Issát Turi is a Sámi reindeer herder, one of the authors of the award winning EALLU book and has been working with and for the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry for many years. He also accompanied Anders Oskal, Mikhail Pogodaev, Inger Anita Smuk, Juoksa Smuk and Elen Sara Sparrok after the Gourmand Awards to Inner Mongolia, to the Evenki village of Alouguya, China as the ICR-WRH team visited with Evenki herders. Below is a brief summary of a conversation with him now that the ICR / WRH team are back in Sápmi.
Of course reindeer herding on the tundra and the taiga are very different things. For the Evenki, their economy is totally different. We depend on meat production, whereas Evenki in China use the herds to produce medicinal products from antlers and there is some small milk production. There’s a big market for these products in the Far East. They have challenges to recruit young herders of course, as many of the herds are quite remote and are in tough places to live. Their herds are now inside a recently created national park and this has brought new challenges. Local Evenki are no longer allowed to hunt inside the borders of the Park and hunting is a big part of their livelihoods. The rules of the National Park have also meant that herders are not allowed to carry any weapon, even a bow and arrow, to protect their reindeer from predators. Bears are especially numerous in the park and are taking a lot of the reindeer calfs. Herders are allowed to have a dog but herders told us that the dogs don’t help so much.
See a new photo gallery from the ICR / WRH team visit to Alouguya below
After the stunning victory of overall ‘Best in the World’ Foodbook for the EALLU food book, a smaller delegation from the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry (ICR) and the Association of World Reindeer Herders (WRH) made their way north to the town of Genhe, then to the village of Aolouguya to meet once more with their Evenki herding compatriots. The ICR/WRH delegation consisted of Anders Oskal, Mikhail Pogodaev, Inger Anita Smuk, Issat Turi, Ellen Sara Sparrok and Juoksa Smuk.
WRH attended meetings and a welcome dinner with the Mayor of Genhe, Zhaomin Hu. Genhe is a sizeable city in the far northeast of Inner Mongolia, and is the only region with reindeer husbandry which is centred on the Evenki reindeer herding village of Aoluguya. Genhe and Alouguya was the location of the 5th World Reindeer Herding Congress.
Mr E. Cointreau, founder of the Gourmand Awards, samples traditional foods in the EALLU tent.
As noted previously, the EALLU food book was awarded the prestigious grand prize at the 23rd Gourmand food book awards held in China, last weekend. The founder of the Awards is a Mr Eduard Cointreau and he had the following things to say about the EALLU book:
EALLU is the first book ever, presenting an overview of the food cultures of the indigenous peoples of the Arctis, says Edouard Cointreau, president and founder of the Gourmand Awards. A unique book that, unlike many others, can really change the life of indigenous families, their nomadic communities and villages. In an exceptional and impressive way the authors, who are all arctic indigenous youth, has managed to create a book that share the way of life and the food culture of places that has been known by very few people on the planet. The importance of their work and the beautiful EALLU book has no comparison. The way these youth professionally and respectfully shared their food, the arctic culture and their insights on sustainability at the Gourmand Awards on may 26, caught the immediate attention of chefs, authors, writers, journalists and photographers from more than 60 countries.
A team from the EALLU project has touched down in the coastal city of Yantai, China to attend the awards ceremony of the 23rd Gourmand International Cookbook Awards (the “Oscars of the cookbook world”) which are being held May 26-27. Authors from all over the globe will compete for the prestigious awarding of the World´s best cookbooks and the EALLU book has been nominated for the best in all categories and also in three separate categories.
Present in Yantai are ICR Director Anders Oskal and a group of indigenous youth including many authors. On Friday, May 25, the EALLU team, which have brought with them reindeer blood, smoked meat and a large lavvu will host attendees and tell about the book, the story behind the project and the importance of traditional foods to indigenous peoples. Also, the Gourmand Awards are the setting for the launch of the 2nd edition of the EALLU book, with a redesigned cover and new content. The EALLU team has representation from Sápmi, Russia and China. From Sápmi: Anders Oskal, Issát Turi, Inger Anita Smuk, Juoksa Smuk, Ellen-Sara Sparrok. From Russia: Mikail Pogodaev, Alena Gerasimova, Marta Okotetto, Anna Chuprina and from Aoluguya/Genhe; 4 persons. See some photos below
Have Indigenous Youth Made the Best Cookbook in the World?
Indigenous reindeer herding youth initiative nominated for 22nd Gourmand International Cookbook Awards 2018
The 22nd Gourmand International Cookbook Awards (the “Oscars of the cookbook world”) is being held May 26-27 in Yantai, China where authors from all over the globe will compete for the prestigious awarding of the World´s best cookbooks.
An international group young indigenous people and others are among the top nominees, with their food book entitled: “EALLU –Food, Knowledge and How We Have Thrived on the Margins”. The term ´eallu´ means a herd (of reindeer) in the indigenous Sámi language, closely connected to the word ´eallin´, which means life.
In this unique and acclaimed food book, a team of 50 young indigenous authors present 14 different Arctic indigenous peoples´ food cultures in one volume, the first of its kind. The book has been nominated in as many as 4 categories at the Gourmand Awards: Food Heritage, Sustainable Food, Arctic Food, and the main prize itself – Best Food Book of the World, across all categories. The book is 1 of 16 nominees for the main prize, selected from contributions from 116 countries.
“This is much more than just a book of recipes”, says Chair Mikhail Pogodaev of Association of World Reindeer Herders (WRH): “This is about Arctic indigenous peoples´ deep knowledge about food, raw materials, processing and conservation, food security, health and wellbeing – Its about our food traditions, our traditional nomadic lifestyles, our local economies, our philosophy and our worldviews.”
A nice article and photo (in German) was published in Berliner Zeitung a few months ago which we are reposting here, with their permission. Journalist Bernd Hauser visited Kautokeino in the spring and spent time with Issát Turi (pictured with his mother Kirsten Turi) and family in their winter pastures. Turi talked about the challenges facing reindeer herders in Finnmark and how herders can best continue to practice their traditional livelihoods. Turi is also an author in the EALLU food book where he wrote about the traditional ways that Sámi slaughter reindeer in order that the flavours of the reindeer meat are enhanced. The article closes with a quote from Turi that encapsulates the essence of the livelihood: “Nicht ich habe dieses Leben gewählt. Es hatmich gewählt!” (I didn’t choose this life, it chose me)
In early April 2018 in the village of Iengra, Neryungrinskiy district of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), a round table was held on the topic “Reindeer HUsbandry – basis for Indigenous Peoples Livelihoods in the Arctic”, organized as part of the Arctic Skills initiative.
During the round table, participants discussed development of the educational system for reindeer herders and agreed to create a thematic network of the University of the Arctic to strengthen cooperation between vocational education institutions for effective training of reindeer-herding personnel. Within the framework of the seminar the Arctic Skills championship of professional skills among reindeer herders was held, which included competitions on the professional skills of reindeer herders in five competencies, a round table and other events.
Minister Monica Mæland from the Ministry of Local Government and Modernisation visited International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry on 11th of April.
The meeting was held in the ICR office in Kautokeino. Topics on the future development and coperation in the Circumpolar North were discussed during the minister’s visit.
This week the Association of World Reindeer Herders is vising Levi in Finland, where the Arctic Council SDWG and SAO meeting are held. WRH General Secretary Anders Oskal has presented the report on the work of the EALLU project for the last months.During this period more than ten educational seminars were organized, dedicated to food culture, traditional knowldege, reindeer herding youth etc. WRH had a succesful 6th Congress of World reindeer herder in Sweden; publications on traditional knowldge and food culture were published and several are about to be. WRH delegation will stay in Finland for few more days before going to hold its Council meeting, which will be in Salekhard at the end of this week.
EALLU is a book about food culture of the indigenous peoples of the Arctic, which is nominated for major food culture event in the world – the Gourmand Awards. The book describes the food culture, recipes and traditional knowledge about nutrition of the 13 indigenous peoples of the Arctic (Nenets, Saami, Chukchi, Koryak, Dolgan, Evenki, Even, Yukagir, Dukha, Inuit, Aleut, Gwichin, Athabaskan). More than 50 authors have contributed with their knowledge to the book; most of authors are young representatives of indigenous peoples of the Arctic, which is the first of its kind to present an overview of the food cultures belonging to the Arctic indigenous peoples.
The publication of the EALLU cook book was an intermediate result of a project implemented by the Association of World Reindeer Herders and the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry: “EALLU: indigenous youth, Arctic change and food culture”. The book was launched at the Ministerial Meeting of the Arctic Council, which was in Fairbanks (Alaska) in May 2017.
A number of events took place as part of the celebration of the traditional Reindeer Herder’s Day in Iengra (Neryungri district, Yakutia) with participation of local residents, and also members of the International Reindeer Herding Center and Association of World Reindeer Herders.
The delegation was represented by prof. Svein Mathisen, leader of the UArctic Institute of Circumpolar Reindeer Husbandry, Mikhail Pogodaev, chair of the Board of the Association of World Reindeer Herders, Inger Anita Smuk and Mikkel Anders Kemi of the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry and Sámi reindeer herders from Norway, students and reindeer herding youth of the Institute of the Peoples of the North of the Herzen University – Marta Okotetto and Anna Chuprina, and also project managers of the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry Svetlana Avelova and Alena Gerasimova, who arrived in Neryungri district to get to know the culture and lifestyle of the Evenki reindeer herders of South Yakutia and also identify areas for further cooperation.
Association of World Reindeer Herders together with herders from Scandinavia and Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District will participate i events dedicated to the traditional festival “Reindeer Herders Day” in the village of Iengra, Neryungri district of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) in Russia. This year the festival is dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of the first Honorary Citizen Neryungri, Evenki, Semyon Lekhanov and the Year of Healthy Lifestyle in Neryungri district. The festival will include several events, thus starting from February 27 till March 3 Iengra will host exhibition of local Evenki handicraft, photo exhibition with title “Im Evenki and this is my Reindeer”, exhibiion of toys etc. On February 27 guests will have an opportunity to see a play for reindeer herders “Sigikta the Great Handywoman”.
The Circle – the quarterly magazine of the WWF Global Arctic Programme. The goal of the magazine is to inform decision-makers, scientists and the interested public about arctic environmental and development issues. The Circle is distributed free to around 3,000 arctic stakeholders worldwide, and each issue focuses on one specific Arctic-related topic.
Association of World Reindeer Herders (WRH) will have its fisrt Council meeting in Russia. Reindeer herders who are members of the WR Council from 29 reindeer herding regions of the world will gather in Salekhard on March 24-25, where the national festivel ” The Reindeer Herder’s Day” will also take place.
Association of World Reindeer Herders and UiT rector Anne Husebekk in Tromso
Last week President of the Council of the Association of World Reindeer Herders (WRH), Sergey Khariuchi, had a visit to Sapmi. Sergey together with Nenets reindeer herder from Yamal and also WRH Board members, Mikhail Iar, participated in the Arctic Frontiers 2018 in Tromso, where they had meetings with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Kingdom of Norway, Teimuraz Ramishvili, rector of the University of Tromso, Anne Husebekk, representatives of the Parmanent Participants to the Arctic Council and others, to discuss different issues such as cooperation between reindeer herders from different countries, providing education for nomadic indigenous students etc..
Kautokeino, Norway. January 18, the Association of World Reindeer Herders (WRH) hosts their guests and friends from the Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of te North (RAIPON) with the leader of delegation – president Grigory Ledkov. WRH Chair of the Board Mikhail Pogodaev and WRH secretary general Anders Oskal picked up Gregory Ledkov, Vladimir Klimov and Stepan Vanuito from RAIPON at the airport of Kittila. The program of the visit was organized by WRH and the Interational Centre for Reindeer Husbandry (ICR). On their first day of visit guests were introduced to the slaughtering house Finnmarksrein (https://finnmarkrein.no).
November 1, Salekhard (Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District, Russia). 2nd Siberian Environmental Change Network (SecNet) Workshop has began, and will last until November 4. The seminar is organized by the Government of Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District and Tomsk State University with the support of the UK Science and Innovation Network and the British Embassy in Russia. Scientists from Russia, the UK, Denmark, Norway, Finland and the Czech Republic will participate in a seminar, organized by the Siberian Environmental Change Network (SecNet), in Salekhard (the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District), the region’s Department of Sciences and Innovations said on Wednesday.
Guests and participants of the exhibition Treature of the North
Last weekend dozens of visitors in the Sokolniki Park have consumed delicious snakcs and soups made from reindeer meat and other delicacies of indigenous peoples of the North. The food expo was organized in the framework of the Arctic Council EALLU project about reindeer herding food culture. The main report on the project – the EALLU cookbook was exposed for the first time during the seminar on Traditional Knowledge and Innovations in Indigenous Food Systems and their Role for Developing Private Business. International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry has organized both events in cooperation with RAIPON, Indigenous Peoples Institute of Herzen University and Fjellvilt from Norway.
