Tjakttjadálvvie
Snow falls and blankets the land during pre-winter.
After the rut, herds make for the lowland bogs where
the last of the vegetation persists. Soon, the snow will
be too deep and the reindeer will rely on ground and
tree lichens for their winter sustenance. Another round
of slaughter takes place before herds are separated into
their winter grazing groups, sijdor. This is the season
of the journey. The remaining reindeer, mostly female,
continue their silent march into the dark forest illuminated by deep blue sky on white snow.
Dálvvie
The world enters a restorative sleep during deep
winter. A thick blanket of snow shelters the earth from
the piercing cold. If the snow conditions are right,
reindeer can dig out ground lichen from under a layer
of snow almost a metre thick. The herders move the
sijdor frequently to access scarce ground and tree
lichen. They may need to provide supplementary food
sources if there is not enough lichen, as it is found only
in old growth forests. This is the season of caring. The
Sami’s main task is to protect the herd from predators
such as wolverine and wolf.
The world sleeps under snow and darkness until
Gijrradálvvie, when the cycle begins again.
Tjakttjadálvvie: Foliose ground lichen on spaghnum in the lowlands
Dálvvie: A reindeer forages for lichen beneath snow in deep winter
Erika Driedger’s upbringing in coastal British Columbia
led her to st udy Natural Resources Conservation at the
University of British Columbia. She later conducted a
thesis under Swedish researcher, Per Sandström, investigating the cumulative effects of development on reindeer
husbandry. Back in BC, Erika Driedger is enjoying the
interior, where she works in Aboriginal Relations.
Forager 2 Fall 2015
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