WINTER TESTS 2009-2011

SÀMI VILLAGE AND WINTERGROUP

Our wintergroup

 David, Susanne, Nils, Mats-Peter, Nadja, Lennart,Gunnel, Apmut-Ivar, Stig, Laila, Ella-Li, Karin, Lena, Sunna-Sigga and Inger.

Sámi Village / Sameby in Swedish
In Sweden there are a total of approximately 250 000 reindeer in 52 Sámi villages. A Sámi village is organised as a federation...

From mountain to forest

Our winter group moves our reindeer over the mountain Uldevis every spring and autumn.

Karin´s dad Apmut-Ivar Kuljok jojkar about the mountain Ultevis.

(Search for his name on the list and listen)

In November the board of the Sámi village decides that the collection of the reindeer shall begin. Our winter group takes part in this task. It means ...

We have carried out both summer and winter tests within the N4C project during the years 2009-2011. To make it easier to get to know how a test is carried out you can read "Sámi Village and Winter Group" and "From Mountain to Forest" above.

It is February and we have had our reindeer down in the forest a couple of months. In Tannak Ltd. we start, Susanne and Karin, to prepare our test area. We inform the others in the winter group about what is going to happen in the next few weeks. There are some questions and most of them we can answer. The practical reindeer herding job we have managed to finish. Now we can concentrate on the tests...

Day 1

It is early February morning and the temperature is -23 degrees below.

-23 degrees Celsius.

Today we; Susanne and Karin (Tannak Ltd.) are going to start collecting the reindeer that will be moved closer to our test area. Our winter group will help us. We load our snowmobiles on to our trailers and drive approximately 18 miles west of Jokkmokk past Gräsviken, an area we have chosen. 

Map of the test area.

We unload our work machines - the snowmobiles - and change into warmer clothes while deciding which animals out of the herd we shall use for testing purposes.

We also discuss from what direction we will collect the grazing reindeer herd. It requires knowledge and experience to get the reindeer you have chosen out of the herd and move them to the place you want.

Everyone also has to think of being careful not to leave unnecessary tracks from the snowmobiles in the snow because the remaining reindeer have a tendency to follow snowmobile tracks. That can later mean problems. If the reindeer follow our tracks they will get away from grazing area that we earlier have brought them to. Then our work and aim at keeping the remaining herd intact is ruined.

That must not happen!
In the afternoon our planning and strategy is ready. It has started to get dark. 

The snow is deep in the area... 

..This is not good for the snowmobiles! 

 The difficulties for the snowmobiles and the soon approaching darkness will cause us problems. 

 Here above the Arctic Circle the days are short and the nights are long during the winter months. It will soon be dark. We decide to wait until next morning when it is light before we start to arrnage the test and grazing corrals. We leave the reindeer in winter grazing land and drive down to our cars to take us home to Jokkmokk.

Day 2-4

Today it is even colder than yesterday. It is -29 degrees C. We decide not to go out in the forest before it is warmer.
This will mean a couple of days of waiting for milder weather and we make practical preparations and plans for the tests. Everything has to be synchronised and everyone concerned has to be informed for the test days to have good results. Our cooperating partners are from other parts of the world with different climate conditions which means that we have to take into account the equipment they might need.

We also have to make sure our snowmobiles are working properly.

Day 5

We arrive at the reindeer corral which is old...  

...but after using thread and weave it is functional again.

As the night´s cold has not withdrawn we take our equipment to Gräsviken, the place where the tests will be carried out before we collect the reindeer.

We already know from the test group the people that should be involved and we also know the requirements about the equipment. We are looking forward to welcoming some of the members in the project. We hope that the weather will turn warmer. It is nicer out then! They are not used to this kind of climate and the amount of snow.

Nils is one of the reindeer herders in the winter group.

He has thoughts about how far Tannak has reached with our system and when it can be in practical use. We explain the three-year length of the project tests but we hope ourselves that it could be possible to speed it up a bit . It is for us, as well as for him, a dream for a herder to be able to follow and control your reindeer.

Tannak starts to get a hectic and stressful feeling. Our winter group helps us to repair the corral and we also build a smaller corral connected to the one where the tests will take place. The reindeer will get the equipment attached and unattached a number of times and have to be kept in the corral overnight. The corral is 300 x 400 metres. Totally there are 7-8 corrals in the test area. Many have a round form and have a circumference ranging from 30 to 150 metres.  