In a groundbreaking and incredibly exciting event, the Sara family from the Fálá reindeer herding district in Finnmark are being followed 24/7 by NRK, the Norwegian National Broadcasting Company.
NRK pioneered ‘Slow-TV’ and for the first time ever, the entire spring migration of reindeer and people from the winter pastures in inner Finnmark to the summer pastures on Kvaløya will be simultaneously live streamed and televised. Sami have migrated with their reindeer following the natural cycles of the seasons and the land for millennia and this event brings it right into peoples lives in ways unimaginable even just a few years ago.
The migration will take about 1.5 weeks and you can tune in to watch at https://www.nrk.no/rein/? Although the reindeer just started moving today, lots of people are tuning in, with 135,000 watching already. Expect this number to rise.
Next weekend, April 29-30 in Moscow, the EALLU project is holding an international seminar in Moscow, at the Sokolniki Culture and Exhibition Centre. Entitled: TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE AND INNOVATION IN THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ FOOD SYSTEMS, AND THEIR ROLE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF LOCAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP, this seminar builds and expands on previous EALLU workshops which have been held across the circumpolar North – numbering nearly 30 various events in 10 countries over the last three years.
The seminar will carry over two days and combine presentations and practical work related to traditional food preparations. Presenters include traditional food practitioners, herders, administrators and others and will culminate in practical demonstrations in making ‘stroganina‘ (an Arctic delicacy made from thinly sliced raw fish or raw reindeer meat). The event is being held as part of a much larger event that runs until May 1st entitled ‘Treasures of the North. Masters and Artists of Russia 2017′ an annual event that celebrates the cultural richness and diversity of Russia’s North.
The event is open to all. See the full program below
On March 29-30, 2017, Arkhangelsk in Northwest Russia will host a regular The Arctic — Territory of Dialogue international Arctic forum. Held annually since 2010, the forum is one of the the largest international platform for discussing problems facing the Arctic and prospects for regional development.Russian President Vladimir Putin and Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin are expected to attend the forum. The EALLU project is hosting an Arctic indigenous peoples cuisine event at the Forum, which is expected to be attended by over 1,000 people. Traditional foods of reindeer peoples – Eveny, Evenki, Sami and Nenets – will be served and information about the EALLU project will be distributed. A large team from ICR is present, along with many of the EALLU youth participants. The programme is posted here (still being added to)
A major seminar with youth from across the circumpolar North (Russia, Canada, US, Finland, Norway and Sweden) is getting underway in Kautokeino tomorrow February 1-3 at the Sami University of Applied Sciences. Organized under the auspices of the EALLU and RIEVDAN projects that both focus on traditional knowledge with an emphasis (especially EALLU) on traditional food cultures and systems of indigenous peoples in the Arctic. Much is reindeer related, of course, but other Arctic traditional foods will also be featured. Seminar results and products will also feed into the EALLU final delivery (an Arctic ‘cookbook’) to the Arctic Council at the Ministerial, to be held in Alaska, in May of this year.
The seminar will feature talks, group work and slaughtering of reindeer. Photos to follow, draft programme below.
A seminar on the use of traditional knowledge as a means and tool to preserve biodiversity is being held in Kautokeino, Norway tomorrow, Tuesday, 31 February.
The seminar is being held in advance of the CAFF biennial meeting which is also being held in Kautokeino this week. Multiple speakers from different institutions and researchers will be speaking including the Saami Council (Aile Javo), the Sami Parliament in Norway (President Vibeke Larsen), the Herzen Institute in St Petersburg, the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). The meeting will be held in the Sami University of Applied Sciences. See the (draft) programme below.
Fantastic archival film in Russian about the Association of World Reindeer Herders’ first gathering of reindeer peoples from across the Arctic, held in Tromsø, Norway in 1993. This signalled the beginning of global cooperation between reindeer herders that has continued to this day. The next Congress will be held in Jokkmokk, Sweden, next year.
The Film was made by the Parliamentary Assembly of small-numbered peoples of the North of the Russian Federation and the Author and convener is the President of the Association of Indigenous Small-numbered Peoples of the North of the Russian Federation. The film was written by the late Yeremei Aipin. The Director and cameraman was S. Rakhomyagi
The ICR and WRH team have been in Salekhard, the capital of the Yamal Nenets Autonomous Okrug for the whole week and yesterday, attended an international seminar on the outbreak of anthrax on the Yamal Peninsula this summer. The anthrax outbreak was an event that captured global headlines and aroused significant concern amongst herders and their advocates, as significant reindeer culls have been suggested, and a desire to reduce the number of active herders has also touted. Considerable unease and uncertainty within the livelihood has arisen as a result.
The seminar was a two day event and was opened by the Yamal Governor Dmitry Kobylkin and included presentations by multiple presenters from Russia, Norway, Finland, Sweden, UK, Germany, Canada and the US on various topics including anthrax outbreaks, pastures, reindeer health, education,
From the ICR/WRH team, presentations were made by Svein Mathiesen (“Social- ecological resilience of reindeer husbandry in times of Arctic change”), Johan Mathis Turi (“The role of traditional knowledge and management in the future”) and ICR board member Roza Laptander from the Arctic Centre, Finland, (“Turbulent periods in the history of Yamal reindeer husbandry in stories of tundra dwellers”)
Today the EALLU seminar entitled ‘Traditional Knowledge and Food Culture of Indigenous Peoples of Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug: Towards a Safe and Sustainable Future’. The event was attended by students and youth, along with researchers, the ICR and WRH team and indigenous and political leaders from the Yamal Nenets Automous Okrug.
On Tuesday, November 8, as part of a week long series of reindeer related activities in Salekhard, in the Yamal Nenets Autonomous Okrug, there will be an EALLU seminar held at the Yamal Polar Agroeconomic College, entitled ‘Traditional Knowledge and Food Culture of Indigenous Peoples of Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug: Towards a Safe and Sustainable Future. There will be presentations by Nenets and Sami researchers, experts, practitioners and a number of presentations by students of the college on food safety (Traditional Nenets foods feature a lot of raw meat and blood) and that traditional foods are an ‘anti stress diet’, speaking to the fact that traditional foods are not just about protein, but encompass a range of cultural, economic, social, spiritual and physical properties and functions. Presenters include ICR Director Anders Oskal, WRH Executive Chair Mikhail Pogodaev, Inger Anita Smuk.
On Friday and Saturday, November 5-6 in Kautokeino, a Memorandum of Understanding between the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry and the Khuvsgul Khugjil Foundation, Mongolia was signed when members of the Mongolian Parliament visited ICR. The discussions centred around with the promotion of nomadism and local economies, students scholarships, film production, small business innovation, internet access, village friendship development and the language issue of the indigenous Dukha peoples in Mongolia. This cooperation is an outgrowth of the Nomadic Herders project. Some photos below. The visiting delegation included Battsteseg Batsuuri for the Mongolian Embassy in Stockholm, Batchuluun Otgonsur, an advisor from Ulan Bataar and Munkhbaatar Lkhagva, member of the Mongolian Parliament. Some more pictures here on our Facebook page.
October 12, Moscow. The international conference International Cooperation in the Arctic: New Challenges and Vectors of Development, organized by the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) with the support of the Russian Foreign Ministry has started. The conference will take place from 12 till 13 October 2016.
“In order to discuss a number of major issues of cooperation in the region the Russian Council on International Affairs with the support of the Government Office of Russia and the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is holding a conference entitled ” International cooperation in the Arctic: New Challenges and vectors of development ” on October 12-13, – the organizers reported.
Ellen Inga Turi presented an important speech to the Indigenous Peoples’ pre meeting to the first-ever White House Arctic Science Ministerial, which was held today in Washington D.C. Turi, who was raised in Kautokeino in a reindeer herding family, was representing the Saami Council and is an employee of ICR and recently finished her Phd in the University of Umeå, Sweden, on the topic of governance in reindeer husbandry in Finnmark.
Read a new release from the White House on yesterdays pre-meeting here, and about the Ministerial here. There were a number of side events organized by ARCUS which you can view here, and a Webinar on Arctic Science for Education and Citizen Empowerment which you can watch the recording of here.
You can now see a large gallery of images from 17 May, Norwegian national day, celebrations held in Moscow this week. See all the photos here.
Fine traditional foods of reindeer met, frozen fish, reindeer fat, blood, cloudberries and more was served to 200 people on the grounds of the Norwegian Embassy in Moscow, presided over by Ambassador Leidulv Namtvedt.
The event was organized by the EALLU team nd the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry in partnership with the Embassy
As part of the reindeer meat seminar being held in the Embassy of Norway (see here for details) and tomorrows celebrations of Norway’s national day (Syttende mai) a short film has been made outlining the Arctic Council EALLU project and the course (“Conservation of Biodiversity in an Indigenous Perspective”), held under the EALLU project recently in Kautokeino, Norway.
During the Biological Diversity course (8J-100) held recently in the Sami University of Applied Sciences, Kautokeino, as part of the introductory sessions there was a ‘lavvu dialogue’ held with the State Secretary Lars Andreas Lunde of the Ministry of Climate and Environment (Norway) and the President of the Sami Parliament in Norway, Aili Keskitalo. Below is new gallery of images from the session. The course is organized as part of the Nomadic Herders project.
A ‘lavvu dialogue’ is a discussion that can take place either in a ‘lavvu‘ or in a lavvu like setting whereby all participants are seated in a circle on reindeer skins and are all equal participants in the dialogue and can share their voices in a collaborative non formal setting.
As written previously, a course with over thirty students from all over the world of reindeer husbandry (Chukchi, Even, Evenki, Dolgan, Sami, Nenets and Dukha – to see where all these reindeer peoples live visit our Reindeer Peoples page), is currently underway in Kautokeino. Entitled ‘Biological Diversity from Indigenous Perspective’, the course has a strong focus on traditional food preparation and techniques and food as a key tool for the conservation of biological diversity and knowledge. Day 2 of the course is underway today, where students are demonstrating the skills, knowledge and food from their respective regions.
As the gallery below shows, working with reindeer meat and preparing traditional foods involves work, blood, fire and ashes…
In an event coordinated by the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry and Søren Kühlwein, the Director of the Hotel og Restaurantskolen in Copenhagen, a large number of food journalists are currently guests of ICR in Kautokeino where they are learning at first hand the meaning of ‘traditional foods’ in the Arctic. Traditional food consumption, processing and economies are one of the mainstays of life in small indigenous communities. The production and processing of reindeer meat and related products is a key plank in nurturing sustainability and resilience in marginal and often marginalized communities.
A unique course got underway in Kautokeino, Norway today, with well over 30 young students with many young reindeer herding peoples represented (Nenets, Eveny, Evenki, Sami, Chukchi, Dukha and Dolgan). The students are enrolled as Bachelor students at the Sami University of Applied Sciences in Kautokeino in a course entitled ‘Biological diversity in a circumpolar indigenous perspective’.
The bringing together of this diverse group of young reindeer herders has been made possible through the coordination of UNEP, GEF, the Arctic Council through the rubric of the Nomadic Herders project as organized by the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry in cooperation with University of the Arctic with financial support from the Norwegian Government, Ministry of Climate and Environment. With a strong focus on traditional food preparation, techniques and food as a key tool for the conservation of biological diversity and knowledge, the goal is to enhance the resilience of reindeer herders’ ecosystems and livelihoods, with an emphasis on the future generations of herders that will have to navigate the complexities of maintaining a traditional livelihood in a rapidly changing Arctic.
Between 31 March to 2 April in the village of Topolinoe (Tomponsky ulus, Sakha Republic) during the annual Reindeer Herders Day celebrations (which are held across Russia) there were special celebrations of the 85th anniversary of Vasily Mikhailovich Kladkin’. He was a well known ‘Hero of Socialist Labor’ and an ‘Honored Worker of Agriculture’.
Kladkin Vasily Mikhailovich (10.01.1931-27.05.2003) was a reindeer herder and Director of the sovkhoz. Not only are the residents of Topolinoe proud of him, but also the entire Republic. Under his leadership, the kolkhoz “Tomponsky” achieved outstanding success with regard to its economic indicators in the field of reindeer husbandry. Through effective organization and an intensive pre-slaughter fattening of reindeer, there was an increase in meat production and meat quality specifically and more generally, an improved local and regional economy and livelihood.
Last week, there was a series of major events in Alaska, dedicated to the development of the Arctic as part of the US chairmanship in the Arctic Council. Events included a meeting of the Sustainable Development Working Group of the Arctic Council (SDWG) in Barrow, Arctic Science Summit Week, Arctic Observing Summit and Senior Arctic Officials meeting.
