The Reindeer People

Dukha people

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The land itself is a huge challenge too. The main characters are Carp who is a Shaman and a young Mother Tillu who is a healer and her rather strange child Kerlew. Tillu decides to leave the community to escape the probable dangers of the Shaman and his magic.

Nov 08, Damian Dubois rated it really liked it Shelves: Whether she is penning epic fantasies under the name of Robin Hobb or telling contemporary fantasies set in the harsh wilderness of prehistoric North America under the pseudonym of Megan Lindholm, Margaret Astrid Lindholm Ogden is undoubtedly one of the best novelists that I have had the pleasure of reading.

It really also does possess a rather nice cover, the Wolf looking out from the Moon and casting its eyes over Reindeer shaped clouds. Obviously having read the Farseer Trilogy this conjures up the character of Nighteyes for me which then also makes me wonder if the Wolf in this book is a forerunner for our favourite witted beasty. Set in what feels like prehistoric times the blurb does mention North America the story revolves around a tribe of nomadic hunters, herd folk known as the Reindeer People, and their struggles with day to day life, be it the harsh lessons Mother Nature provides, wild animals such as wolves or bears or even other tribes.

Our main protagonists are Tillu, a wise and proficient healer and mother to her young son, Kerlew, who is a mentally disabled boy unfortunately shunned for being different to other children of the same age. I think having to hear other people talk down about your child would not only be depressing but a drain on the soul as well. Although not as epic as some of her more well known trilogies, the first book in the Reindeer People saga is interesting nonetheless and contains all the hallmarks of a Hobb creation — well drawn characters that emotionally draw the reader in.

Op zoek naar een boek met dieren op de cover voor de februari-challenge op de ff-leesclub, kwam ik dit boek tegen op mijn NTL-stapel. Ik moet het al zeker 18 jaar daar hebben staan, dus het werd wel tijd. Het is duidelijk anders, maar zeker niet slecht. En tegen het eind zelfs nog spannend genoeg om het snel uit te willen lezen. Ik ga zeker door in deel 2. Een 7, maar hier een 8 w Op zoek naar een boek met dieren op de cover voor de februari-challenge op de ff-leesclub, kwam ik dit boek tegen op mijn NTL-stapel.

Een 7, maar hier een 8 want een 6 is te weinig voor dit boek. Jun 04, Miquela rated it really liked it. It took me years to try again, and I'm glad I finally did. I enjoyed Reindeer People so much that the first thing I did after finishing it was to order Wolf's Brother. I have been giving fantasy a go of late in favor of other genres, and this book was a nice way to ease back into my comfort zone, it not being full of typical fantasy tropes and settings.

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As a mother of a toddler, I was able to sympathize with Tillu and the feelings she has for her son, even if I don't face the same challenges she does, and that was a very nice feeling in a genre that doesn't tend to spend much time on motherhood. Sep 28, Althea Ann rated it really liked it. I like Robin Hobb's books a lot, so when I found out she has also published a bunch under 'Megan Lindholm' of course I had to go get them! These were the first I read under this name. It's really one story, that was originally divided in two by the publisher, and later pout out as an omnibus called "The Saga of the Reindeer People.

The style of writing was recognizably the same, although this story is somewhat darker than many of her epic 'Robin Hob I like Robin Hobb's books a lot, so when I found out she has also published a bunch under 'Megan Lindholm' of course I had to go get them! The style of writing was recognizably the same, although this story is somewhat darker than many of her epic 'Robin Hobb' fantasies.

The author's note you can read it here: With its scope and early setting, it reminded me at times of Clan of the Cave Bear. It tells the story of a single mother struggling to raise her mentally disabled young son alone, in a society which is intensely dependent on social, tribal life. She has survived and been taken in by different groups because of her skill with herbs, but when she encounters a shaman who tries to take emotional control of her son and claim her as his woman, she flees - but has the luck to fall in with another group - one that treats women more fairly, is somewhat wealthier - and includes a man she may actually like.

But not all is perfect - the shaman may be in pursuit, and a series of crimes may be poisoning this tribe from the inside. I remember liking these books a lot when I first read them in Dutch and reading the English original hasn't changed my opinion that much. What I don't remember noticing is the abrupt ending of this novel. I might very well have read them back to back the first time around. When Lindholm wrote these books she already had a few books under her belt and they are much more confident than the first Ki and Vandien stories.

