World Reindeer Herders Congress Ready fo Take Off!

Written by Philip Burgess

Friday, 27 March 2009 22:50

The last minute preparations for the largest gathering of reindeer herders in the world are now underway. The Association of World Reindeer Herders is holding its 4 yearly congress in Kautokeino / Guovdageaidnu in the heart of the Sami reindeer herding region. Most reindeer herding delegates will arrive on Sunday, March 29 and are hailing from Norway, Sweden, Finland, several regions in Russia, Mongolia and China. There will be a week of exciting activities including science, spectacle and traditional knowledge with local reindeer herders portraying resilience through art, yoik, performance and of course reindeer herding. The whole village is involved and the event concides with the largest social events of the Sami year, the Sami Film Festival and the  Easter Festival. Over 300 people are expected to participate and the whole event will take place between the Baketharji sport hall, the Thon hotel, Bulet Eco siida and Boddu.com, the festival bar.   The detailed programme for the professional day (Tuesday, March 31) has now been finalised and is available in Sami, Russian and English.  We will be showing pictures from the event as they roll in..so watch this space.  Related Articles/Posts