Today the Suglan Indigenous Youth Forum wrapped up in Yakutsk (Sakha Republic, Russia). Indigenous youth of Yakutia decided to name their first indigenous forum Suglan, which means “gathering” in one of the five indigenous languages of Yakutia – in Evenki language. The Suglan started its work on Wednesday, March 23, and was organized by the Yakutian State Committee of Peoples Affairs, Indigenous Youth Council of the North and the Far East of Russia and by the Association of Indigenous Peoples of Yakutia. The Association of World Reindeer Herders (WRH) and International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry (ICR) also participated in organizing and moderating one of the Suglan session which concerned reindeer husbandry and reindeer herding youth.
Biological Diversity in a Circumpolar Indigenous Perspective
Starting April 11th, 2016 in Kautokeino, Norway, this is a course organized by the Sámi University College and the UArctic EALÁT Institute in cooperation with the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry. The course includes a two-week session in Kautokeino, and independent project-work to document traditional knowledge.
Who Should Apply & Why?
The course is aimed at training young reindeer herders and indigenous youth in documenting traditional knowledge related to biodiversity change. This is an introductory-level course to indigenous peoples traditional knowledge and its use for the conservation of biological diversity. The focus is on building a bridge between analytical and empirical approaches to traditional knowledge. The course will, on the one hand, provide an introduction to academic debates on how traditional knowledge contributes to sustaining indigenous peoples societies and the role of traditional knowledge in the conservation of biological diversity. On the other hand it will provide students with practical experience in using methods to document traditional knowledge on biological diversity in a systematic and ethical manner.
Johan Mathis Turi was invited to give the keynote to the annual meeting of Academia Borealis on February 11th in Tromso, Norway. Turi has been invited to be a member of the Academia Borealis. His speech was entitled “Reindeer Herding in the 21st century”. You can read about this more onAcademia Borealis webpage.
Reindrift har et dårlig rykte i Norge. Det har lenge blitt hevdet at det er for mange rein i Finnmark, og at dette går utover lavmattene på vidda, produktiviteten i næringen og dyrevelferden.
Den nye boka “Samisk reindrift, norske myter” drøfter forestillinger og realiteter om samisk reindrift. I motsetning til bildet som skapes av medier, politikere og forvaltning, argumenterer forfatterne for at den tradisjonsbaserte reindriften er en økologisk bærekraftig aktivitet. Næringen trues derimot av arealinngrep som gruvedrift og feilvurderinger i statens reindriftsforvaltning. Boka viser at det er grunn til å legge om til en reindriftsforvaltning der utøvernes egen tradisjonsbaserte kunnskap tas på alvor.
I Oslo er det kebab, sushi, pizza og thaimat på hvert gatehjørne, men hva vet Oslofolk om samisk matkultur? Det flerkulturelle Norge startet lenge før de siste tiårenes innvandring, men den samiske matkulturen har forsvunnet i mylderet av eksotiske retter fra kontinentet. Denne helgen kan barn og voksne oppleve det samiske kjøkkenet sammen med Geitmyra matkultursenter for barn og Internasjonalt reindriftsenter.
– Samene vet hvordan man utnytter hele dyret til å lage god og næringsrik mat. Det er noe vi alle burde lære mer om, sier Anderas Viestad, faglig ansvarlig ved Geitmyra matkultursenter for barn.
Today International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry had a meeting with students from Sámi Upper Secondary and Reindeer Husbandry School in Kautokeino and their teachers – Karen Inga Kemi, Torbjørn Larsen and Samuel Gaup.
ICR director Anders Oskal gave a lecture about world reindeer herding, the work of ICR and Association of World Reindeer Herders, he also made presentations about different projects where ICR and WRH were involved.
The 10th Arctic Frontiers conference, titled Industry and Environment, is arranged in Tromsø, Norway on 24-29 January 2016. The Arctic is a global crossroad between commercial and environmental interests. The region holds substantial natural resources and many actors are investigating ways to utilize these for economic gain. Others view the Arctic as a particularly pristine and vulnerable environment and highlight the need to limit industrial development.
Arctic College of the Peoples of the North, which is located in Chersky, Nizhnekolymsky district, continues it’s fruitful work both with reindeer herders and students from reindeer herding families. Only less than a month ago young reindeer herders who are also second-year students at the College had interesting workshops and classes with the main zootechnician at the Turvaurgin Obshchina (nomadic community) and skillful reindeer herder – Petr Kaurgin. They not only disscussed main issues of their Obshchinas and ways how to be a better reindeer herder, they also had a trip with teachers to the winter pastures where they were working with reindeer.
Per Jonas Partapuoli, board member of the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry, addressed the Global Landscapes Forum in Paris on Saturday, December 5th, an event that is shadowing the much larger COP 21 negotiations. From the Global Landscapes website,
The respect and recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ rights, customary land tenure and traditional knowledge have significantly contributed to more sustainable use and management of various ecosystems. Speakers at the session represent both Indigenous Peoples’ organizations and corporate representatives to explore the crucial question: Is a triple-win – where the economy, people and the climate all benefit – possible, despite the many documented and potential conflicts.
Per Jonas talks at 30.30 into the video and raises the work of the EALLIN project and the challenges facing reindeer herding in Sapmi, with a focus on the mining giant LKAB and Kiruna.
“My family have been practicing reindeer herding long before Sweden became a country”
Vyacheslav Shadrin, Chair of the Yukaghir Council of Elders of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) was recently awarded with the Paul K. Feyerabend Award. The award “Paul K. Feyerabend – A World of Solidarity is Possible” is granted each year to ‘exceptionally successful works favouring solidarity within or between communities. The prize acknowledges and encourages remarkable accomplishments which represent true sources of inspiration.’ Shadrin, it should be noted is also a deputy board member of the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry and long time colleague.
Since the late days of the Soviet Union, Chief Shadrin has systematically advanced the cause of the indigenous peoples and communities of the Far East of Russia. As a leader of his own Yukaghir indigenous people, he is Vice President of the Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia and Far East for Yakutia.
Throughout the 1990s, Chief Shadrin has been instrumental in supporting Yukaghir’s land and language issues and, since the new millennium, has been constantly on the move to promote the larger movement of indigenous peoples, including Even, Evenk, Chukchi, Dolgan and Yukaghir peoples across the region in Yakutia, Chukotka, Magadan and Khabarovsk, among other areas.
Tirelessly travelling every week to distant indigenous communities in the tundra and taiga regions, Chief Shadrin learns about the problems of such communities and takes their issues forwards to the authorities and responsible bodies. He has provided leadership to international projects that dealt with issues as diverse as conservation of biodiversity, traditional knowledge, adaptation to climate change, solar energy and reindeer herding. Currently, he participates in regional coordination initiatives via the Snowchange Cooperative, the UNEP-GEF ECORA project in Lower Kolyma and numerous initiatives dealing with the preservation of indigenous culture, language and traditional knowledge. Last but not least, Chief Shadrin is a historian and a researcher and collaborates with the Institute of Humanities of the Russian Academy of Sciences (from the Paul K. Feyeraband Foundation website).
At the close of the Northern Forum Assembly, the staff of the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry (ICR) and the Association of World Reindeer Herders (WRH) held an anniversary celebration – 10 years since the establishment of ICR and 25 years for WRH in Yakutsk. The celebration included a seminar with talks by WRH Chair Mikhail Pogodaev (now officially appointed as Chair of the Northern Forum), Inger Anita Smuk, Anders Oskal, Andrey Krivoshapkin, Elena Golomareva, Konstantin Robbek and Svein Mathiesen. The seminar was well attended with 50-60 local participants (see the programme below). This followed the holding of a board meeting of ICR. Part of the ICR and WRH team have since travelled to the small of Cherskiy, a small village which is the administrative centre of the Nizhnekolymsky District in the Sakha Republic, Russia, located on the Kolyma River 1,920 kilometers (1,190 mi) east of Yakutsk, the capital of the republic. While there, there will be meetings with the Arctic College, a field trip to the tundra to meet with reindeer herders and a week long focus on traditional food in relation to the EALLU project.
The Northern Forum Assembly finished today, November 6th. Below are some photos from the gathering featuring WRH and ICR personnel, a meeting with the President of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) with ICR, a TV Sakha appearance by ICR and WRH and more.
The Northern Forum Assembly continues and today in Yakutsk, and as an integral part of the Assembly, there was a feast of traditional Arctic food at Muus Khaya restaurant prepared by Sakha, Even, Evenki and Sami – to feed hungry people of course, but importantly to demonstrate the extraordinary knowledge and skill that is embedded in small communities when it comes to the preparation of traditional foods. The Arctic Council SDWG EALLU project has this very goal in mind and was a part of the preparations and execution. The Assembly continues tomorrow and will be followed at the weekend by the board meeting of the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry. See some photos of the feast below.
Tomorrow, the 12th General Assembly of the Northern Forum gets underway in Yakutsk in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutsk). The Northern Forum is a non-profit, international organization composed of sub-national or regional governments from eight northern countries and was established in 1991. The goal of the Northern Forum is to give northern regional leaders a means to share knowledge and experience in addressing common challenges and to support sustainable development and the implementation of cooperative socio-economic initiatives among Northern regions and through international fora.
The Assembly will focus on the following broad themes:
1. Role of the Northern Subnationals in the changing World – new opportunities and challenges
2. Positive life strategies for Northern populations
3. Forms and Mechanisms of Business cooperation within the Northern Forum
4. Regional strategies for Climate Change Adaptation
5. Infrastructure in the North
6. Enhancing traditional livelihoods, preservation of indigenous peoples’ traditional knowledge on food culture
The focus on food will see a significant contribution by the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry (ICR), the Association of World Reindeer Herders (WRH), the Nomadic Herders project and the EALLU project. In addition, there will be a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of WRH and the 10th anniversary of the establishment of ICR. See the full programme below.
In a few short years the Arctic Circle assembly, held annually in Iceland’s capital has grown to become the largest Arctic related gathering, and is now attended by more than 1500 participants from close to 50 countries. The Assembly is held every October at the Harpa Conference Center and Conference Hall in Reykjavík, Iceland and has just wrapped up. In addition, the Arctic Circle organizes smaller forums on specific subjects, such as the 2015 forums in Alaska and Singapore, and the 2016 forums in Québec and Greenland. This year was no exception and even featured a keynote by President Hollande of France who noted the critical importance of action on climate change in advance of COP 21 in Paris, next month. Watch videos of the keynote presentations here and see photos here.
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Norway’s State Secretary and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Tore Hattrem was in attendance and said Norway has stepped up its climate diplomacy over the last year and noted “Climate change affects everything. It can change food production globally, and in the end also affect security policy”
ICR Director Anders Oskal is on the Advisory Board of the Assembly and spoke at two sessions – one on Arctic Research and the other on Business and Cultural Development in the North where he was joined by Mikhail Pogodaev, who is currently the acting chair of the Northern Forum. In total ICR delivered 7 speeches and hosted 2 outbreak sessions in cooperation with the Northern Forum, IASSA, IASC, UArctic and business leaders.
The ICR/ WRH team are travelling onwards to the Arctic Council Senior Arctic Officials meeting, the first under the US chairmanship which gets underway in Anchorage tomorrow.
Zhigansk Reindeer herders from the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) visited Scandinavia in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Association of World Reindeer Herders
From the history
Exactly 25 years ago, in the autumn of 1990, a group of scientists and reindeer herders from Norway traveled to Russia, the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), to meet with reindeer herders. From that time began the active cooperation between reindeer herders from Russia and Scandinavia. The Association of World Reindeer Herders originates from the same time. In addition, on the recommendation of the Arctic Council in 2005, in Kautokeino was founded the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry, which has been working fruitfully already for 10 years.
Today the Association of World Reindeer Herders and the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry created a wide network of international cooperation between reindeer herding peoples from all over the world.
Our days
In celebration of significant dates, a group of herders from Zhigansky district traveled to Scandinavia.
The Arctic Energy Summit gets underway today in Fairbanks, Alaska and the Director of the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry is one of the plenary speakers under the theme of ‘Understanding Commmunity Perspectives’. The Summit is a multi-disciplinary event expected to draw several hundred industry officials, scientists, academics, policy makers, energy professionals and community leaders together to collaborate and share leading approaches on Arctic energy issues – no doubt Shell’s recent bombshell announcement will be top of mind!
At the end of the week, Oskal will be attending the first Arctic Council SDWG meeting under the U.S. chairmanship which also takes place in Fairbanks. Oskal is travelling with Johan Mathis Turi, Secretary General of the Association of World Reindeer Herders and they will also be meeting with representatives of the Kawerak Reindeer Herders’ Association.
Every year, the Research Council of Norway brings research into the community over several days in an event called Forskningsdagene, where researchers are invited to share their research with the general public. Events are held nationwide and this year the theme is food. From their website, they note that food is not just food, but food is politics, culture and religion.
As part of these Forskningsdagene events, the Sami University College through the Árbediehtu – Tradisjonell kunnskap project and the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry held a practical demonstration earlier this week of smoking reindeer meat and making traditional sausage. The event was held outside the college in a lavvu and was well attended by herders, duck hunters and youth and scientists. See the programme here. See photos below.