Apart from the slightly awkward split, these two novels are among the better Apart from the slightly awkward split, these two novels are among the better ones she wrote as Megan Lindholm. It is of course not the Robin Hobb style, epic fantasy many readers are used to but if you care to step outside that genre, Lindholm has a few very interesting titles to offer. My personal favourite remains Wizard of the Pigeons but these two are not that far behind. Full Random Comments review Although it was darker than I had thouhgt, I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be reading the sequal.

I felt Tillus' emotions described so very well in the sentence view spoiler [ "She loved him as he was, but wished he were not that way". That struggle between her unconditional love and her worries abo Although it was darker than I had thouhgt, I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be reading the sequal.

That struggle between her unconditional love and her worries about his future and the uncertainty of his love for her. As a mother that really gave me the chills- imagining having a child where you are not sure if they really love you back or where, at times, you don't know if you like your own child, that was scary hide spoiler ]. All this, to me, brings something very contemporary to the story. Jan 17, Alice rated it really liked it. I saw another reviewer describe this as chick lit. I guess, kind of? Meticulously researched, beautifully written chick lit.

Children of the reindeer people - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Romance really takes a back seat though, and that's if you squint. Tillu, our main character, is a single parent of a child with learning disabilities, who was fathered via month long abuse at the hands of raiders. Yeah, she's got a pretty tough life.

Let's fight boredom together!

Add to that the fact that the manipula I'm almost out of Robin Hobb books to read, so I thought I'd try out Reindeer people. Add to that the fact that the manipulative shaman of her adopted village is trying to seperate her from her son, and bully her into marriage?

No wonder she packs up everything she owns and drags her uncooperative son with her. I love how human Tillu is. Being a single parent in itself must be so tough, but a single parent of a learning disabled child in a freezing enviroment where small mistakes can kill you both? I've already begun the sequel. No matter what name she writes under, Robin Hobb will always find a way to either steal my heart with determined protagonists, or write villains so awful that I want to bite my kindle.

So this book was amazing as always from Robin Hobb This was written under her pseudo-name, and understandably because it has a different vibe to it than her other series. But after reading it, I realized the cover is actually completely wrong I have the version.

The Beauty Of Everyday Life For Reindeer People From Mongolia

The quotes about the plot on the front are completely inaccurate. And the scene on the cover never happen So this book was amazing as always from Robin Hobb This was written under her pseudo-name, and understandably because it has a different vibe to it than her other series. And the scene on the cover never happened. I guess the publisher just kinda sucked Also I was not aware it was a series until I got halfway through the book and realized there was NO WAY this could be wrapped up in one book!

Robin Hobb always manages to make me hate a character so much I want to throw the book in a fire. The book's main character, Kerleu, is such a hateful little male human being, and that Carp as well, especially with his "this is not for a woman" speeches. Not to forget Joboam. I found those three characters to think very high of themselves while they were the most hateful and stupid ones. It always strikes right to me when a woman character is not treated as a male character's equal, and even more Robin Hobb always manages to make me hate a character so much I want to throw the book in a fire.

It always strikes right to me when a woman character is not treated as a male character's equal, and even more when women are treated as inferior persons! Anyways, if you want to read Robin Hobb, don't stop by here and go straight grab a copy of the Farseer Trilogy, which is so much better than this! Aug 29, Rinske rated it liked it. I truly, truly love the books the author has written as Robin Hobb. Fitz is one of my favorite characters.

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For me it is not a good sign that I can more or less forget about a book that I'm reading. Kerlew is not a character I can relate to or even like. In the first half of the book I was even wondering where the story would go to. I was over half of the book before it became kind of interesting.

So I did finish the book, but I'm not sure I will read the sequel. Raced through this compelling book - I've ordered the second one but I think they should be published in one volume as this just cuts off abruptly. People have said they don't like Kerlew, the strange child but I think we're not supposed to feel comfortable reading his character - that's the point.

But it's by Megan Lindholm aka Robin Hobb, so it can't be bad. I found it not as exciting as Alien Earth , to be honest. But as it's a totally different story and setting, you can't really compare the two but in writing style, I'd say.

She put a lot of detail in describing the scenery, the actions, and so on, and used enough specific vocabulary to describe animals, the tribe, That sort of doesn't allow for fast reading. However, it does allow for a better visualization of the characters, their surroundings, and so on. And that's again one of the key aspects of Lindholm's or Hobb's writing: More specifically, it's their shaman, Carp, who has exerted so much power over them, that Tillu didn't want to deal with it anymore. Her son is not like other children, not physically, not mentally.

