Traditional ecological knowledge among reindeer herders in northern Sweden

Abstract

The present thesis analyzes the traditional ecological knowledge about the plants reindeer graze upon among reindeer-herding Sami. The study was carried out by means of interviews with a total of 22 Sami reindeer herders from four Sami reindeer herding communities (in Sweden the term "sameby" is used) in northern Sweden: Gabna, Laevas, Girjas and Udtja. The subjects of the interviews were the plants reindeer graze upon during the summer season (Paper I) and the lichens reindeer feed upon during the winter season together with the reindeer grazing of mushrooms (Paper II). The informants were given the following tasks: a) to identify and name plants either in the Swedish or the Sami language, b) specify which plants the reindeer eat, c) specify which plants are used during different seasons, and d) describe a good winter pasture. The nomenclature for vascular plants in the Sami language is limited to a few species, many of them are traditionally used in the reindeer herder's own fare. Other fodderplants the herders have knowledge of are plants that are eaten by reindeer in seasons of sparse pasture, as during the winter, spring and autumn. Accordingly, lichens have a detailed nomenclature in Sami, where the different species are categorized according to their appearance and habitat, such as jeagil, lahppo and gatna. Grasses in the Sami language are generally called rássi, but some species of grass are called sitnu. Rássi is the name used for grass and sedges, and also for forbs. Rássi is grazed upon during the summer, while sitnu is grazed upon in the winter as well. The Sami nomenclature for known fodderplants sometimes have a uniform nomenclature, and this occurs for especially important plants or plants that indicate good pastures, such as Equisetum fluviatile which is grazed upon when summer forage is passed, or utilized under the snow during the winter. Apart from these functional groups, Sami nomenclature for vascular plants is very sparse.

When the reindeer herders characterize good winter pasture they first pay attention to the snow conditions, rather than the amount of lichens. The reindeer herders choose to let their reindeer graze in moist ground areas during early winter, while dry areas are saved until later in the winter. Dry areas are expected to have thinner snow cover than moist areas. Snow quality is of cardinal importance for winter pasture, and the Sami language has about three hundred words for different snow conditions. This thesis concludes that knowledge about the plants that reindeers graze upon in the summer is sparse among the reindeer herders, but that there is a highly functional terminology for winter pastures conditions. Not only actual forage as lichens are described by a detailed nomenclature, but also snow conditions play a major role in the evaluation of the pastures. It is probably important that the herders preserve their collective traditional knowledge. It is also important that they seek to increase and deepen this knowledge to keep up with the growing demand for more rationalized reindeer herding, and to be able to communicate effectively with other parties in an increasingly arronded reindeer herding pasturage.

Full text

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Traditional Ecological Knowledge
among Reindeer Herders in Northern
Sweden
Berit Inga
Faculty of Forest Sciences
Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies
Umeå

















Licentiate thesis
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Umeå 2008

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Cover: Autumn Migration, ink drawing by Gunnar Östman Inga

ISBN 978-91-85911-40-0
© 2008 Berit Inga, Umeå
Tryck: Arkitektkopia, Umeå 2008

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Abstract
The present thesis analyses the traditional ecological knowledge about the plants
reindeer graze upon among reindeer-herding Sámi. The study was carried out by
means of interviews with a total of 22 Sámi reindeer herders from four Sámi
reindeer herding communities (in Sweden the term “sameby” is used) in northern
Sweden: Gabna, Laevas, Girjas and Udtja. The subjects of the interviews were the
plants reindeer graze upon during the summer season (Paper I) and the lichens
reindeer feed upon during the winter season together with the reindeer grazing of
mushrooms (Paper II). The informants were given the following tasks: a) to identify
and name plants either in the Swedish or the Sámi language, b) specify which plants
the reindeer eat, c) specify which plants are used during different seasons, and d)
describe a good winter pasture. The nomenclature for vascular plants in the Sámi
language is limited to a few species, many of them are traditionally used in the
reindeer herder’s own fare. Other fodderplants the herders have knowledge of are
plants that are eaten by reindeer in seasons of sparse pasture, as during the winter,
spring and autumn. Accordingly, lichens have a detailed nomenclature in Sámi,
where the different species are categorized according to their appearance and
habitat, such as jeagil, lahppo and gatna. Grasses in the Sámi language are generally
called rássi, but some species of grass are called sitnu. Rássi is the name used for grass
and sedges, and also for forbs. Rássi is grazed upon during the summer, while sitnu
is grazed upon in the winter as well. The Sámi nomenclature for known
fodderplants sometimes have a uniform nomenclature, and this occurs for especially
important plants or plants that indicate good pastures, such as Equisetum fluviatile
which is grazed upon when summer forage is passed, or utilized under the snow
during the winter. Apart from these functional groups, Sámi nomenclature for
vascular plants is very sparse.
When the reindeer herders characterize good winter pasture they first pay attention
to the snow conditions, rather than the amount of lichens. The reindeer herders
choose to let their reindeer graze in moist ground areas during early winter, while
dry areas are saved until later in the winter. Dry areas are expected to have thinner
snow cover than moist areas. Snow quality is of cardinal importance for winter
pasture, and the Sámi language has about three hundred words for different snow
conditions. This thesis concludes that knowledge about the plants that reindeers
graze upon in the summer is sparse among the reindeer herders, but that there is a
highly functional terminology for winter pastures conditions. Not only actual forage
as lichens is described by a detailed nomenclature, but also snow conditions play a
major role in the evaluation of the pastures. It is probably important that the herders
preserve their collective traditional knowledge. It is also important that they seek to
increase and deepen this knowledge to keep up with the growing demand for more
rationalized reindeer herding, and to be able to communicate effectively with other
parties in an increasingly arronded reindeer herding pasturage.