While the practical demonstrations were going on, inside the collage there was a book exhibition of books in Sami and Norwegian that were related to food culture and food production which was organized by the Sámi lohkanguovddáš – who also have created a unique list of Sami traditional food related titles in available in many languages (you can download it here or see below).
In addition, an Evenki delegation was in Kautokeino for the Forskningsdagene events and they demonstrated their food culture and held meetings with the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry. Watch a short video about the event, featuring ICR employee Alena Gerasimova here.
Last week, over 30 indigenous herding youth, mostly Sámi from Finland, Norway and Sweden, but also Nenets, Even and Evenki from Russia met in Inari, Finland at Gávnnadeapmi (see announcement and programme here). Young herders discussed land use changes, challenges faced by herding youth in their respective regions and listened to several presentations several of which were related to the new Nomadic Herders Sápmi project which looks to update the GLOBIO model with a focus on the Barents region and reindeer husbandry.
See the Gávnnadeapmi Declaration below, or download directly here.
Every year, the Research Council of Norway brings research into the community over several days in an event called Forskningsdagene, where researchers are invited to share their research with the general public. Events are held nationwide and this year the theme is food. From their website, they note that food is not just food, but food is politics, culture and religion.
In reindeer peoples culture, food (and especially fat) is of course central to reindeer husbandry – to herders culture and economy. An enormous body of knowledge is embedded in traditional food culture and only recently is this being more recognized.
As part of these Forskningsdagene events, the Sami University College and the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry are inviting all interested parties on Monday, September 21 and Tuesday, September 22 at 10:00 CET to the traditional lavvu outside the College in Kautokeino.
Samisk høgskole og International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry inviterer all interesserte til Forskningsdagene Mandag 21 September og Tirsdag 22 September kl 1000 i sorlavvuen på utesiden av Samisk høgskole i Kautokeino. Fokus vil være Arktiske urfolks matkultur, fett som resurss og røyking som konserveringsmetode. Even, Evenki, Nenets, Komi, Vebs og Samer vil være tilstede og formidle sin tradisjonskunnskap om sin matkultur og sine råvarer. Mandag vil vi ha en workshop om røyking av reinkjøtt, ulike kunnskaps former og muligheter. Programmet for forskningsdagene finnes under. Forskningsdagene i Kautokeino arrangerer som en del av Rievdan prosjektet om Samisk matkultur finanseriert av Norges Forskningråd og Arktisk råds prosjektet: EALLU: Reindrifts ungdom, klimaendringer og matkultur.
Over 30 Sámi youth from all over the Sámi area will be be gathering over the next few days in the village of Inari at an event called ‘Gávnnadeapmi 2015’ (meeting in North Sámi). The meeting will focus on reindeer herding and feature multiple themes related to the challenges faced by reindeer herding in general and herding youth specifically.
Gávnnadeapmi 2015 is being organized by the Sámi youth organizations of Finland, Norway and Sweden in collaboration with the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry. Key presentations will be made about The Arctic Council project “Adaptation Actions for a Changing Arctic ” (AACA), led by the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) Working Group, and the new project ‘Nomadic Herders Sápmi’ which aims to, among other things, implement an updated GLOBIO model for the Barents Region with a focus on reindeer herding, land use change and climate. View the programme below.
The 2015 Autumn Meeting of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly will be held on 15-18 September in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The Director of the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry, Anders Oskal, is taking advantage of the large number of Norwegian parliamentarians present to introduce the Nomadic Herders project in a side meeting to them and introduce them to Dukha youth who will inform participants about the various challenges and opportunities that are impacting Dukha reindeer husbandry at the present time. Parliamentarians will meet youth in a Ger and some will accompany the Nomadic Herders team on horseback for a field trip.
Welcome to UEI seminar Friday September 11th 10.00 – 1100. phd student Ellen Inga Turi Umeå University will give the lecture: State Steering and Traditional Ecological Knowledge in Reindeer Herding Governance. International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry ICR LES Viessu, Kautokeino.
Director of International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry (ICR) Anders Oskal present at the opening of the Arctic Economic Forum in Tromsø to day. Anders Oskal is member of AEF here with Artur Wilczynski Ambassador to Norway from Canada and Nina Buvang Vaaja
Deputy Director Arctic Council, Tara Sweeney Chair of Arctic Economic Forum
International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry (ICR) in Kautokeino was opened by then the Minister of Local Governement and Regional Development, Mrs. Erna Solberg on September 2, 2005.
In her opening speech, Mrs. Solberg stressed that the establishment of the Centre is a contribution from Norway to maintain and strengthen the international cooperation in reindeer husbandry, and that it would add another dimension to the cooperation of the Arctic Council and the Barents Region. She also emphasized that the Government considers it important that the reindeer herders and their organizations have a close relationship to the Centre: “… We have therefore emphasized that the Centre to be established and operated in cooperation with the Association of World Reindeer Herders (WRH).”
Mrs. Solberg also emphasized the importance of traditional knowledge of reindeer husbandry in her opening speech: “… It is particularly crucial that the knowledge is accepted and used in education systems, research and, not at least, in publicmanagement. We have made little use of reindeer husbandry’s own experience and knowledge in our management of reindeer husbandry in Norway in the last 30 years,” said Mrs. Solberg before she rounded:” … The goal must be that future generations recognize the value of indigenous peoples’ traditional knowledge as essential skills in harvesting and management of nature, climate and environment. The aim must be to achieve a better and more appropriate management of indigenous livelihoods and areas in which the indigenous peoples live.»
The Government was also represented by the Minister of Children and Family Affairs, Mrs. Laila Dåvøy, State Secretary, Mrs. Ellen Inga O Hætta in the Ministery of Local Government and Regional Development, and State Secretary, Mr. Vidar Helgesen in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the opening ceremony in Kautokeino in 2005.
In the anniversary year 2015, ten years after the opening of the ICR, the Prime Minister of Norway, Mrs. Erna Solberg said in her speech at the Sami Parliament’s plenary, 3 July:
“… The International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry – which was established in 2005 – has also contributed in promoting knowledge and understanding for the reindeer husbandry. The Centre contributes to maintain and develop sustainable reindeer husbandry in the northern areas, and strengthen the cooperation with reindeer herders in other countries. The Centre works well and has become an important actor in the North. “
The Centre contributes to the development of a new knowledge base for indigenous communities’ adaptation to the major changes in the Arctic. The Centre works with people-to-people cooperation and civil society from Alaska and Canada in the west to Mongolia and China in the east. Today, 10 years after its establishment, many reindeer herding youth from the northern areas attend in exchange programes organized by ICR. The Centre is now working with reindeer husbandry’s adaptation to climate changes and food culture in the Arctic Council. “… The establishment of ICR has significantly strengthened our opportunities for international people-to-people cooperation, exchange of information, recognition of our traditional knowledge, and the protection of indigenous communities in the circumpolar North,” said the General Secretary of WRH, Mr. Johan Mathis Turi. “… This is crucial for world reindeer herders, and thus the establishment of ICR is a great success”, he concludes.
ICR will celebrate its 10th anniversary through a series of events in Norway and other reindeer herding countries during the period of 2 September 2015 to 2 September 2016.
ICR is a contribution of the first white paper to the Norwegian Parliament in 2004/05. The Centre is organized as a governmental body with special powers, and receives today their basic funding from the state budget through the Ministry of Local Government and Moderination. The Centre is located in Kautokeino, Norway, with offices in Eastern Siberia, Russia and Canada.
More information: Director, Mr. Anders Oskal, Internasjonal Centre for Reindeer Husbandry (ICR)
Tel. +47 994 50010. Email: ax@reindeercentre.org Chair of the Board, Mrs. Inger A. Smuk, International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry (ICR) Tel.+47 915 43934. Email: ias@reindeercentre.org
Secretary General, Mr. Johan Mathis Turi, Association of World Reindeer Herders (WRH)
INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR REINDEER HUSBANDRY – OPNING SEPTEMBER 2, 2005
By the Minister of Local government and Regional Development, Mrs. Erna Solberg
Dear organizers, guests and audience It is a pleasure for me, as the Minister for both the Sámi and the minorities, on behalf of the Norwegian Government, to open a new International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry, located in Kautokeino. This Centre will add a new dimension to the cooperation between both the Sami interests and us, and in the Arctic Council and the Barents Cooperation.
The Government thinks it is of importance that the reindeer herders and their organizations have a close relationship to the Centre. We have therefore emphasized that the Centre is to be established and ran in cooperation with the Association of World Reindeer Herders. We have also been concerned to continue and strengthen the cross-border cooperation between reindeer herders. The Sámi reindeer husbandry was established long before we drew the borders between the state, and it is then essential to have a transnational cooperation in the years ahead. Reindeer herding organizations from both Russia, Finland, Sweden and Norway are thus represented in the board and they are thus invited to take part in developing and running the centre forward.
The establishment of the Centre is a contribution from Norway to continue and strengthen the international cooperation between reindeer herders that was initiated for the first time 15 years ago by representatives from the reindeer husbandry. The cooperation includes today 20 different ethnic groups/nations who practice reindeer husbandry in large geographical areas in three continents and in totally 9 national states, from China and Mongolia in the east to Alaska and Canada in the west.
The Centre will be a key hub for dissemination and exchange of information, experiences and knowledge between world reindeer herders, – and between reindeer herders and the outside world. We all need to learn more about reindeer husbandry in the Arctic and subarctic regions.
I am glad that my participation today can be regarded as proof that the Centre already at the start have found their communication tools. It is nice for me to participate online and open the Centre in Kautokeino while I physically am located 2000 kilometres away.
It is particularly pleasing to note that the Centre, representing a traditional industry, take active use of highly developed technology. New technology is not a strange element in the industry – just look at for example the binoculars, snowmobile and ATVs (all-terrain vehicles), which are here to stay in the work of reindeer husbandry.
As known, reindeer herding, as a circumpolar industry residing in the marginal arctic regions, has developed a distinctive traditional knowledge and adaptation. In the practice of the industry, the herders have through the ages acquired experiences and valuable knowledge that make the basis of the operations of the industry in relation to the nature, the climate and the environment, animals and animal protection and harvesting and management of natural resources. Without adopting this peculiar traditional knowledge, it would be difficult, or impossible, for the herders to succeed in the industry, especially when taking into account the natural conditions in which the industry operates.
Traditional knowledge is rarely recorded, but delivered orally from generation to generation. An important task for the Centre will be to document the traditional knowledge in the different regions. Too often, we experience that this type of traditional knowledge disappears from our society, because we have other ways to safeguard knowledge than what has been traditional. Equally important is that traditional knowledge is disseminated and made known between the different indigenous people. It is particularly crucial that the knowledge is accepted and used in educational systems, in research and, not at least, in public management. We have made little use of reindeer husbandry’s own experience and knowledge in our way to manage reindeer husbandry in Norway in the last 30 years. The aim must be that future generations recognize the value of indigenous peoples’ traditional knowledge as important skills for harvesting and management of the nature, the climate and the environment. The aim must also be to achieve a better and more appropriate management of indigenous livelihoods and areas in which the indigenous peoples live.
With these words, I declare the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry opened. I wish the board of the Centre, the reindeer herders and their organizations and other partners, good luck with the work ahead.
Lea illun munnje, sihke sáme- ja minoritehtaministtarin, Norgga ráđđehusa bealis rahpat ođđa Riikkaidgaskasaš boazodoalloguovddáža Guovdageainnus. Dát guovddáš buktá ođđa dimenšuvnna ovttasbargui min ja sámi beroštumiid gaskka, Árktalaš Ráđis ja Barentsovttasbarggus.
Ráđđehusa oainnu mielde lea dehálaš ahte boazoálbmogat ja daid searvvit dovdet lagas oktavuođa guovddážii. Mii leat danin deattuhan ahte guovddáš ásahuvvo ja jođihuvvo ovttas Máilmmi Boazoálbmogiid Servviin. Mis lea leamaš beroštupmi joatkit ja nannet boazodoalu rájáidrasttideaddji ovttasbarggu. Sámi boazodoallu álggahuvvui mihá ovdal go mii mearrideimmet riikkarájáid, ja dalle lea dehálaš ahte gávdno rájáidrasttideaddji ovttasbargu boahtteáiggis. Danin leat sihke Ruošša, Suoma, Ruoŧa ja Norgga boazodoalloservviin ovddasteaddjit guovddáža stivrras, ja searvvit leat dainna lágiin bovdejuvvon oasálastit guovddáža ovdánahttimis ja doaimmain ovddosguovlluid.