Here and elsewhere in the circumpolar north, the failure to apply laws for the protection of indigenous peoples leads to "criminalization" of local indigenous populations who cannot survive without "poaching" resources that should be accessible to them legally. Although indigenous leaders in Russia have occasionally asserted indigenous rights to land and resources, to date there has been no serious or sustained discussion of indigenous group rights to ownership of land. On 16 November in Helsinki , a group of experts, led by former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Norway Professor Carsten Smith, submitted a proposal for a Nordic Sami Convention to the annual joint meeting of the ministers responsible for Sami affairs in Finland, Norway and Sweden and the presidents of the three Sami Parliaments from the respective countries.

This convention recognizes the Sami as one indigenous people residing across national borders in all three countries. A set of minimum standards is proposed for the rights of developing the Sami language and culture and rights to land and water, livelihoods and society. To make up for past suppression, the authorities of Norway, Sweden and Finland now make an effort to build up Sami cultural institutions and promote Sami culture and language.

Duodji, the Sami handicraft, originates from the time when the Samis were self-supporting nomads, believing therefore that an object should first and foremost serve a purpose rather than being primarily decorative. Men mostly use wood, bone, and antlers to make items such as antler-handled scrimshawed sami knives , drums , and guksi burl cups.

Boots can have pointed or curled toes and often have band-woven ankle wraps.

Eastern Sami boots have a rounded toe on reindeer-fur boots, lined with felt and with beaded details. Some regions have ribbonwork, others have tin embroidery, and some Eastern Sami have beading on clothing or collar. Hats vary by sex, season, and region. They can be wool, leather, or fur. They can be embroidered, or in the East, they are more like a beaded cloth crown with a shawl. Some traditional shamanic headgear had animal hides, plaits, and feathers, particularly in East Sapmi. A characteristic feature of Sami musical tradition is the singing of yoik.

Yoiks are song-chants and are traditionally sung a cappella , usually sung slowly and deep in the throat with apparent emotional content of sorrow or anger. Yoiks can be dedicated to animals and birds in nature, special people or special occasions, and they can be joyous, sad or melancholic. They often are based on syllablic improvisation.

In recent years, musical instruments frequently accompany yoiks. The only traditional Sami instruments that were sometimes used to accompany yoik are the "fadno" flute made from reed-like Angelica archangelica stems and hand drums frame drums and bowl drums. In addition to Duodji Sami handicraft , there is a developing area of contemporary Sami visual art.

Reindeer husbandry has been and still is an important aspect of Sami culture. During the years of forced assimilation , the areas in which reindeer herding was an important livelihood were among the few where the Sami culture and language survived. Today in Norway and Sweden, reindeer husbandry is legally protected as an exclusive Sami livelihood, such that only persons of Sami descent with a linkage to a reindeer herding family can own, and hence make a living off, reindeer. Presently, about 2, people are engaged in reindeer herding in Norway. In the north Lapland , it plays a major role in the local economy, while its economic impact is lesser in the southern parts of the area Province of Oulu.

Among the reindeer herders in Sami villages, the women usually have a higher level of formal education in the area. Tablut is a pure strategy game in the tafl family. The game features "Swedes" and a "Swedish king" whose goal is to escape, and an army of "Muscovites" whose goal is to capture the king. Tablut is the only tafl game where a relatively intact set of rules have survived into our time. Non-Sami and many regional maps have often called this same region Lapland as there is considerable regional overlap between the two terms.

The overlap is, however, not complete: Lapland can be either misleading or offensive, or both, depending on the context and where this word is used, to the Sami. Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. However, the following counties and provinces are usually included:. The following towns and villages have a significant Sami population or host Sami institutions Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish or Russian name in parentheses:.

According to some, the estimated total Sami population is about 70, Still, due to the cultural assimilation of the Sami people that had occurred in the four countries over the centuries, population estimates are difficult to measure precisely. There is no single Sami language, but a group of ten distinct Sami languages. Six of these languages have their own written standards. The Sami languages are relatively closely related, but not mutually intelligible; for instance, speakers of Southern Sami cannot understand Northern Sami.

Especially earlier, these distinct languages were referred to as "dialects", but today, this is considered misleading due to the deep differences between the varieties. Most Sami languages are spoken in several countries, because linguistic borders do not correspond to national borders.

