Rudolph

Day 8; 13/01/2019

Our second full day in Finland allowed us to take in the culture and learn the history of its native peoples.  We started the day off by traveling into Inari to the Sami Museum and Parliment.  The museum itself explored the history, livelihoods, politics, and local ecology of Europe’s only recognized native people.  As seen to be typical with most native groups throughout the world, the Sami are intertwined with nature and the world around them.  Living their lives through the things provided by the Earth.  For thousands of years, they have kept and heard wild reindeer using them for food, clothing, and trade.  The museum gave insight into a group of which many of us were unaware of.  Personally, it was interesting to grasp the fact that these people were and are white.  In Europe, much of the persecution that different groups faced were faced on borders and language rather than skin color or ethnicity.  After leaving the museum we headed to a reindeer farm which is run by the Sami people.  The Sami gave insight into their practice of reindeer herding and into parts of their culture.  We were first able to feed the reindeer, but unfortunately not pet them since they are wild animals.  After we were then given a sleigh ride by the reindeer.  Up until this point, much of the activities provided by the Sami seemed to be geared towards tourists which blurred the lines of their true culture.  Once we had gone into a hut and were given tea and biscuits we were told that much of the “reindeer herding” done by today’s Sami people is done for tourism.  We also learned that the Sami of our generation aren’t all necessarily leaving their tradition to pursue jobs in big cities, but that it is rather split between traditional and modern career paths.  Interacting with the reindeer I was faced with thinking about the ethics and morals behind using them for tourism and the sleigh ride itself, during which they seemed to be quite uncomfortable.  However, they seemed to be well cared for and in the tourism market would live out their lives instead of being slaughtered for meat and hides.

As climate change and global warming continue, wildlife, especially in the Arctic, are greatly impacted.  Longer warm months allow reindeer to have prolonged availability to food, but pests that are able to reproduce faster due to longer summers are then able to attack reindeer and their food sources.  Other than these impacts, the main cause of reindeer deaths is due to cars rather than their biggest predators, wolverines.

After leaving the reindeer farm, we were given one more exquisite Scandinavian meal.  For dinner, we walked through the snow and cold to a local restaurant where we had the option to try a reindeer filet, which of course I took.  Dessert was also a local dish of cheesecake topped with cloudberries.  For our last night in Finland, many of us decided to spend it in one of the saunas within our chalet.  I lasted about ten minutes and then could no longer stand the heat.

Cloudberry Cheesecake

Reindeer Filet