Guovddáža ásaheapmi lea oassi Norgga áigumušain joatkkit ja nannet boazodoalu riikkaidgaskasaš ovttasbarggu, man ealáhusa ovddasteaddjit álggahedje 15 jagi dás ovdal. Ovttasbargu guoská dál 20 iešguđet čearddalaš álbmotjoavkkuide ja álbmogiidda, geat barget boazodoaluin viiddis geográfalaš guovlluin 3 máilmmiossodagain oktiibuot 9 stáhtain, Kinna ja Mongolia rájes nuortan gitta Alaskai ja Kanadai oarjin.
Guovddáš galgá leat čanastatbáiki dieđuid, vásáhusaid ja máhtu juohkimis ja gaskkusteamis máilmmi boazoálbmogiid gaskka, ja boazodoalu ja máilmmi gaskka. Mii dárbbašat buohkat oahppat eambbo árktalaš ja subárktalaš boazodoalu birra.
Mun lea ilus ahte mu oasálastin dál sáhttá leat duođaštussan dasa ahte guovddáš juo ásadettiin lea gávdnan iežas gulahallanneavvu. Lea somá munnje oasálastit interneahta bokte ja rahpat guovddáža Guovdageainnus vaikko ieš fysalaččat lean 200 miilla eret Guovdageainnus.
Lea erenoamáš somá oažžut duođaštuvvot ahte guovddáš, mii ovddasta árbevirolaš ealáhusa, váldá atnui ođđa teknologiija. Ođđa teknologiija ii lea ođas ealáhussii, geahča mat ovdamearkka dihte giikana, skohtera ja bievlavuodjinfievrruid, maid ealáhus leat váldán atnui.
Nugo diehtit lea boazodoallu, mii lea sirkumpolára ealáhus marginála árktalaš guovlluin, ovdánahttán iežas árbevirolaš máhtu ja heivehemiid. Ealáhusa doaimmaid oktavuođas leat boazoálbmogat áiggiid čađa čohkken vásáhusaid ja dehálaš máhtu, mii lea vuođđun ealáhusa doaibmavugiide luonddu, dálkkádaga ja birrasa dáfus, elliid ja elliidsuodjalus ja luondduriggodagaid ávkkástallama ja hálddašeami dáfus. Jos ii livččii ávkkástallama dán erenoamáš árbevirolaš máhtu, de livččii leamaš váttis dahje veadjemeahttun boazoálbmogiidda lihkostuvvat ealáhusain, erenoamážit go jurddašat makkár luonddubeales eavttuiguin ealáhus jođihuvvo.
Árbevirolaš máhttu lea hárve čálalaččat vurkejuvvon, muhto sirddihuvvon njálmmálaččat buolvvas bulvii. Okta dehálaš bárgu guovddážis lea duođaštit árbevirolaš máhtu iešguđet guovllus. Beare dávjá vásihat mii ahte dákkár árbevirolaš máhttu jávká min servodagas danin go mii leat gávdnan eará vugiid mo vurket máhtu dál go dan mii lea leamaš árbevirolaš. Lihkka dehálaš lea ahte árbevirolaš máhttu juhkkojuvvo ja dahkko dovddusin álgoálbmogiid gaskka. Lea erenoamáš mearrideaddjin ahte máhttu dohkkehuvvo ja váldo atnui oahpahusvuogádagain, dutkamis ja erenoamážit almmolaš hálddašeamis. Mii leat beare unnán váldán atnui boazodoalu iežas vásáhusaid ja máhtu iežamet boazodoallohálddašeamis Norggas daid maŋimuš 30 jagis. Ulbmil berret leat ahte boahttevaš buolvvat oidnet ahte álgoálbmogiid árbevirolaš máhtu árvu lea dehálaš gealbun biebmoháhkamis luonddus ja luonddu, dálkkádaga ja birashálddašeamis. Ulbmil berre maid leat oažžut buoret ja riektáset hálddašeami álgoálbmotealáhusain ja dain guovlluin gos álgoálbmogat ásset.
Dáigguin sániiguin raban Riikkaidgaskasaš boazodoalloguovddáža. Mun sávan guovddáža stivrrii, boazoálbmogiidda ja sin servviide ja eará bargoguimmiide lihkku bargguin ovddosguovlluid.
International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry (ICR) in Kautokeino was opened by then the Minister of Local Governement and Regional Development, Mrs. Erna Solberg on September 2, 2005.
In her opening speech, Mrs. Solberg stressed that the establishment of the Centre is a contribution from Norway to maintain and strengthen the international cooperation in reindeer husbandry, and that it would add another dimension to the cooperation of the Arctic Council and the Barents Region. She also emphasized that the Government considers it important that the reindeer herders and their organizations have a close relationship to the Centre: “… We have therefore emphasized that the Centre to be established and operated in cooperation with the Association of World Reindeer Herders (WRH).”
Mrs. Solberg also emphasized the importance of traditional knowledge of reindeer husbandry in her opening speech: “… It is particularly crucial that the knowledge is accepted and used in education systems, research and, not at least, in publicmanagement. We have made little use of reindeer husbandry’s own experience and knowledge in our management of reindeer husbandry in Norway in the last 30 years,” said Mrs. Solberg before she rounded:” … The goal must be that future generations recognize the value of indigenous peoples’ traditional knowledge as essential skills in harvesting and management of nature, climate and environment. The aim must be to achieve a better and more appropriate management of indigenous livelihoods and areas in which the indigenous peoples live.»
The Government was also represented by the Minister of Children and Family Affairs, Mrs. Laila Dåvøy, State Secretary, Mrs. Ellen Inga O Hætta in the Ministery of Local Government and Regional Development, and State Secretary, Mr. Vidar Helgesen in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the opening ceremony in Kautokeino in 2005.
In the anniversary year 2015, ten years after the opening of the ICR, the Prime Minister of Norway, Mrs. Erna Solberg said in her speech at the Sami Parliament’s plenary, 3 July:
“… The International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry – which was established in 2005 – has also contributed in promoting knowledge and understanding for the reindeer husbandry. The Centre contributes to maintain and develop sustainable reindeer husbandry in the northern areas, and strengthen the cooperation with reindeer herders in other countries. The Centre works well and has become an important actor in the North. “
The Centre contributes to the development of a new knowledge base for indigenous communities’ adaptation to the major changes in the Arctic. The Centre works with people-to-people cooperation and civil society from Alaska and Canada in the west to Mongolia and China in the east. Today, 10 years after its establishment, many reindeer herding youth from the northern areas attend in exchange programmes organized by ICR. The Centre is now working with reindeer husbandry’s adaptation to climate changes and food culture in the Arctic Council. “… The establishment of ICR has significantly strengthened our opportunities for international people-to-people cooperation, exchange of information, recognition of our traditional knowledge, and the protection of indigenous communities in the circumpolar North,” said the General Secretary of WRH, Mr. Johan Mathis Turi. “… This is crucial for world reindeer herders, and thus the establishment of ICR is a great success”, he concludes.
ICR will celebrate its 10th anniversary through a series of events in Norway and other reindeer herding countries during the period of 2 September 2015 to 2 September 2016.
ICR is a contribution of the first white paper to the Norwegian Parliament in 2004/05. The Centre is organized as a governmental body with special powers, and receives today their basic funding from the state budget through the Ministry of Local Government and Moderination. The Centre is located in Kautokeino, Norway, with offices in Eastern Siberia, Russia and Canada.
More information: Director, Mr. Anders Oskal, Internasjonal Centre for Reindeer Husbandry (ICR)
Tel. +47 994 50010. Email: ax@reindeercentre.orgChair of the Board, Mrs. Inger A. Smuk, International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry (ICR) Tel.+47 915 43934. Email: ias@reindeercentre.org Secretary General, Mr. Johan Mathis Turi, Association of World Reindeer Herders (WRH) Tel. +47 950 48331. Email: jmturi@gmail.com
INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR REINDEER HUSBANDRY – OPNING SEPTEMBER 2, 2005
By the Minister of Local government and Regional Development, Mrs. Erna Solberg
Dear organizers, guests and audience!
It is a pleasure for me, as the Minister for both the Sámi and the minorities, on behalf of the Norwegian Government, to open a new International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry, located in Kautokeino. This Centre will add a new dimension to the cooperation between both the Sami interests and us, and in the Arctic Council and the Barents Cooperation.
The Government thinks it is of importance that the reindeer herders and their organizations have a close relationship to the Centre. We have therefore emphasized that the Centre is to be established and ran in cooperation with the Association of World Reindeer Herders. We have also been concerned to continue and strengthen the cross-border cooperation between reindeer herders. The Sámi reindeer husbandry was established long before we drew the borders between the state, and it is then essential to have a transnational cooperation in the years ahead. Reindeer herding organizations from both Russia, Finland, Sweden and Norway are thus represented in the board and they are thus invited to take part in developing and running the centre forward.
The establishment of the Centre is a contribution from Norway to continue and strengthen the international cooperation between reindeer herders that was initiated for the first time 15 years ago by representatives from the reindeer husbandry. The cooperation includes today 20 different ethnic groups/nations who practice reindeer husbandry in large geographical areas in three continents and in totally 9 national states, from China and Mongolia in the east to Alaska and Canada in the west.
The Centre will be a key hub for dissemination and exchange of information, experiences and knowledge between world reindeer herders, – and between reindeer herders and the outside world. We all need to learn more about reindeer husbandry in the Arctic and subarctic regions.
I am glad that my participation today can be regarded as proof that the Centre already at the start have found their communication tools. It is nice for me to participate online and open the Centre in Kautokeino while I physically am located 2000 kilometres away.
It is particularly pleasing to note that the Centre, representing a traditional industry, take active use of highly developed technology. New technology is not a strange element in the industry – just look at for example the binoculars, snowmobile and ATVs (all-terrain vehicles), which are here to stay in the work of reindeer husbandry.
As known, reindeer herding, as a circumpolar industry residing in the marginal arctic regions, has developed a distinctive traditional knowledge and adaptation. In the practice of the industry, the herders have through the ages acquired experiences and valuable knowledge that make the basis of the operations of the industry in relation to the nature, the climate and the environment, animals and animal protection and harvesting and management of natural resources. Without adopting this peculiar traditional knowledge, it would be difficult, or impossible, for the herders to succeed in the industry, especially when taking into account the natural conditions in which the industry operates.
Traditional knowledge is rarely recorded, but delivered orally from generation to generation. An important task for the Centre will be to document the traditional knowledge in the different regions. Too often, we experience that this type of traditional knowledge disappears from our society, because we have other ways to safeguard knowledge than what has been traditional. Equally important is that traditional knowledge is disseminated and made known between the different indigenous people. It is particularly crucial that the knowledge is accepted and used in educational systems, in research and, not at least, in public management. We have made little use of reindeer husbandry’s own experience and knowledge in our way to manage reindeer husbandry in Norway in the last 30 years. The aim must be that future generations recognize the value of indigenous peoples’ traditional knowledge as important skills for harvesting and management of the nature, the climate and the environment. The aim must also be to achieve a better and more appropriate management of indigenous livelihoods and areas in which the indigenous peoples live.
With these words, I declare the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry opened. I wish the board of the Centre, the reindeer herders and their organizations and other partners, good luck with the work ahead.
Internasjonalt reindriftssenter (ICR) i Kautokeino ble åpnet av daværende Kommunal- og regionalminister Erna Solberg den 2. september 2005.
I sin åpningstale understreket Solberg at etableringen av senteret er et bidrag fra Norge til å videreføre og styrke det internasjonale reindriftssamarbeidet, og at det ville tilføre en ny dimensjon til samarbeidet i Arktisk Råd og Barentsregionen. Hun vektla også at det etter Regjeringens syn er det viktig at reindriftsfolk og deres organisasjoner har et nært forhold til senteret: ”…Vi har derfor lagt vekt på at senteret etableres og drives i samråd med Verdensforbundet for reindriftsfolk.”
Bilde: Åpningen av ICR 2 September 2005 i Kautokeino med minister Laila Dåvøy, statssekretær Vidar Helgesen, statssekretør Ellen Inga O Hetta, Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, mfl.
Solberg vektla også viktigheten av reindriftens tradisjonelle kunnskap i åpningstalen: ”…Det er særlig avgjørende at kunnskapen blir akseptert og tatt i bruk i utdanningssystemer, i forskningen og ikke minst i den offentlige forvaltningen. Vi har tatt lite i bruk reindriftens egne erfaring og kunnskaper i måten vi har forvaltet reindriften på i Norge i de siste 30 årene”, sa Solberg før hun avrundet: ”…Målsettingen må være at fremtidige generasjoner ser verdien i urfolks tradisjonskunnskaper som viktig kompetanse for høsting og forvaltning av naturen, klimaet og miljøet. Målsettingen må også være å få til en bedre og mer riktig forvaltning av urfolksnæringer og av de områder urfolk bebor.”
Fra Regjeringen deltok også Barne- og familieminister Laila Dåvøy, statssekretær Ellen Inga O Hætta i KRD, samt statssekretær Vidar Helgesen i UD på åpningsarrangementet i Kautokeino.
