Domestication in Action: Past and Present Human-Reindeer Interaction in Northern Fennoscandia

Reindeer have been an integral part of the lives of people in Northern Fennoscandia in prehistoric and historic times. Today, reindeer herding practices are changing fast due to climate change, land use pressures and new technologies. This book outlines recent advances in the archaeology of reindeer domestication and development of reindeer herding among the Sámi of Northern Fennoscandia, focusing especially on the identification and understanding of various reindeer herding tasks and practices through archaeological evidence and traditional knowledge of reindeer herders. Covering more than a thousand years of history of reindeer herding, the book explores how reindeer herding practices have always been dynamic and adapted to the changing social, economic and environmental pressures. While reindeer herding practices have changed, they have also retained memory and tradition. The continuity and adaptation of reindeer herding testifies of the resilience of reindeer herders and their animals, and the importance of their relationship in the changing Arctic. This book will be of interest to scholars interested in archaeology, anthropology, and history of the Arctic, as well as local communities and reindeer herders.

Anna-Kaisa Salmi is an Associate Professor in Archaeology at the University of Oulu. Her research focusses on northern human-animal relationships and the archaeology of reindeer domestication. She is the Editor-in-Chief of the Monographs of the Archaeological Society of Finland and co-editor of Archaeologies of Animal Movement – Animals on the Move (2021) and The Sound of Silence – Indigenous Perspectives on the Historical Archaeology of Colonialism (2019).