Full Text of Elisabeth Walaas Keynote Address to WRH Congress

Written by Philip Burgess

Tuesday, 07 April 2009 09:31

The Norwegian Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs was the keynote speaker to the opening of the IV World Reindeer Herders Congress in Kautokeino March 30, 2009. Walaas brought greetings from the Norwegian Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Norwegian government and singled out Kautokeino for being 'the most important centres for traditional and modern reindeer husbandry in the world'  The speech was significant in that it praised and recognised the long term work of the Association of World Reindeer Herders and the importance and significance of traditional knowledge and the role that reindeer husbandry plays in the North. She also noted the challenges of climate change, the importance of developing markets for reindeer meat and the role of the Arctic Council. And let me repeat the words: Tradition and modernity.  I think these key words are the clue to the success of the work of your organization, WRH. Indigenous peoples possess an important and unparallelled body of knowledge on nature, the climate, the environment and traditional practices. They are stewards of cultural values and have specialised knowledge of ways of making a living under marginal conditions in subarctic conditions. Reindeer husbandry is one of these ways. It is based on invaluable traditional knowledge and skill, with more than 100 000 people from 20 different ethnicities, living from it all over the circumpolar area.    You can download the entire speech on the Reindeer Portal Archive.  Related Articles/Posts