The reindeer gain weight in preparation for mating season and the winter

The reindeer herder’s almanac follows the reindeer’s migrations and seasonal adaptations over the course of year. The reindeer descend from their higher-altitude summer grazing lands down into the forests, where they remain during the winter months.

During the late summer, tjaktjegiesie, we say that the reindeer are foraging for mushrooms. The herd spreads out and they roam in smaller groups. This can make it difficult to round up the entire herd again. As long as the ground is not covered in snow, the reindeer are able to put on weight by eating the green vegetation. They even find food in the mires. Mating season begins in September during tjaktje, the autumn.  In the South Sami language, skïerede means both September and mating season. During this period, the reindeer are at their largest and heaviest. Sarvar, the adult males, have large territories and now they start fighting to mate with the vajor, females. This is also a time for the reindeer herders to round up the herd for slaughter.

The reindeer are divided up by family and moved to their winter grazing lands

Starting in the late autumn, the reindeer are rounded up and then divided up by the different families for the move to their winter grazing lands in the forest. During tjaktjedaelvie, the late summer, the reindeer enjoy grazing in the mires. Even if the ground is frozen, there may still be some green grass available. As the grass dries up and turns brown, the reindeer shift to grazing on mosses. This is the point when many herders begin to move their reindeer to the winter grazing lands. It is also the time for the reindeer herds to be divided up. The reindeer from different areas and different families are split up for the move to the various winter grazing lands.

The winter, daelvie, is a critical period

The snow conditions during daelvie determine whether the reindeer are able to find food. Reindeer are good at digging in the snow with their hooves but, if there is a thick layer of ice, it is difficult for them to get to the moss, heather, and shrubs. The females that have stayed in their territories can access food more easily by chasing away the stronger adult males from pits they have dug to better access vegetation. When the days get longer and lighter during gïjredaelvie, “spring-winter”, the reindeer herd gathers together in the winter grazing lands to commence the migration back to their calving grounds.