Living in Finland, you have plenty of chances to meet reindeers. You can find them walking (mostly just standing LOL) in the forest, hanging around at your front / back door, searching for food near your car park. After awhile, I started wondering, are they wild animals or belong to someone? Pentti (my favourite reindeer herder) gave me the answer: (Pentti and Hassukainen, Winter 2013)Before I tell you the answer, let me share more about Pentti, he is the indigenous people from Lapland - Sami. He spends his whole life with his reindeers, he is also my teacher in understanding reindeers. As a herder, he loves animals yet he is also the one who slaughters them.At first, I found it very contrary, if you love animals, how can it be possible to take their skin off and eat them!? Honestly, I felt very bad at the beginning, but the more I knew and understood, I realise “Attitude” is the key. He hunts them not for fun, not for curiosity, not for showing off, not for torturing INSTEAD he treasures all parts of the body.The meat, the fur, the antlers, the bones, and even the blood. It is the traditional culture of Sami people, reindeers and Sami have been connected for hundreds of years. Before having the hi-tech assistance, it was nearly impossible for humans to survive in Lapland, yet humans learnt from animals and found the way to survive. Reindeers was helping in transportation, they can also produce milk and their meat is a good source of protein, the blood is the source of iron. Sami can make gloves, shoes, hat, trousers, blanket from the fur and skin…. Circle of Life (Gloves from reindeer fur borrowed from Pentti, Spring 2014)Let’s get back to the answer. According to Pentti, all reindeers we found in Lapland are NOT wild, which means all of them have owners. Here comes another question, all reindeers look similar (at least to me), how can you distinguish which one belongs to who?Pentti told me the secret. Each herder has his own mark pattern, the herder will need to use a knife to cut the patterns to the ears of reindeers. Left and right are different. Reindeers are furry, the fur simply covers everything, it is hard for me to see the marks nor to tell the difference of marks. Pentti said if I found his reindeers around, let him know! (haha I wish I could!).Pentti has around 70 reindeers, and usually, they live freely in the forest, still they know where is home and can return. They reproduce in late summer, since they live freely, they could mate with other owner’s reindeer. Here comes one more question, who owns the new born baby? Of course, the reindeer mom 😛 It’s true, the calf will follow its mom and the mom brings new members to the herder 😀 (Hassukainen - the smartest reindeer!, Spring 2014)This boy is Hassukainen, Pentti’s best friend. Whenever we have important events or photo shootings, Pentti always brings him along, he is the celebrity reindeer in Lapland area! Hassukainen means “Little Funny ＆ Happy Boy”, he is now 9 years old now (in 2013).Apart from the celebrity jobs, Hassukainen also works in the Reindeer Sled, usually all reindeers are ties with robes and walk like in a chain. Pentti is the guide and lead the team in the front, followed by reindeers and sleds with tourists. BUT, Hassukainen is the smartest boy in the farm, he can walk and follow the team without any guidance. He knows the area very well!!! I remembered the time I was on his sled, he even showed me a shortcut in the snow forest (off track 😛 ) to home…hahahaLet me share more next time <3 (Hassukainen -and the fellows in sled, Spring 2014) 在芬蘭生活，有好多機會同馴鹿相遇。有時你會見到佢地o係森林行緊，大多數時間都係企緊 （lol）。o係你門口遊盪緊，又或者o係停車場附近搵野食。過左一排，我開始諗，d鹿係咪野生ga？定有人養ga？ 呢個答案，Pentti幫我解答左。 (Pentti ＆ Hassukainen, Winter 2013)開始解迷之前，等我講多d有關 Pentti, 佢係薩米人 Sami 當地既原住民。佢既一生都係以鹿為伴，所以有關鹿既問題我都係請教佢，基本上我大部分既知識都係佢教ge。佢係一個好愛鹿既養鹿人，但同時佢都係一個殺鹿既人。起初，我覺得好矛盾，你愛佢養大佢，點可以將佢煎皮拆骨？坦白講，我開頭都覺得好難受，但我愈了解得多，我發現 “心態”係最重要。佢殺生唔係為玩，唔係為好奇，唔係為認叻，唔係去虐待動物，而是，薩米人會珍惜，好好利用鹿既每一部分。肉，毛皮，角，骨，甚至血都會好好咁去使用。呢個係薩米人多年o係北極圈既生存之道，係佢既民族既智慧。馴鹿係佢地賴以為生既寶物，o係未有高科技之前，人類其實真係好難o係極北生存，不過，薩米人向動物學習，得以生存，有著唇齒相依既關係。馴鹿為薩米人提供交通之便，仲能產奶，佢地既肉係蛋白質既主要來源，鹿血就提供鐵質，都係o係缺乏資源既極北中好珍貴既寶物。而鹿皮仲可造成手套，鞋，帽，褲等等去為薩米人抵禦極寒既風雪。。。每一個薩米人都衷心咁去感激並珍惜馴鹿為自己民族帶來既生命，佢地對馴鹿有著一份敬愛既情感。 (Gloves from reindeer fur borrowed from Pentti, Spring 2014)好，言歸正傳，根據 Pentti 所講，所有o係拉普蘭見到既馴鹿都唔係野生，換言之，都係有主人的。問題又黎喇，隻隻都係咁上下樣，點分邊隻係你，邊隻係我先？Pentti 又教左我小秘訣，每隻鹿都有記號係耳仔度！每個養鹿人都有自己一套記號，左右耳都唔同。佢地會用刀刻記號去鹿既耳仔，不過隻隻都毛茸茸的，講真我係睇唔出有咩大分別，最多見到少少，但點都唔會分辨到。Pentti 話，如果我見到佢既鹿係附近，話佢知咁喎！（我都想識分～）Pentti 大概有70隻鹿（2013年），佢地通常都係自由放養既，不過佢地係識返屋企。馴鹿每年夏季尾左右會繁殖，正正佢地就係自由放養，好大機會遇上其他主人既鹿，咁生出黎又點計？冇錯，係鹿媽媽既 😀 係真ga，隻鹿b 會跟住鹿媽媽，咁如果鹿媽媽係你既，你就多隻鹿b喇～ (Me ＆ Hassukainen, Spring 2014)呢隻就係 Hassukainen, Pentti 個老友！我地一有d重要既活動或者有攝影師黎影相，Pentti 都會帶佢出席，佢都可算係Lapland既馴鹿明星。Hassukainen 意思係開心有趣既小男孩，今年9歲(2013年時）。佢除左做明星之外，佢都要幫手拉鹿車。鹿車通常都係一隻連住一隻，一鹿一車，成條鎖鏈咁用繩去連起一串。Pentti 會坐最前做領隊，其他鹿同鹿車（連客人）就跟住。不過 Hassukainen 真係好醒目，佢識自己行，自己跟，唔用繩連住都ok，如果佢帶頭的話，佢仲叻到唔需要Pentti 既指令就可以帶隊！ 我好記得有次我坐佢既鹿車，冇用繩Guide 住，我地係雪地去行走，佢叻到帶我行截徑，抄小路回家，比原定路線係快左10分鐘lor～（好明顯佢想快d hea）…哈哈哈下次再講多d其他～ (Hassukainen: Let me show you the short cut, Spring 2014) (Me as Reindeer ＆ Hassukainen in the wilderness, Spring 2014)
