughter 300 reindeer on the fourth day of the roundup earning £.40 per reindeer in a gruelling day?s work. Every year serious accidents result from the use of oversized knifes...

  • Hirvas Salmi, FINLAND. October 20, 2007- A mass of reindeer hides gathers frost outside of the slaughterhouse.

  • Reindeer heads lie stacked outside the abattoir of the Hirvas Salmi Reindeer Group. Five herders slaughter 300 reindeer on the fourth day of the roundup earning £.40 per slaughter in a gruelling day?s work. Despite the inhospitable Arctic climate reindeer herding has been the livelihood of the Sami for more than a thousand years, but amid the economic, technological, and environmental problems of modern society their indigenous culture must increasingly reconcile these radical changes in order to preserve age-old traditions, customs, and mores.

  • Hirvas Salmi, FINLAND. October 18, 2007- A pink dusk sweeps over the arctic landscape.

  • Hirvas Salmi, FINLAND. October 16, 2007- Observing his reindeer, a herdsman tabulates exactly how many there are to corral.

  • Hirvas Salmi, FINLAND. October 16, 2007- Observing his reindeer through binoculars, a herdsman tabulates exactly how many there are to corral.


  • Hirvas Salmi, FINLAND. October 16, 2007- Herds of reindeer cross a brook. On the third day of this 10 day roundup event it is critical to tabulate exactly how many reindeer there are to corral. Reindeer graze while herdsman assess numbers with binoculars.

  • Hirvas Salmi, FINLAND. October 16, 2007- Herds of reindeer cross a brook. On the third day of this 10 day roundup event it is critical to tabulate exactly how many reindeer there are to corral. Reindeer graze while herdsman assess numbers with binoculars.

  • Charging past on his 4x4 ATV, Vegai heads to tend to the reindeer herds. The introduction of four wheelers about 15 years ago has been both a boon and bane- easing the process of herding but adding significantly to costs. Despite the inhospitable Arctic climate reindeer herding has been the livelihood of the Sami for more than a thousand years, but amid the economic, technological, and environmental problems of modern society their indigenous culture must increasingly reconcile these radical changes in order to preserve age-old traditions, customs, and mores...

  • Matti Nakkallarve, 51, corrals reindeer during the first roundup of the year. Despite the inhospitable Arctic climate reindeer herding has been the livelihood of the Sami for hundreds of years, but amid the economic, technological, and environmental problems of modern society their indigenous culture must increasingly reconcile these radical changes in order to preserve age-old traditions, customs, and mores.

  • Hirvas Salmi, FINLAND. October 18, 2007. Annirauna Triumf, 16, (far right) gazes at her friend after working an 11 hour day. She lives in Norway with her mother but comes to Finland for this ?reindeer school? five times a year. This is a way that youth straddle both the modern day lives while retaining age-old traditions...

  • Hirvas Salmi, FINLAND. October 18, 2007- A just skinned reindeer hide collects melted snow.

  • Collapsed from the exhaustion of working three consecutive 14 hour days, Veggai, 58, slumbers in his friends cabin. Taneli Nakkalajarvi, 28, takes a smoke break from slaughtering reindeer. He is one of five herders who slaughter, earning only £.40 per reindeer. Despite the inhospitable Arctic climate reindeer herding has been the livelihood of the Sami for hundreds of years, but amid the economic, technological, and environmental problems of modern society their indigenous culture must increasingly reconcile these radical changes in order to preserve age-old traditions, customs, and mores.

  • Hirvas Salmi, FINLAND. October 14, 2007- Herders await the truck that will transport reindeer to slaughter.

  • Tethered to a post a reindeer shakes furiously to break free. Reindeer are fashioned this way temporarily before a slaughter or being transported to their homes for tourism purposes..

  • Uule Sara, 35, and dog Vota cross the bridge from his home. His grandparent?s home (middleground left) remains but his modern day home supplants the old ways and more simple living. Despite the inhospitable Arctic climate reindeer herding has been the livelihood of the Sami for more than a thousand years, but amid the economic, technological, and environmental problems of modern society their indigenous culture must increasingly reconcile these radical changes in order to preserve age-old traditions, customs, and mores.

  • FINLAND. A dog is given reindeer heads for bones.

  • Hirvas Salmi, FINLAND. With a trophy he won in 1977 for the champion lasso thrower in all of Scandinavia, Veggai, 58, looks out onto his lake. In addition to working as a Sami Herdsman he also has a penchant for gardening.

  • Family pictures of Sami youth dressed in traditional clothing are arranged in the living room of herdsman Veggai's house. At the present time, many Sami work outside of traditional jobs and pursue a variety of occupations, yet reindeer herding remains an integral part of Sami life. The Sami herding lifestyle struggles to maintain its force in numbers with lower wages and a demanding work schedule. Very few youth seek a future as a full time herder.

  • Inari, FINLAND. Taneli Nakkalajarvi, 28, and reindeer herding dog Vota gaze onto Lake Inari while best friend and fellow herder Uule Sara, 35, is reflected. Taking an afternoon off after a week of 14 hour days during the roundup, they drove 75km north to Inari, pop. 500, the largest town in a 3-hour radius, which boasts some of the oldest Sami settlements in Finland, 5000 BC.

  • Hirvas Salmi, FINLAND. Two herdsmen retreat to the warm of a cabin and share beer after struggling through a week of 12-16 hour days. Roundup weeks are notoriously relentless, requiring great exertion with very little time for recovery. Alcoholism is endemic to Finland and even more pronounced in the Sami.

  • Hirvas Salmi, FINLAND. October 16, 2007- Veggai, 58, of Lemmenokki, enjoys a dinner of reindeer and potato stew. The staple dish of the Sami, it remains unchanged for hundreds of years.

  • Awakening his drunken friend, Uule Sara, 35, coaxes his 7 year old reindeer into his cabin. Very few herdsmen can subsist solely with their reindeer and this reindeer is used for the tourism trade, specifically sledge pulling..

  • Hirvas Salmi, FINLAND. October 14, 2007- Hirvas Salmi, FINLAND. The lights of the trailer departing for the slaughterhouse illuminate one of the cabins. 300 reindeer were loaded into very tight quarters in preparation for the 8-hour trip south.