Sami languages, and Sami song-chants, called yoiks, were illegal in Norway from until Then, access to Sami instruction as part of schooling was not available until Special residential schools that would assimilate the Sami into the dominant culture were established. These were originally run by missionaries, but later, controlled by the government. For example, in Russia, Sami children were taken away when aged 1—2 and returned when aged 15—17 with no knowledge of their language and traditional communities.

Not all Sami viewed the schools negatively, and not all of the schools were brutal. However, being taken from home and prohibited from speaking Sami has resulted in cultural alienation, loss of language, and lowered self-esteem. The Sami languages belong to the Uralic language family, linguistically related to Finnish , Estonian , and Hungarian. Due to prolonged contact and import of items foreign to Sami culture from neighboring Scandinavians, there are a number of Germanic loanwords in Sami, particularly for "urban" objects. The majority of the Sami now speak the majority languages of the countries they live in, i.

Efforts are being made to further the use of Sami languages among Sami and persons of Sami origin. Despite these changes, the legacy of cultural repression still exists. Many older Sami still refuse to speak Sami. In addition, Sami parents still feel alienated from schools and hence do not participate as much as they could in shaping school curricula and policy. In Norway, the name of the language is samisk, and the name of the people is Same ; in Finland, the name of the language is spelled saame and the name of the people saamelainen.

American scientist Michael E. Krauss published in an estimate of Sami population and their languages. Kemi Sami language became extinct in the 19th century. Many Sami do not speak any of the Sami languages any more due to historical assimilation policies, so the number of Sami living in each area is much higher. A division often used in Northern Sami is based on occupation and the area of living.

This division is also used in many historical texts: If all people who speak Sami or have a parent, grandparent, or great-grandparent who speaks or spoke Sami are included, the number reaches 70, As of , 12, people were registered to vote in the election for the Sami Parliament in Norway. Due to recent migration, it has also been claimed that Oslo is the municipality with the largest Sami population. This area is also known as the Sami core area. Sami and Norwegian are equal as administrative languages in this area.

There are an estimated 30, people living in North America who are either Sami, or descendants of Sami. Descendants of these Sami immigrants typically know little of their heritage because their ancestors purposely hid their indigenous culture to avoid discrimination from the dominating Scandinavian or Nordic culture. Though some of these Sami are diaspora that moved to North America in order to escape assimilation policies in their home countries, many continued to downplay their Sami culture in an internalization of colonial viewpoints about indigenous peoples and in order for them to try to blend into their respective Nordic cultures.

There were also several Sami families that were brought to North America with herds of reindeer by the U. Some of these Sami immigrants and descendants of immigrants are members of the Sami Siida of North America. There is no movement for complete autonomy. Russia has not recognized the Sami as a minority and, as a result, recognizes no Sami parliament, even if the Sami people there have formed an unrecognised Sami Parliament of Russia.

There is no single, unified Sami parliament that spans across the Nordic countries. Rather, each of the aforementioned three countries has set up its own separate legislatures for Sami people, even though the three Sami Parliaments often work together on cross-border issues. In all three countries, they act as an institution of cultural autonomy for the indigenous Sami people. The parliaments have very weak political influence, far from autonomy. They are formally public authorities, ruled by the Scandinavian governments, but have democratically elected parliamentarians, whose mission is to work for the Sami people and culture.

Candidates' election promises often get into conflict with the institutions' submission under their governments, but as authorities, they have some influence over the government. The main organisations for Sami representation in Norway are the siidas.

They cover northern and central Norway. The main organisations for Sami representation in Sweden are the siidas. They cover northern and central Sweden. In contrast to Norway and Sweden, in Finland, a siida paliskunta in Finnish is a reindeer-herding corporation that is not restricted by ethnicity. There are indeed some ethnic Finns who practice reindeer herding, and in principle, all residents of the reindeer herding area most of Finnish Lapland and parts of Oulu province who are citizens of EEA countries, [] i.

In , the Sami Council supported the establishment of a cultural center in Russia for Arctic peoples. The Center for Northern Peoples aims to promote artistic and cultural cooperation between the Arctic peoples of Russia and the Nordic countries, with particular focus on indigenous peoples and minorities.

Traditional summer and winter pastures sometimes lie on different sides of the borders of the nation-states. Today's "borders" originate from the 14th to 16th centuries when land-owning conflicts occurred. The establishment of more stable dwelling places and larger towns originates from the 16th century and was performed for strategic defence and economic reasons, both by peoples from Sami groups themselves and more southern immigrants. Owning land within the borders or being a member of a siida Sami corporation gives rights.

