The reindeer is a friend, breadwinner and main value for the indigenous peoples of the North. Its name is translated from the Nenets language as “giving life”, since it was a source of survival for the first settlers of the northern lands of Eurasia and America. People have been hunting reindeer for over 100,000 years, and as a separate species it was classified in 1827. The reindeer lives in the taiga and tundra, it is adapted to life in arctic conditions, but does not tolerate heat.

The domestication of the reindeer was the beginning of reindeer breeding, which is most developed in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. About half of the total number of reindeer in Russia lives there, and in terms of the total number of domestic reindeer, Russia ranks first in the world. The main products of reindeer breeding are meat, hides, milk and parts of deer antlers, which are used in medicine and cosmetology. In the conditions of impassible northern terrain, reindeer sleds remain the only means of transportation in some areas, as well as a national sport. Many peoples of the North — the Nenets, Evenki, Mansi, and Yakuts — revere the deer as a hero of legends, traditions and ancient rituals, especially weddings.

For most of the year, reindeer get their food from under the snow. They can dig a 150 cm snow layer with sharp hooves and eat 5 kilograms of lichen per day. They can consume any kind of food, eat up to 120 species of plants and chew snow to quench the thirst. Deer eat bird eggs, seaweed, mushrooms, mosses, fish, crabs and lemmings, which are called “deer mice”. Lichen, a bushy white plant known as “deer moss” or “Iceland moss”, not only satiates the deer, but also serves as a medicine: it is a natural antibiotic for diseases and intestinal parasites.

Domestic and wild reindeer are in constant rivalry and competition for grazing and breeding. The main enemies of the deer are the wolf, bear, wolverine, lynx and wild dogs. Reindeer are constantly migrating, every autumn they move to the forest-tundra or taiga, where they hide from snowstorms and find food. In two months, deer travel up to 750 km. These are strong, intelligent and hardy animals.

People have hunted reindeer for more than 100,000 years, and after its domestication, reindeer husbandry became the main occupation of the peoples living in the taiga and tundra. For the indigenous peoples of the North, the deer is a friend, breadwinner and main value, and the word “deer” is translated from the Nenets language as “giving life”.

In the conditions of the impassible northern routes, reindeer sleds remain the only transport at any time of the year. To travel and transport goods, the Forest Nenets use wooden sleds pulled by reindeer.

The Nenets begin to prepare reindeer for driving a sled once the animals get one year old. To do this, they select the most healthy and hardy animals of medium size. The deer should be calm, obedient and strong. Reindeer are trained gradually: first, the animal must get used to harness, then to empty sleds, later to loaded ones, and only at the very end — to work together with other deer. As a reward, the deer receive salt, one of their favorite treats.

Reindeer are also taught to use pack saddles, since in arctic conditions it is sometimes necessary to unload sleds while on the way and relocate luggage to the reindeer. The Nenets control the deer with the help of voice commands, and each herder can have their own. They also use a khorey — a thin pole up to five meters long, used to touch the back or sides of the deer. Boys are taught how to handle reindeer from early childhood.

A reindeer sled team can include from one to seven deer — it depends on the type of sled and its purpose. Reindeer harnesses, like sleds, are divided into passenger and cargo ones. The harness for a passenger sled consists of four main parts: a halter, a belt, a line and a strap. There are bone rectangles on the reindeer harness, which serve as both a clasp and decoration.

The halter is a belt that is attached to the neck and bridge of the nose of a deer. The belt is a wide strip of deer skin, its length corresponds to the girth of the animal. The belt is worn on the side deer in the sled. The line is a long, up to four meters, thick leather belt with a bone clasp at the end, that connects the harness to the sledges. The strap is a wide strip of rawhide, it has all the traction power of the deer. The straps are very strong and at the same time soft, so as not to harm the animals.