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Keywords: Reindeer husbandry, pastoralism, forage, range management, scientific
knowledge, Sámi terminology, lichens, snow
Author’s address: Berit Inga, Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental
Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-901 83 Umeå, Sweden;
Ájtte Swedish Mountain and Sámi Museum, Box 116, SE-962 23 Jokkmokk,
Sweden
E-mail: berit.inga@ajtte.com

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Svensk sammanfattning
Följande avhandling analyserar renskötande samers traditionella kunskap om renens
födoväxter. Studien utfördes genom intervjuer med totalt 22 renskötare från fyra
svenska samebyar: Gabna, Laevas, Girjas och Udtja. Intervjuerna berörde renens
födoväxter under sommaren (Paper I) samt svampar och vinterbete av lav (Paper II).
Informanterna gavs följande uppgifter: a) identifiera och namnge växter på antingen
samiska eller svenska, b) ange vilka växter renen betar, c) specifiera under vilka
perioder av renskötselåret olika växter betas, samt d) karaktärisera bra vinterbete.
Den samiska nomenklauturen för kärlväxter är begränsad till ett fåtal arter, varav
många är sådana som renskötarna traditionellt själva använt i sin kosthållning. Andra
foderväxter som var välkända bland informanterna är sådana som nyttjas av renen
under perioder då betet är begränsat, dvs under höst, vinter och vår. Därför är den
samiska nomenklauturen för lavar mer detaljerad, och olika arter kategoriseras
utifrån sitt utseende och växtplats, såsom jeagil, lahppo och gatna. Gräs kallas
generellt för rássi, men en del arter kallas sitnu. Rássi är det namn som används för
gräs, halvgräs och örter som nyttjas under sommaren. Sitnu inkluderar vintergröna
arter som betas även under snön. Den samiska nomenklauturen för kända
foderväxter är mest enhetlig för särskilt viktiga växter som indikerar gott bete, såsom
sjöfräken som betas på senhösten och vintern. Bortsett från dessa funktionella
grupper används få artnamn för kärlväxter i det samiska språket.
Informanterna lade större vikt vid snöförhållanden än faktisk mängd lav när de
karaktäriserade ett gott vinterbete. Torra områden förväntades få tunnare snötäcke
under vintern än fuktiga. Man valde generellt att låta renarna beta områden som
förväntas få mycket snö först och spara torrare områden till senare på vintern, när
renarna kan ha svårt att gräva genom snön. Snöförhållanden är mycket viktiga för
renskötseln, och samiskan har fler än trehundra ord för snö och snöns relation till
renbetet. Min avhandling visar att renskötarna har sporadisk kännedom om de
växter som renarna betar under sommaren, men att det för vinterbete finns en
mycket utförlig terminologi som inte är begränsad till själva betesväxterna, utan
även inkluderar snöförhållanden. Det är förmodligen mycket viktigt för rennäringen
att bevara den traditionella ekologiska kunskapen för att kunna hålla jämna steg med
de ökande kraven på rationalisering och effektivisering av näringen, och för att
kunna ha en effektiv dialog med andra parter som gör anspråk på renskötselområdet.