A different law enacted in Sweden in the mids gave the right to anyone to fish and hunt in the region, something that was met with skepticism and anger amongst the siidas. Court proceedings have been common throughout history, and the aim from the Sami viewpoint is to reclaim territories used earlier in history. Due to a major defeat in , one siida has introduced a sponsorship "Reindeer Godfather" concept to raise funds for further battles in courts.

These "internal conflicts" are usually conflicts between non-Sami land owners and reindeer owners. Cases question the Sami ancient rights to reindeer pastures. The question whether the fjeld 's territory is owned by the governments crown land or by the Sami population is not answered. From an indigenous perspective, people "belong to the land", the land does not belong to people, but this does not mean that hunters, herders, and fishing people do not know where the borders of their territories are located as well as those of their neighbors.

During the s and s, a flag was created, a national song was written, and the date of a national day was settled. It was the result of a competition for which many suggestions were entered. The motif shown right was derived from the shaman's drum and the poem "Paiven parneh" "Sons of the Sun" by the South Sami Anders Fjellner describing the Sami as sons and daughters of the sun. The flag has the Sami colours, red, green, yellow and blue, and the circle represents the sun red and the moon blue. This congress was the first time that Norwegian and Swedish Sami came together across their national borders to work together to find solutions for common problems.

The resolution for celebrating on 6 February was passed in at the 15th Sami congress in Helsinki. In August , it became the national anthem of the Sami. Widespread Shamanism persisted among the Sami up until the 18th century. Some Sami in Russia belong to the Russian Orthodox Church , and similarly, some Skolt Sami resettled in Finland are also part of an Eastern Orthodox congregation, with an additional small population in Norway. Traditional Sami religion was a type of polytheism.

The old beliefs are closely connected to the land, animism , and the supernatural.

The Everyday Life Of Reindeer People Living In Mongolia

Sami spirituality is often characterized by pantheism , a strong emphasis on the importance of personal spirituality and its interconnectivity with one's own daily life, and a deep connection between the natural and spiritual "worlds". The Sami cosmology divides the universe into three worlds. The upper world is related to the South, warmth, life, and the color white.

It is also the dwelling of the gods. The middle world is like the Norse Midgard , it is the dwelling of humans and it is associated with the color red. The third world is the underworld and it is associated with the color black, it represents the north, the cold and it is inhabited by otters, loons, and seals and mythical animals.

Sami religion shared some elements with Norse mythology , possibly from early contacts with trading Vikings or vice versa. His work resulted in Fragments of Lappish Mythology , since by his own admission, they contained only a small percentage of what had existed. Generally, he claims to have filtered out the Norse influence and derived common elements between the South, North, and Eastern Sami groups. The mythology has common elements with other traditional indigenous religions as well—such as those in Siberia and North America. Christianity was introduced by Roman Catholic missionaries as early as the 13th century.

Increased pressure came after the Protestant Reformation , and rune drums were burned or sent to museums abroad. In this period, many Sami practiced their traditional religion at home, while going to church on Sunday. Since the Sami were considered to possess "witchcraft" powers, they were often accused of sorcery during the 17th century and were the subjects of witchcraft trials and burnings. The rise of gold mining in the area, as well as the government's move to restrict the Tsaatan's hunting ground, has also hastened the decline.

It's now off-limits so they can't hunt anymore," he says. To further add to the Dukhas' woes, the number of the reindeer they're so dependent on has dwindled dramatically due to diseases and lack of available treatment. A handful of Dukhas migrate south in summer for practical and economic reasons. The weather is better and they can make money through tourism. All of these factors have forced some of the Dukha to rely on money from tourism to survive.

For some years now, travel companies have been regularly offering options to visit a Dukha community as part of a Mongolian itinerary. But getting to their remote habitat requires advanced horse-riding skills, as well as days traveling on a bumpy road by car that many visitors aren't prepared or equipped to undertake.

This has prompted a small group of reindeer herders to come down from their traditional area to set up camp near the popular Lake Khovsgol tourist areas. Led by Enkhatuya, who is also the head shaman, a clan of about a dozen relatives offer tourists a glimpse of the Dukha lifestyle without having to travel deep into the larch forest. Enkhatuya admits that life has been getting tougher for her people.

But their efforts have also attracted scrutiny from some travelers concerned about the reindeer being used to lure tourists.

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