Reindeer-ific

One day, I told Cousin Leif that I would like to see real reindeer, but didn't know where to go. In yet another demonstration of how many people he knows in Piteå, the next day found us on our way to the edge of town to meet Christer Sjömark, who happens to keep reindeer on his property.

Reindeer are very shy creatures, and prefer to stay away from people. This is just what Christer's reindeer did when we approached. Except this guy. "He's curious," Christer said.

As we stood in the meadow and watched the reindeer wander around (at a safe distance from us), Christer told Leif and I everything you could ever want to know about these marvelous creatures; for instance, why they look so patchy right now. It's because they're molting for the summer.

All reindeer have horns, and they fall off every year. When they do, Christer gathers them up and puts them in the barn, perhaps for later craft projects.

As he graciously invited us into his home for coffee, I noticed the knife on Christer's belt. "It's a Lapp knife," he said, pointing to the wall where he hangs his others. He then told us about the importance of these traditional tools in Lapp culture. They are made with reindeer horn and skin, and the blades are incredibly tough. The Lapps depend on them for hunting, eating, even chopping down trees.

As well, they use the knives to identify their reindeer; a unique mark is cut into the animal's ear. Christer showed us a book of drawings of such marks.

I enjoyed our time with Christer immensely; I could ask him questions all day long, and would be happy to hear his stories even longer than that. We left him where we found him, sitting on his porch with his dogs, looking happy.