SWEDISH LAPLAND 67°28’36.1”N 18°21’10.9”E
All of those experiences strengthened our bond with these landscapes. Our journeys became longer and longer. Away from civilization and phone signals, but also without an end date. Time didn’t stand still, but the ticking clocks faded to the back of our minds. It became less relevant, as we were there in nature, just the two of us: me and my partner. As long as we had food and shelter, there was nothing else that required our attention. At the same time, it made us so much more aware of the subtle yet constant changes—how everything evolves and how every day is different. Being out there, taking it all in seemed to be all that mattered. And as my fascination for and appeal to these landscapes kept on growing, so did my love for reindeer, which we encountered frequently. It was clearly their world we ventured into, their footsteps we walked in. It’s hard to imagine reindeer living in Spain today. But when Northern and Central Europe were covered by an ice shelf, they were there. As the earth warmed up and the glaciers retreated over 10.000 years ago, the reindeer migrated north again, in search of the colder, arctic climate. People also made their way north, and the reindeer provided them with everything they needed to survive. Blood and meat for food, fur for clothing, sinew for threads, and antlers for tools and crafts. As reindeer herds migrated, so did humans, following their footsteps. They lived off the land, gathering shrubs, mushrooms, and berries, hunting, fishing—but they were careful to never take more than the land could regenerate upon their next visit. The Sami people of Northern Europe slowly started domesticating animals. A semi- domesticated reindeer could help out with hunting wild ones, carry loads, pull a sleigh, and provide milk. A few hundred years ago, the weight shifted from hunting wild reindeer to Sami families having their own herds. Still, the reindeer lived freely in the mountains, the forests, or out on grazing lands. They were only gathered together a few times a year, and the seasonal migrations from winter pastures to calving grounds and summer still called for a nomadic way of life, dictated by nature’s rhythm. Eventually, traders and European settlers went north too, claiming the land for king and country. This concept was strange for the Sami, as they thought they belonged to the land, not that the land could be owned by someone. Inevitably, the Sami were pushed further north and forced to pay taxes, while land suitable for farming was taken and mines were opened. They were colonized, their languages, religion, and culture suppressed. For lands that were borderless before, maps were drawn up with boundaries that cut straight through reindeer migration routes. Only 10% of the Sami still practice reindeer husbandry. Having to adopt a nomadic way of life for a job that requires many hours but doesn’t provide a stable income isn’t an attractive option in today’s reality. While the snowmobile ensures that less time and people are required for reindeer herding activities, this also leaves the herds more exposed to predation. Forestry, mining, the construction of roads, hydropower installations on rivers all cause habitat destruction, reduction, and fragmentation. There are simply fewer places for reindeer to graze undisturbed, as less and less mature forest remains. This became apparent on one particular hike, where we climbed up a hill hoping to catch a wonderful misty sunrise. Fog rolled in, and the soft orange colours of early morning provided an atmosphere of peace and tranquility. Fresh air and birdsong pleased my other
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MOTHER VOLUME FOUR
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