During the summer in Lapland, reindeer sometimes search the roadsides for berries and end up blocking traffic.
get. In the summer, they eat plants like bogbean, water horsetail, golden- rod, and hay, and they also like the berries that grow by the side of the Lapland roads. During the summer, the reindeer leave the woodlands, where they spend most of the winter, to get away from mosquitoes and to eat these roadside berries, and as a result, they often block off two-lane roads, causing motorists, especially tourists, to have to mark time while waiting for the feasting to end. Happily, there are no superhighways in Lapland or the poor critters wouldn’t stand a chance.
Reindeer and the Sami
The Sami relationship with the reindeer is a close one. For more than three hundred years the Sami have been herding large numbers of reindeer, and many Sami are firmly convinced they will return to their old
30
stomping grounds as reindeer when they die—that is if they’ve been good. And make no mistake about it. The Sami make good use of their reindeer. Restaurants in Lapland feature meals in which reindeer meat is the main course, and reindeer stew, they say, also is a big favorite in Lapland. Reindeer hides are used to make rugs, blankets, boots, tents, and coats, and other parts of the animal are used to make other products that help keep the economy of Lapland moving. The bones become small jewelry, and those antlers, which fall off once a year, make splendid handles for knives featuring traditional Sami designs. Reindeer also provide recreation for
the Sami in this land where it is constantly on the chilly side, even in the summer. Reindeer racing, which can be traced back to the seventeenth century, is the big sport in Lapland. Specially trained reindeer speedsters are harnessed to jockeys on skis or on sleds and away they go! The biggest (Continued on page 32)
D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 0 / J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1
PHOTO: ©MACDUFF EVERTON/CORBIS
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60