I jubileumsåret 2015, ti år etter åpningen av ICR, uttalte Statsminister Erna Solberg følgende i sin tale til Sametingets plenum 3. juli:
“…Det internasjonale reindriftssenteret – som ble etablert i 2005 – har også bidratt til å fremme kunnskap om og forståelse for reindriftsnæringen. Senteret bidrar til å opprettholde og videreutvikle en bærekraftig reindrift i nordområdene, og styrker samarbeidet med reindriftsfolk i andre land. Senteret fungerer godt og har blitt en viktig aktør i nordområdene.”
Senteret bidrar til utvikling av et nytt kunnskapsgrunnlag for urfolkssamfunnenes tilpasning til de store endringene i Arktis. Senteret arbeider med folk-til-folk samarbeid og sivile samfunn fra Alaska og Canada i vest til Mongolia og Kina i øst. I dag, 10 år etter etableringen, deltar mange reindriftsungdom fra nordområdene i utvekslingsprogram i regi av ICR. Senteret arbeider nå med reindriftens klimatilpasning og matkultur i Arktisk råd. ”…Etableringen av ICR har vesentlig styrket våre muligheter for internasjonalt folk-til-folk samarbeid, informasjonsutveksling, anerkjennelse av vår tradisjonelle kunnskap, og ivaretakelse av urfolkssamfunnene i det sirkumpolare nord”, sier Generalsekretær Johan Mathis Turi i Verdensforbundet for reindriftsfolk (WRH).”…Dette er avgjørende for verdens reindriftsfolk, og slik sett er etableringen av ICR en stor suksess”, konkluderer han.
ICR vil markere sitt 10-årsjubileum gjennom en rekke arrangement i Norge og andre reindriftsland i perioden 2. september 2015 til 2. september 2016.
ICR er et tiltak fra den første nordområdemeldingen til Stortinget i 2004/05. Senteret er organisert som et statlig forvaltningsorgan med særskilte fullmakter, og får i dag sin basisfinansiering fra statsbudsjettet via Kommunal- og Moderniseringsdepartementet. Senteret er lokalisert i Kautokeino, med underkontorer i Øst-Sibir, Russland og Canada.
INTERNASJONALT FAG- OG FORMIDLINGSSENTER FOR REINDRIFT – ÅPNING 2. SEPTEMBER 2005
ved kommunal- og regionalminister Erna Solberg
Kjære arrangører, gjester og forsamling!
Det er en glede for meg, både som same- og minoritetsstasråd, på vegne av den norske regjeringen, å åpne et nytt internasjonalt fag- og formidlingssenter for reindriften som er lokalisert til Kautokeino. Dette senteret vil tilføre en ny dimensjon til samarbeidet, både mellom oss og samiske interesser, og i Arktisk Råd og Barentssamarbeidet.
Etter Regjeringens syn er det viktig at reindriftsfolk og deres organisasjoner har et nært forhold til senteret. Vi har derfor lagt vekt på at senteret etableres og drives i samråd med Verdensforbundet for reindriftsfolk. Vi har også vært opptatt av å videreføre og styrke det grenseoverskridende reindriftssamarbeidet. Den samiske reindriften er etablert lenge før vi trakk grensene, og da er det viktig å også ha et grenseoverskridende samarbeid i årene fremover. Derfor er reindriftsorganisasjoner fra både Russland, Finland, Sverige og Norge representert i styret og de er på den måten invitert til å ta del i å utvikle og drive senteret fremover.
Etableringen av senteret er et bidrag fra Norge til å videreføre og styrke det internasjonale reindriftssamarbeidet som ble initiert første gang for 15 år siden av næringens representanter. Samarbeidet omfatter i dag 20 ulike etniske folkegrupper/folkeslag som utøver reindrift i store geografiske områder i 3 verdensdeler og i til sammen 9 stater fra Kina og Mongolia i øst til Alaska og Canada i vest.
Senteret skal være som et knutepunkt for formidling og utveksling av informasjon, erfaringer og kunnskap verdens reindriftsfolk i mellom, – og mellom reindriftsfolk og omverdenen. Vi trenger alle å lære mer om reindriften i hele den subarktiske og den arktiske del på den nordlige jordklode.
Jeg er glad for at min deltakelse i dag kan framstå som et bevis på at senteret allerede ved oppstarten har funnet sitt kommunikasjonsverktøy. Det er hyggelig for meg å kunne delta på nett og åpne senteret i Kautokeino samtidig som jeg fysisk befinner meg 200 mil unna.
Det er ekstra hyggelig å konstatere at senteret som representerer en tradisjonell næring, tar aktivt i bruk høytutviklet teknologi. Ny teknologi er ikke et fremmed element i næringen, se bare på for eksempel kikkerten, snøscooteren og barmarkskjøretøyer, som er kommet for å bli i næringsutøvelsen.
Som kjent, har reindriften, som en sirkumpolar næring med tilhold i marginale arktiske områder, utviklet en særegne tradisjonelle kunnskaper og tilpasning. Ved utøvelsen av næringen, har reindriftsfolk gjennom tidene tilegnet seg erfaringer og verdifulle kunnskaper som er lagt til grunn i næringens driftsformer i forholdet til naturen, klimaet og miljøet, dyr og dyrevern og høsting og forvaltning av naturressursene. Uten å ta i bruk denne særegne tradisjonskunnskapen, ville det vært vanskelig, eller umulig, for reindriftsfolk å lykkes med næringen, særlig når vi tar i betraktning de naturgitte betingelser som næringen drives under.
Tradisjonskunnskap er sjelden nedtegnet, men overleveres muntlig fra generasjon til generasjon. En viktig oppgave for senteret, vil bli å dokumentere de tradisjonelle kunnskapene i ulike regionene. Altfor ofte opplever vi at den typen av tradisjonell kunnskapen forsvinner fra vårt samfunn, fordi vi har andre måter å ivareta kunnskapen enn det som har vært det tradisjonelle. Like viktig er det at tradisjonskunnskapen spres og gjøres kjent urfolk i mellom. Det er særlig avgjørende at kunnskapen blir akseptert og tatt i bruk i utdanningssystemer, i forskningen og ikke minst i den offentlige forvaltningen. Vi har tatt lite i bruk reindriftens egne erfaring og kunnskaper i måten vi har forvaltet reindriften på i Norge i de siste 30 årene. Målsettingen må være at fremtidige generasjoner ser verdien i urfolks tradisjonskunnskaper som viktig kompetanse for høsting og forvaltning av naturen, klimaet og miljøet. Målsettingen må også være å få til en bedre og mer riktig forvaltning av urfolksnæringer og av de områder urfolk bebor.
Med disse ord erklærer jeg det internasjonale fag- og formidlingssenteret for reindriften for åpnet. Jeg ønsker senterets styre, reindriftsfolk med deres organisasjoner og andre samarbeidspartnere til lykke med arbeidet fremover.
June 18, Ulan-Ude, Russia. The Buryat State University hosted an international round table devoted to preservation and development of taiga reindeer husbandry. The seminar was organized by the Association of World Reindeer Herders (WRH) together with the Association of Northern Indigenous Peoples of Republic Buryatia and UArcitc EALAT Institute under the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry (Norway).
Elena Antipina, the director of the Arctic College of the People of the North
June 14-18, the 18th Council Meeting of University of Arctic is held at the Buryat State University in the city of Ulan-Ude, the capital of the Republic of Buryatia, Russia. More than 70 delegates from 15 countries arrived to Buryatia. Within the Council Meeting the Buryat State University will host the joint science and education conference “Arctic Dialog in the Global World”. The conference brings together interested scientists, politicians, academics, business people, PhD and postgraduate students from all over the world.
As many as 20000 people attended the Nordlige Norden Arctic food festival in Copenhagen last weekend and many of them ate reindeer meat prepared by ICR and friends. The event was a huge success and the Sami lavvu, erected in the shadow of Hans Egede church in downtown Copenhagen was a busy place, most particularly on Saturday.
Other events held during the ‘foodie’ event (there was food from around the Arctic) included an EALLU Arctic Lavvu Dialogue (Tradisjonskunnskap grunnlaget for samisk matkultur i et nordisk perspektiv) which brought together young Sami herders, food experts and knowledge holders to discuss traditional knowledge and food culture from a Sami and Nordic perspective (Download programme here).
Issat Turi and Mikkel Anders Kemi from ICR arrived at Hotel og Restaurantskolen in Copenhagen today driving for 26hours and 2010 km from Kautokeino. The reason is the new Arctic Council project EALLU: Arctic Indigenous Youth, Climate Change and Food Culture, which ICR and WRH is carrying out together with the Saami Council, Norway and the USA. In March this year the Arctic Indigenous Peoples Culinary Institute was established in Kautokeino as part of the EALLU project, therefore Issat and Mikkel Anders brought with them Arctic raw materials of very high quality from Kautokeino, Finnmark to be present at the Nordlige Norden Food Festival 28 -30 mai in Nikolai place in Copenhagen. The festival is being organized in Copenhagen as Denmark is the Chair of the Nordic Council in 2015.
ICR og WRH leder et nytt Arktisk råds prosjekt EALLU: Arktisk urfolksungdom, klimaforandringer og matkultur. ICR vil i samarbeid med prosjektet Nordlige Norden, Hotel og Restaurantskolen i København, Samisk Vidregående skole og reindriftskole i Kautokeino og Thon Hotel Kautokeino samle det bedste av Samisk matkultur i København til mat, kunnskap og opplevelsesfestival 28 -30 Mai. Festivalen er en del av flere nordiske matarrangementer i Danmark, da Danmark i 2015 har formandskabet for Nordisk Ministerråd. Vi venter 10 000 deltagere til matfestivalen Nordlige Norden på Nikolajs plass midt i København. I dag startet Issat Turi og Mikkel Anders Kemi fra ICR den lange kjøreturen fra Kautokeino med reinskinn, lavvu og formidlingsmateriale til Københaven. Vår delegasjon består av 18 deltagere. Målet å øke synligheten om Samisk matkultur og kunnskapsgrunnlaget som ligger til grunn for denne kulturen gjennom matlaging, formidling og seminarer. Velkommen!!!
A few years ago, UNU (United Nations University) filmed a short interview with the Executive Chair of the Association of World Reindeer Herders Mikhail Pogodaev and Nancy Maynard of NASA, after they presented a joint paper entitled “Sami Indigenous Traditional Knowledge and NASA Remote Sensing Technologies Working Together for Adaptation Strategies” at an international workshop on Indigenous Peoples, Marginalized Populations and Climate Change: Vulnerability, Adaptation and Traditional Knowledge convened in Mexico City, Mexico. You can now watch the interview online (see below) and you can download the presentation here.
Last week the 9th Arctic Council Ministerial Meeeting wrapped up in the city of Iqaluit, the territorial capital of Nunavut, Canada. This meeting marked the conclusion of Canadian Chairmanship and set the main objectives for the next two years of the USA Chairmanship. This meeting will bring together ministers of the Arctic States and high-level representatives of the indigenous Permanent Participant organizations.
The Association of World Reindeer Herders delegation (which included ICR Director Anders Oskal, WRH Chair Mikhail Pogodaev and ICR project coordinator Alena Gerasimova, WRH is an accredited Observer to the Arctic Council) was present for the meeting to deliver the final report and executive summary of the EALLIN project on reindeer herding youth.
At the meeting the ministers signed the Iqaluit declaration, which highlights the achievements of the Arctic Council during Canadian chairmanship (2013-2015) and defines the main directions of the Council for the US Chairmanship (2015-2017).
“It is with great pride that we signed the Iqaluit Declaration here in Canada’s North,” said the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Canada’s Minister and Chair for the Arctic Council. “Canada has put Northerners at the forefront of the Arctic Council’s agenda, and we will continue working to ensure that the Council’s work benefits the people who live there.”
Once again, as in Kiruna in 2013, Secretary John Kerry underlined the importance of indigenous peoples’ role of shaping decisions in the Arctic Council:
“…This underlines the US commitment to collaborate closely with Arctic indigenous peoples in their Chairmanship, as they indeed do with their co-leadership of our new Arctic Council project on food”, says Anders Oskal, Executive Director of ICR and project lead of the new Arctic Council EALLU Project. “This is key as Arctic change and globalization are now taking an ever stronger hold of the circumpolar reindeer herding areas”, he concludes.
PRESS RELEASE ON THE OCCASION OF THE ARCTIC COUNCIL MINISTERIAL (Download as a PDF) April 24, 2015: Iqaluit, Canada
Reindeer Herding Youth Take Action on Arctic Change
Young Reindeer Herders Deliver Strong Message to Arctic Foreign Ministers at the 9th Arctic Council Ministerial in Canada
“For us, the reindeer is everything. If we lose the reindeer we lose our language, our culture, our traditions and the knowledge to move in the nature.”
