“I Had a Reindeer Called Onni . . .”: Reindeer Stories, Memory, and the Continuation of Reindeer Herding Culture in Northern Fennoscandia

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Exploring Long-Term Pastoral Dynamics: Methods, Theories, Stories" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

In recent years, ethnoarchaeological research combining archaeological evidence and traditional knowledge of reindeer herders has added considerably to our understanding of cultural meanings of various reindeer herding practices traceable through the archaeological record. One important aspect brought forward by participant research among present-day reindeer herders is that the relationships with reindeer—particularly working reindeer—are continuous over several seasons and years, the reindeer individuals becoming integrated into people’s lives over the long term. This continuity is created in frequent contact with the reindeer, the herders always being mindful of the reindeer, their location, pastures, and well-being, but also their individual life histories and characteristics. The long-term relationships with reindeer individuals are also integrated into memories and stories, which link generations of animals and humans together in the long continuation of reindeer herding culture. In this paper, we will present a few reindeer stories told by the herders. We will examine how these stories reflect various aspects of human-reindeer relationships in reindeer pastoralism today, how they can be used to understand its cultural meaning in the past, and ultimately, what do they mean for the continuation of reindeer pastoralism as a livelihood and way of living in Northern Fennoscandia.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)   •
• Exploring Long-Term Pastoral Dynamics: Methods, Theories, Stories

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 38582.0