Where reindeer are a way of life

In my Finnish High School, we once had a group of French students staying with us for a week. It was a great opportunity to learn about French and Finnish culture. As I was an exchange student and not a tourist, it was interesting to see Lapland with them through the perspective of a tourist group. I had been in Finland for 6 months, and some of them did not speak English, so I found myself proudly translating Finnish into French for them.

We took them around Lapland one day. It was the typical Finnish Winter outing:

A fire+coffee+sausages in a little kota (hut).

As you can see, it was peak Winter with meters of snow and -25°C

We got a tour of the Reindeer Farm. The owner of the farm could speak French, and she told us how important reindeer are:

Their skin is used to make warm clothes, shoes and sleigh mats

They provide milk, meat (reindeer meat is commonly eaten here) and their blood is used in blood sausages

They are used for transportation and pull sleighs

Their antlers are used as knife handles and in other tools

Such a versatile creature! Of course Finland being Finland, all of these practices are closely regulated.

Reindeer antlers aren’t as pretty as in cartoons! In February, some of them had some skin left on their antlers and a lot of blood, as you can see!

It was a surreal experience to feed and pet a reindeer. To see how pure, innocent and noble they are. Because of them, many in the north can make a living. Sadly due to climate change, their population faces a challenge that even these tough beasts cannot handle. Due to thicker ice, which forms from unnaturally heavy rainfall, reindeer now face difficulties in digging for plants through the thick ice as their hooves cannot break the ice (no pun intended)

We ended the trip with a reindeer ride and thanked the owners.