[Participant at the EALLIN workshop in Jokkmokk, 2013]
A unique project called EALLIN involving reindeer herding youth from Russia, Finland, Sweden and Norway has delivered a 120-page report, executive summary and recommendations to the Artic Council Ministerial meeting in Canada today. More than 160 indigenous youth from multiple regions in Russia, Mongolia, Finland, Sweden and Norway participated in 12 community based workskops over four years. “EALLIN” means ‘life’ in the Sami language and the project was backed by Norway, the Russian Federation and the Saami Council. EALLIN calls attention to the serious challenges faced by young reindeer herders, such as mental health, a lack of appropriate education and a lack of participation in local community development.
Reindeer herding youth are the future of reindeer herding, and the strong message from engaged youth was that they wanted to continue herding reindeer, as it ‘a good life’. However, there are many issues and challenges that are making life ‘not so good’ everywhere where reindeer are herded. EALLIN brought young reindeer herders of the taiga and tundra together to bring their voices to the Arctic Council. Reindeer herdings youth in the Circumpolar North are on the frontlines of monitoring the rapid ongoing changes in the Arctic, therefore, their knowledge and skills are key for their future existence in their home pastures and territories.
“Our peoples are undergoing dramatic and historical changes in our homelands, changes that we have never seen in the millenia-old histories of the reindeer herding peoples of the north” states Arctic Council EALLIN Project Lead Dr Mikhail Pogodaev, the Executive Chair of Association of World Reindeer Herders (WRH).
“We know enough about the changes to act”, concludes Anders Oskal, Project Co-Lead and Co-Author of the IPCC 5th Report. “We don’t need more assessments to understand, basically, we have to do things differently now if these societies and cultures are to survive and thrive under the Arctic boom – and bust”. And doing things differently is exactly what the EALLIN report calls for.
Delivered to Arctic Council: “Youth – The Future of Reindeer Herding Peoples – Executive Summary” and “Youth – The Future of Reindeer Herding Peoples”, Full Project Report 120 pages,
The office manager of the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry Mikkel Anders Kemi was recently in Inuvik for the 80th anniversary of the introduction of reindeer herding to Canada. Mikkel Anders is also a reindeer herder so he knows a thing or two about herding. While there, he strapped on a GoPro camera got on his snowmobile to assist in the annual migration of the Canadian herd which numbers some 3000 reindeer. CBC North have posted the video here which you can see below. CBC North also posted a longer article about the introduction of reindeer to Inuvik which you can read here.
Here's what it feels like to be a reindeer herder. Mikkel Kemi, a Saami from Norway, strapped a GoPro to his head while he was out on the tundra outside Tuktoyaktuk. Thanks Kemi and the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation for sharing this video. Full story: cbc.ca/1.3014151
Reindeer herders were invited to Inuvik by Inuvialuit Regional Corporation (IRC) to celebrate the 80th Anniversary of Canadian Reindeer Husbandry, where they can also share their experience in reindeer herding and food culture, and present exhibition in traditional handicraft.
The Canadian Ambassador to Finland, Andrée N. Cooligan took the opportunity of a work trip to Hetta to hop over the border to visit the offices of the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry (ICR). Her visit coincided with the visit to ICR of the Director General of The Department of Sami and Minority Affairs, Bjørn Olav Megard. This visit coincidentally followed Ambassador Cooligans’ visit to the University of Lapland where she met with the Rector, Mauri Ylä-Kotola, who is a new member of the ICR Board.
The Department of Sami and Minority Affairs has chief responsibility for formulating and coordinating the state’s policies towards the Sami population and the national minorities.
Canada is the outgoing chair of the Arctic Council and plans are afoot to present the final ICR/WRH EALLIN deliveries to the upcoming Arctic Council Ministerial in Iqaluit next month, the future EALLU project and ICR were able to inform the Ambassador about the work of ICR and the Association of World Reindeer Herders and discuss plans for the upcoming 80th anniversary of reindeer herding in Canada, in Inuvik.
Inger Anita Smuk (ICR Board Chair), Anders Oskal (ICR Director), Ambassador Cooligan, Bjørn Olav Megard (Dir Gen Dept Sami and Minority Affairs).
Here at the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry we have a lively Facebook Page and we have almost reached a social media milestone: 1000 ‘Friends’ on Facebook. To help push us up to the magical number, we are offering our 1000th Friend on Facebook a fantastic prize – a copy of the book ‘EALLIN – Youth the Future of Reindeer Herding Peoples’ and a copy of the book ‘EALÁT. Reindeer Herders Voice: Reindeer Herding, Traditional Knowledge and Adaptation to Climate Change and Loss of Grazing Lands’ mailed to wherever you are in the world..Pass the word on and help us reach our goal! Visit our Facebook page here
Mikhail Pogodaev, the Executive Chair of the Association of World Reindeer Herders has been nominated to be Executive Director of the Northern Forum. Pogodaev is Even and was raised in a reindeer herding family in Topolinoe, in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). Pogodaev has been engaged in cooperation across the north between reindeer herding peoples since he was young, following in the footsteps of his mother, Maria Pogodaeva who played an important role in the early history and establishment of the Association of World Reindeer Herders after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
This is a period of change for the Northern Forum and it is an exciting prospect that an indigenous person from reindeer husbandry could be selected to steer the organization through an exciting, but intensely challenging time in the North generally, and in small rural communities in particular.
You can read why ICR and WRH both thought to recommend Pogodaev to this position here and below:
Sametingsrådet inviterer til oppstartskonferanse i forbindelse med sametingsmelding om reindrift 25.-26.02.2015. Sted: Diehtosiida, Kautokeino
På mange måter står reindrifta i 2015 ved et veiskille.
Utfordringene er mange. Det føres en samfunns- og næringspolitikk som krever nye og større deler av eksisterende reinbeiteområdene. Den økonomiske utviklingen i reindriftsnæringa de siste årene er bekymringsfull, med økende kostnader og nedgang i inntektene. Et økende rovvilttrykk fører til store økonomiske tap og bekymringer.
Samtidig er det viktig å ha framtidstro. Den samiske reindrifta har en lang historie, den har gitt inntekt og liv til mennesker i århundrer. Reindrifta har alle muligheter for å utvikles som en bærekraftig næring samtidig som man holder fast på de dype røttene reindrifta har i den samiske kulturen. Reindrifta er en viktig del av samisk kultur og av det samiske samfunnet. Reindrifta selv og det samiske samfunnet må gå i front på veien som fører til en framtidig og livskraftig næring.
Sametinget skal, sett i forhold til de visjoner og mål vi har for et framtidig samisk samfunn, være med på å utforme de overordnede langsiktige målene og strategiene for reindriftsnæringa. Med en ny Sametingsmelding om reindrift, ønsker Sametingsrådet sammen med næringa å arbeide for en trygg framtid for reindrifta.
After meeting with reindeer herding Dukha youth in Ulan Bator (see story and photos here) last week, Professor Svein Mathiesen and young Sami herder Issat Turi travelled to Northern Mongolia to meet with Dukha herders on the land to discuss the ongoing implementation of the Nomadic Herders project and heard from herders and their families at first hand why the future of herding peoples in the taiga is facing such difficulties.
We have just posted a new gallery of images from their visit to Dukha herders which you can view here.
You can follow updates on our ICR Facebook page here
The entire Arctic Frontiers conference is streamed onto the web. Here you can watch ICR Director Anders Oskal keynote presentation to the conference on Tuesday, January 17. Scroll to 1:40:13
At the recent EALLIN Executive Summary Release event held at the Arctic Frontiers meeting in Tromso, young reindeer herders had the chance to meet with and discuss with the renowned Artur Chilingarov, the First Vice-President of the Russian Geographical Society, Special Envoy on Arctic and Antarctic affairs for the President of the Russian Federation, Hero of USSR and the Russian Federation. They discussed the Arctic Council EALLIN project and challenges facing today by young reindeer herders. Artur Chilingarov was a key-note speaker at the Arctic Frontiers conference
Artur Chiliangarov meets with WRH and UArctic EALAT Institute youth
TV 2 featured two pieces on the launch of the EALLIN Executive Summary with Prince Albert on Monday, at the Arctic Frontiers conference which is being held in Tromso.
One story interviewed Prince Albert and why he was interested in supporting young indigenous peoples and the other a longer interview with ICR Director, Anders Oskal. You can download the EALLIN Executive Summary here
The EALLIN Executive Summary is launched today (Monday January 19) at a special event organised by UArctic within the Arctic Frontiers conference in Tromso with HSH Prince Albert of Monaco. Prince Albert, though his foundation has been a supporter and follower of the EALLIN project since its inception. The launch will coincide with the annual Arctic Frontiers conference in Tromso and is organized in collaboration with the UArctic. EALLIN is an Arctic Council (Sustainable Development Working Group) project of the Russian Federation and Norway in partnership with the Sámi Council, UArctic and others. EALLIN is led and implemented by the Association of World Reindeer Herders in cooperation with the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry.
Johan Mathis Turi (WRH) Mikhail Pogodaev (WRH), HSH Prince Albert, Inger Anita Smuk (ICR) and Anders Oskal (ICR)
Many young reindeer herders who have participated in the EALLIN project over the past 3 years will be present for the launch which will be one of the key events attended by Prince Albert in his short stay in Tromso. Prince Albert will have the opportunity to dialogue with Reindeer Herding Youth at a specially constructed lavvu which has been erected for this purpose.
The Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation decided to keep the profession of reindeer herder in the list of specialties in institutions of vocational education. This was recently reported by the chair of the Association of World Reindeer Herders Mikhail Pogodaev.
We the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry (ICR) and the Association of World Reindeer Herders (WRH) are interested in reindeer pretty much all of the time. We (try to) understand that this is not so for most people. However, as we approach Christmas, interest in reindeer (not so much in herders!) peaks across much of the world. It is also when we receive more visitors to our website than any other time of the year.
This year, we thought we ask a very important to those of us who work, live with and love reindeer: How do you like to eat them? While this might seem a silly, or to some, a provocative question, to herding peoples, it is an important one. Reindeer are the cornerstone of the identity of many indigenous peoples in the North, but perhaps above all, they are an extremely healthy and available source of protein.
I canvassed our colleagues here at ICR and WRH about their favourite way to eat reindeer. See some feedback below. Feel free to add your voice, favourite or recipe to the conversation here on our Facebook or Twitter channels or in the comments section.
One of my favourite answers was from Rávdná Biret Márjá Eira (Sámi, Kautokeino, Norway),
This is a very difficult question Philip! Its too hard to choose, but let’s see: In the fall it is so good with smoked reindeer meat that I fry directly on the fire…a little later it is great with blood sausages and boiled čielgi (back)! and also in the winter….. and then in spring it soooo tasty with coffee and dried reindeer meat during the migration while the herd is resting a little..
This autumn, the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation has taken the initiative to exclude about 100 names from the list of specialties of secondary vocational education, including the specialty entitled “technician reindeer herder”.
The reason for this decision is the absence or low enrollment of students for training in specific programs, as well as the fact that “students in secondary vocational education on the basis of secondary education or secondary vocational education study 10 months, which corresponds to the period of training for the professional training program” (from the explanatory note to the draft order of the Ministry of Education and Science).
Watch UArctic President, Lars Kullerud address to the recent conference “Prospects of Sustainable Development” which was hosted by the Government of Sakha Republic (Yakutia).” in Yakutsk, Russia.
The International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry and the Assocation of World Reindeer Herders are in Yakutsk this week for high level meetings multiple administrators for the Republic while also attending the Conference “Social and Human Adaptation of the Arctic Regions to Climate Change and Globalization” on November 25-26, 2014, in Yakutsk, Russia. The aim of the conference is to present the results of research and educational activity on “Social and Human Adaptation of the Arctic Regions to Climate Change and Globalization”, to analyze the legislative framework and international practice, and to share innovative and practical experience.
On November 25 the festival of national cultures of the indigenous people of the North, Siberia and the Far East finished its work. The festival is held annually by the Indigenous Peoples Institute of Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia. This event was attended by a professor of the UArctic EALAT Institute Svein Mathiesen and the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry – Anders Oskal, Inger Anita Smuk and Elna Sara.
The International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry now has new Board members, who had their first meeting on November 12 in Kautokeino and disscussed their work and planning. The Board, with Inger Anita Smuk as its Chair, was appointed on October 10, 2014 for the next 4 years.
We at the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry, Association of World Reindeer Herders and the UArctic EALAT Institute would like to wish Dr. Robert Corell warm greetings for his 80th birthday today.
Dr. Corell has been a key ally of reindeer herders for many years and was a key partner in the early planning, initiation and implementation of the International Polar Year project EALAT. Corell has consistently sought out and promoted cooperation with reindeer herders and indigenous peoples and has played a key role in elevating the acceptance of indigenous knowledge and creating links and spaces where scientists and indigenous knowledge holders can share and learn from each other in atmospheres of trust and respect.
