The knowledge that went up in smoke: Reindeer herders’ traditional knowledge of smoked reindeer meat in literature

Hansen, Kristin; Moldenæs, Turid; Mathiesen, Svein D.

doi:10.1017/s0032247420000170

Cited by 7 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 48 publications

(98 reference statements)

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“…Food processes belong to this multi-faceted knowledge system (Sara et al, forthcoming 2022), yet reindeer herder's food knowledge is seldom if ever incorporated in scientific research or reindeer herding management (Krarup Hansen et al forthcoming 2022.). For instance, the smoking of reindeer meat needs examination and inclusion through co-production or self-determination methods across scientific disciplines (Krarup Hansen et al, 2020).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Precious blood and nourishing offal: past and present slaughtering perspectives in Sámi reindeer pastoralism

2022

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In the Arctic, indigenous reindeer herding peoples rely on a pastoralist food and knowledge system that supplies them with protein, vitamins, and minerals. Reindeer pastoralism is a product of the interaction between animals’ physical needs, their behaviour, and the skills of the herders. The food systems of Sámi reindeer pastoralists depend on indigenous knowledge about mountain slaughtering. When the first stationary reindeer slaughterhouse opened in Guovdageaidnu (Northern Norway) in 1957, rationalisation of reindeer husbandry and methods of reindeer slaughter took place. Animal welfare and reindeer slaughter within slaughterhouses are well-documented in Norway; the historical knowledge about slaughtering reindeer in the mountains, however, is barely documented and is in danger of being lost. A qualitative study entailing interviews with five Sámi reindeer herders (50–80 years old) from Guovdageaidnu and Varanger explains indigenous, nomadic methods of killing and slaughtering reindeer. The traditional Sámi way of killing reindeer (Sámi: giehtadit) was to pierce the heart with a large knife through the chest (Sámi: mielga), particularly in the pastures close to where the herd grazed to avoid distressing the reindeer before taking their lives. This allowed reindeer herders to use the whole reindeer for food, unlike the practice in stationary slaughterhouses, which merely utilises select muscles for human consumption. Although the Supreme Court of Norway in 2008 ruled that traditional slaughter practice without stunning was illegal, this historical account provides evidence that the giehtadit method was a rational way to kill a reindeer, as bleeding (haemorrhage) in the thorax offers both high-quality blood, offal, and meat for human consumption. We conclude that the traditional Sámi method is based on systematic, complex, and holistic indigenous knowledge and determines the foods reindeer herders eat.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Precious blood and nourishing offal: past and present slaughtering perspectives in Sámi reindeer pastoralism

2022

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Reindeer Herders’ Food Knowledge Systems

Oskal,

Sara,

Krarup-Hansen

et al. 2023

Springer Polar Sciences

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Reindeer husbandry is part of an Arctic civilization strongly tied to nature and dependent on it in multiple aspects, including the diets of its peoples. Food production in nomadic Sámi reindeer herding has, through generations, been nested within the seasonal use of pastures, securing biodiversity, and traditional knowledge of food preservation techniques. The traditional knowledge, culture, and language of reindeer herders provide a central foundation for building sustainable food systems and social-ecological resilience in the Arctic. Food knowledge systems of Arctic Indigenous peoples should be viewed as indicators of social-ecological resilience. There is a need to rethink the food systems’ strategies in the governance of Indigenous reindeer herders’ societies, their economy, and external relations. Arctic Indigenous food knowledge systems are damaged due to climate change, loss of biodiversity, loss of grazing land, and failure in economic reforms since traditional knowledge about food was not included in sustainable development planning and public management.

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Sámi Traditional Knowledge of Reindeer Meat Smoking

et al. 2022

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Reindeer meat, traditional food and knowledge are vital for the culture, health, and economy of Sámi reindeer herders. Nevertheless, the practices of reindeer meat smoking have barely been part of scientific research or reindeer herding management. We investigated Sámi reindeer herders’ approach to meat smoking in Northern Norway performed in the traditional Sámi tent, the lávvu. The investigation included workshops, interviews, participatory observations, and co-analyze meetings. Our findings reveal a typology of the traditional Sámi smoking practices. Sámi reindeer herders use a variety of wood species and plant parts to control the smoke based on a complex system of traditional knowledge. Yet there is a need for education, industry, and research acknowledging, supporting, and maintaining the Sámi meat-smoking process and associated worldviews, knowledge, and practices to ensure ethical, sustainable, and healthy food production.

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The knowledge that went up in smoke: Reindeer herders’ traditional knowledge of smoked reindeer meat in literature

Cited by 7 publications

References 48 publications

Precious blood and nourishing offal: past and present slaughtering perspectives in Sámi reindeer pastoralism

Precious blood and nourishing offal: past and present slaughtering perspectives in Sámi reindeer pastoralism

Reindeer Herders’ Food Knowledge Systems

Sámi Traditional Knowledge of Reindeer Meat Smoking

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