In the area there is a cot with an iron stove. It feels secure to be able to offer warmth here in the forest. But first we have to get wood by using axe and saw. Reindeer skins from our village are very nice to sit on. Susanne´s sister Margareta takes care of the lunches and afternoon coffee.

Tannak has been in contact with a company to shovel the snow away from the parking site near the cot and the corral. Everything is soon ready.

The strong cold is releasing its tight grip on tree and land. We decide to try to move our reindeer closer to the corral. Tannak and part of the winter group take the snowmobile to get the reindeer. We drive to the fringe of the herd which is 12 miles from the test area. We are able to get a part of the herd and start moving them to Gräsviken.

The reindeer are wilder than usual today and not very cooperative at all. They do not want to go the way we want them to. After some will struggle we win and are able to move them 10 miles nearer the test area. We leave them there. There is grazing to be found. We hope that they will stay there until the next day when the tests will start...

Day 6

In the morning Tannak receives the message from the winter group that the reindeer in the test are still there and are keeping well. Tannak continues to work with the preparations of the tests at home from the village. Today we arrange warm clothes in case someone is not properly equipped. We also check with the hotel where the meetings will be held (and most of our partners are going to stay) that everything is OK. Finally we prepare for nice activities during their stay in our part of the world. They will among other things be able to drive a  Snowmobile, visit Ájtte museum in Jokkmokk - the Sami centre etc.

Now we are getting close. It is time for Tannak to go out in the forest to collect the reindeer. We take them the last 10 miles to the test place, Gräsviken.

 And get them into the corral...

Here we give them lichen because there is no grazing in the corral.

We feel lucky and happy about our winter group joining us in this work. They are an important part that the different tests can be carried out on the chosen reindeer. By their active participation they also support Tannak with the technological development of our product. A product that aims at with new technology facilitate reindeer herding and contribute to coming generations.

When the reindeer have got their fodder Susanne and Karin, who are Tannak, go home to receive our N4C cooperating partners. During the evening Tannak´s friends from the N4C-project are arriving. It feels very exciting to meet them and once again be a part of their tests as well as Tannak AB:s own. 

Some members from our wintergroup will be the first to be in place with the reindeer at the testing area early  next morning to prepare our and the groups arrival...

The first day - of one of three years wintertesting periods...

Very Welcome to Sápmi!

MAY THE TESTS BEGIN...a light summary in pictures from 2009-2011

Here we are  

In this photo: Carlos, Arne-Wilhelm, Karl-Johan, Antonio, (Norut IT) ?,  Samo, Javier, Xavier, Karin, Susanne, John, Sigurd, Elwynd.

Thorvald and Per-Anders are preparing before going out in the wilderness

Tannak´s "Herdwiev" is taped on a corall for reindeer 

This what´s inside - a result of three years of development

Wintertest area

On our way to our reindeer in the test corrals...out in the wilderness in Swedish Lapland. Yieppi!



Elwynd arriving to the corral by snowmobile and...

 

...a suspicious reindeer is waiting for us - wondering what this is all about

Next to the corral we have our office and restaurant

There are one or two reindeer outside the corral - observing "What on earth is going on"...



Karin shows how to catch a reindeer with a lasso...

...while Carlos looks doubtful about Antonio and a lasso:"Best to prepare to wait a looong time here with my equipment?!"

Caroline: "Oohh! Please help me Lena! I missed the lasso lesson."

Alvaro takes help from Susanne and Karin to hold the reindeer.

But it´s hard keeping it still long enough to put the collar on.
But with a little help from friends it´s being done.

All done! Off you go - so we can test our equipment that we have on your collar.

Nice looking guy...

"Wait! One more collar to test...Please help med Gunnel."

"Oh no ... when will this madness end?"

Outdoor office for wintertests

A typical outdoor desk...

and an indoor desk in an indoor office

There are a lot to adjust to get the technology working when it´s -30C outside...

...and + 30 C inside!

Some of us who have been working with the wintertests during these 3 years.
Thorvald. Carlos, Caroline, Susanne, Alvaro and Karin.

To read about the members of this project and details of the tests and results go here. .

With Sofia Jannok´s happy jojk Tannak wants to thank you all in the N4C project



 

Susanne Spik och Karin Kuoljok