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Issát Turi is a Sámi reindeer herder, one of the authors of the award winning EALLU book and has been working with and for the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry for many years. He also accompanied Anders Oskal, Mikhail Pogodaev, Inger Anita Smuk, Juoksa Smuk and Elen Sara Sparrok after the Gourmand Awards to Inner Mongolia, to the Evenki village of Alouguya, China as the ICR-WRH team visited with Evenki herders. Below is a brief summary of a conversation with him now that the ICR / WRH team are back in Sápmi. 
After the stunning victory of 
A team from the EALLU project has touched down in the coastal city of Yantai, China to attend the awards ceremony of the 
Have Indigenous Youth Made the Best Cookbook in the World?
A nice article and photo (in German) was published in 
This week the Association of World Reindeer Herders is vising Levi in Finland, where the Arctic Council SDWG and SAO meeting are held. WRH General Secretary Anders Oskal has presented the report on the work of the EALLU project for the last months.During this period more than ten educational seminars were organized, dedicated to food culture, traditional knowldege, reindeer herding youth etc. WRH had a succesful 6th Congress of World reindeer herder in Sweden; publications on traditional knowldge and food culture were published and several are about to be. WRH delegation will stay in Finland for few more days before going to hold its Council meeting, which will be in Salekhard at the end of this week.
EALLU is a book about food culture of the indigenous peoples of the Arctic, which is nominated for major food culture event in the world – the Gourmand Awards. The book describes the food culture, recipes and traditional knowledge about nutrition of the 13 indigenous peoples of the Arctic (Nenets, Saami, Chukchi, Koryak, Dolgan, Evenki, Even, Yukagir, Dukha, Inuit, Aleut, Gwichin, Athabaskan). More than 50 authors have contributed with their knowledge to the book; most of authors are young representatives of indigenous peoples of the Arctic, which is the first of its kind to present an overview of the food cultures belonging to the Arctic indigenous peoples.
A number of events took place as part of the celebration of the traditional Reindeer Herder’s Day in Iengra (Neryungri district, Yakutia) with participation of local residents, and also members of the International Reindeer Herding Center and Association of World Reindeer Herders.
Association of World Reindeer Herders (WRH) will have its fisrt Council meeting in Russia. Reindeer herders who are members of the WR Council from 29 reindeer herding regions of the world will gather in Salekhard on March 24-25, where the national festivel ” The Reindeer Herder’s Day” will also take place. 
Kautokeino, Norway. January 18, the Association of World Reindeer Herders (WRH) hosts their guests and friends from the Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of te North (RAIPON) with the leader of delegation – president Grigory Ledkov. WRH Chair of the Board Mikhail Pogodaev and WRH secretary general Anders Oskal picked up Gregory Ledkov, Vladimir Klimov and Stepan Vanuito from RAIPON at the airport of Kittila. The program of the visit was organized by WRH and the Interational Centre for Reindeer Husbandry (ICR). On their first day of visit guests were introduced to the slaughtering house Finnmarksrein (https://finnmarkrein.no). 
November 1, Salekhard (Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District, Russia). 2nd Siberian Environmental Change Network (SecNet) Workshop has began, and will last until November 4. The seminar is organized by the Government of Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District and Tomsk State University with the support of the UK Science and Innovation Network and the British Embassy in Russia. Scientists from Russia, the UK, Denmark, Norway, Finland and the Czech Republic will participate in a seminar, organized by the Siberian Environmental Change Network (SecNet), in Salekhard (the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District), the region’s Department of Sciences and Innovations said on Wednesday.
In a groundbreaking and incredibly exciting event, the Sara family from the Fálá reindeer herding district in Finnmark are being followed 24/7 by NRK, the Norwegian National Broadcasting Company.
Next weekend, April 29-30 in Moscow, the 
On March 29-30, 2017, Arkhangelsk in Northwest Russia will host a regular 
A major seminar with youth from across the circumpolar North (Russia, Canada, US, Finland, Norway and Sweden) is getting underway in Kautokeino tomorrow February 1-3 at the Sami University of Applied Sciences. Organized under the auspices of the 
The ICR and WRH team have been in Salekhard, the capital of the Yamal Nenets Autonomous Okrug for the whole week and yesterday, attended an international seminar on the outbreak of anthrax on the Yamal Peninsula this summer. The anthrax outbreak was an event that captured global headlines and aroused significant concern amongst herders and their advocates, as significant reindeer culls have been suggested, and a desire to reduce the number of active herders has also touted. Considerable unease and uncertainty within the livelihood has arisen as a result.
Today the 
On Tuesday, November 8, as part of a week long series of reindeer related activities in Salekhard, in the Yamal Nenets Autonomous Okrug, there will be an 
On Friday and Saturday, November 5-6 in Kautokeino, a Memorandum of Understanding between the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry and the Khuvsgul Khugjil Foundation, Mongolia was signed when members of the Mongolian Parliament visited ICR. The discussions centred around with the promotion of nomadism and local economies, students scholarships, film production, small business innovation, internet access, village friendship development and the language issue of the indigenous Dukha peoples in Mongolia. This cooperation is an outgrowth of the 
October 12, Moscow. The international conference International Cooperation in the Arctic: New Challenges and Vectors of Development, organized by the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) with the support of the Russian Foreign Ministry has started. The conference will take place from 12 till 13 October 2016.
ARRANGERT AV PROSJEKTET NOMADIC HERDERS
You can now see a large gallery of images from 17 May, Norwegian national day, celebrations held in Moscow this week. See all the photos 
As part of the reindeer meat seminar being held in the Embassy of Norway (
As 
In an event coordinated by the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry and Søren Kühlwein, the Director of the 
A unique course got underway in Kautokeino, Norway today, with well over 30 young students with many young reindeer herding peoples represented (Nenets, Eveny, Evenki, Sami, Chukchi, Dukha and Dolgan). The students are enrolled as Bachelor students at the Sami University of Applied Sciences in Kautokeino in a course entitled ‘Biological diversity in a circumpolar indigenous perspective’.
Today the Suglan Indigenous Youth Forum wrapped up in Yakutsk (Sakha Republic, Russia). Indigenous youth of Yakutia decided to name their first indigenous forum Suglan, which means “gathering” in one of the five indigenous languages of Yakutia – in Evenki language. The Suglan started its work on Wednesday, March 23, and was organized by the Yakutian State Committee of Peoples Affairs, Indigenous Youth Council of the North and the Far East of Russia and by the Association of Indigenous Peoples of Yakutia. The Association of World Reindeer Herders (WRH) and International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry (ICR) also participated in organizing and moderating one of the Suglan session which concerned reindeer husbandry and reindeer herding youth. 
Biological Diversity in a Circumpolar Indigenous Perspective
Johan Mathis Turi was invited to give the keynote to the annual meeting of Academia Borealis on February 11th in Tromso, Norway. Turi has been invited to be a member of the Academia Borealis. His speech was entitled “Reindeer Herding in the 21st century”. You can read about this more on 
I Oslo er det kebab, sushi, pizza og thaimat på hvert gatehjørne, men hva vet Oslofolk om samisk matkultur? Det flerkulturelle Norge startet lenge før de siste tiårenes innvandring, men den samiske matkulturen har forsvunnet i mylderet av eksotiske retter fra kontinentet. Denne helgen kan barn og voksne oppleve det samiske kjøkkenet sammen med Geitmyra matkultursenter for barn og Internasjonalt reindriftsenter.
Today International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry had a meeting with students from Sámi Upper Secondary and Reindeer Husbandry School in Kautokeino and their teachers – Karen Inga Kemi, Torbjørn Larsen and Samuel Gaup.
Arctic College of the Peoples of the North, which is located in Chersky, Nizhnekolymsky district, continues it’s fruitful work both with reindeer herders and students from reindeer herding families. Only less than a month ago young reindeer herders who are also second-year students at the College had interesting workshops and classes with the main zootechnician at the Turvaurgin Obshchina (nomadic community) and skillful reindeer herder – Petr Kaurgin. They not only disscussed main issues of their Obshchinas and ways how to be a better reindeer herder, they also had a trip with teachers to the winter pastures where they were working with reindeer. 
Per Jonas Partapuoli, board member of the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry, addressed the 
Vyacheslav Shadrin, Chair of the Yukaghir Council of Elders of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) was recently awarded with the Paul K. Feyerabend Award. The award “
At the close of the 
The Northern Forum Assembly finished today, November 6th. Below are some photos from the gathering featuring WRH and ICR personnel, a meeting with the President of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) with ICR, a TV Sakha appearance by ICR and WRH and more.
Tomorrow, the 
In a few short years the Arctic Circle assembly, held annually in Iceland’s capital has grown to become the largest Arctic related gathering, and is now attended by more than 1500 participants from close to 50 countries. The Assembly is held every October at the Harpa Conference Center and Conference Hall in Reykjavík, Iceland and has just wrapped up. In addition, the Arctic Circle organizes smaller forums on specific subjects, such as the 2015 forums in Alaska and Singapore, and the 2016 forums in Québec and Greenland. This year was no exception and even featured a keynote by President Hollande of France who noted the critical importance of action on climate change in advance of 
The 
Every year, the Research Council of Norway brings research into the community over several days in an event called 
Last week, over 30 indigenous herding youth, mostly Sámi from Finland, Norway and Sweden, but also Nenets, Even and Evenki from Russia met in Inari, Finland at Gávnnadeapmi (see announcement and programme 
Every year, the Research Council of Norway brings research into the community over several days in an event called 
The 2015 Autumn Meeting of the 
As many as 20000 people attended the 
few years ago, UNU (
Last week the 9th Arctic Council Ministerial Meeeting wrapped up in the city of Iqaluit, the territorial capital of Nunavut, Canada. This meeting marked the conclusion of Canadian Chairmanship and set the main objectives for the next two years of the USA Chairmanship. This meeting will bring together ministers of the Arctic States and high-level representatives of the indigenous Permanent Participant organizations.
RESS RELEASE ON THE OCCASION OF THE ARCTIC COUNCIL MINISTERIAL (
The office manager of the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry Mikkel Anders Kemi was recently in Inuvik for the 80th anniversary of the introduction of reindeer herding to Canada. Mikkel Anders is also a reindeer herder so he knows a thing or two about herding. While there, he strapped on a GoPro camera got on his snowmobile to assist in the annual migration of the Canadian herd which numbers some 3000 reindeer. CBC North have posted the video here which you can see below. CBC North also posted a longer article about the introduction of reindeer to Inuvik which you can read 
The Canadian Ambassador to Finland, Andrée N. Cooligan took the opportunity of a work trip to Hetta to hop over the border to visit the offices of the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry (ICR). Her visit coincided with the visit to ICR of the Director General of The Department of Sami and Minority Affairs, Bjørn Olav Megard. This visit coincidentally followed Ambassador Cooligans’ visit to the University of Lapland where she met with the Rector, Mauri Ylä-Kotola, who is a new member of the ICR Board.
Here at the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry we have a lively Facebook Page and we have almost reached a social media milestone: 1000 ‘Friends’ on Facebook. To help push us up to the magical number, we are offering our 1000th Friend on Facebook a fantastic prize – a copy of the book ‘EALLIN – Youth the Future of Reindeer Herding Peoples’ and a copy of the book ‘EALÁT. Reindeer Herders Voice: Reindeer Herding, Traditional Knowledge and Adaptation to Climate Change and Loss of Grazing Lands’ mailed to wherever you are in the world..Pass the word on and help us reach our goal! Visit our Facebook page 
Mikhail Pogodaev, the Executive Chair of the Association of World Reindeer Herders has been nominated to be Executive Director of the 
Sametingsrådet inviterer til oppstartskonferanse i forbindelse med sametingsmelding om reindrift 25.-26.02.2015. Sted: Diehtosiida, Kautokeino
The EALLIN Executive Summary is launched today (Monday January 19) at a special event organised by UArctic within the 
We the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry (ICR) and the 
This autumn, the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation has taken the initiative to exclude about 100 names from the list of specialties of secondary vocational education, including the specialty entitled “technician reindeer herder”.
Watch UArctic President, Lars Kullerud address to the recent conference “Prospects of Sustainable Development” which was hosted by the Government of Sakha Republic (Yakutia).” in Yakutsk, Russia.
The International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry and the Assocation of World Reindeer Herders are in Yakutsk this week for high level meetings multiple administrators for the Republic while also attending the Conference “Social and Human Adaptation of the Arctic Regions to Climate Change and Globalization” on November 25-26, 2014, in Yakutsk, Russia. The aim of the conference is to present the results of research and educational activity on “Social and Human Adaptation of the Arctic Regions to Climate Change and Globalization”, to analyze the legislative framework and international practice, and to share innovative and practical experience.
We at the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry, Association of World Reindeer Herders and the 
