Hard knock life of Russia's last reindeer herders

The reindeer herders of Russia's Kola Peninsula struggle in solitude against the Polar night, the wind and fatigue. For all intents and purposes, there is no light at all from Dec. 10-Jan. 3.

Located in the center of the Kola Peninsula, the town of Lovozero, which the younger generation of residents affectionately calls Love-Ozero (“Love Lake”) is the capital of Russian Lapland.

The local authorities had an idea for a project called ‘Russian Lapland,’ with a hotel and ski slopes. The tourists come mostly from Russia, Scandinavia and the United States – fans of extreme conditions.

The flat-topped hills and boundless tundra of the Kola Peninsula resemble the landscapes Ray Bradbury describes in “The Martian Chronicles.”

This may be part of Russia, populated by Russians, but the local residents live in houses built on sleds and often walk through a wind that blows so fiercely that it can carry a dog away. When they look up, they see a crimson sky – when it isn’t completely dark.

To the east of Lovozero, on the coast, is Gremikha – the “village of flying dogs.” The only way to the village is by water, and only then if the weather is good.

In winter, the blizzards and sea storms may keep visitors stuck there for weeks. The strong winds can carry off dogs or small animals, and when the weather is really bad, people have to cling onto metal handrails that line the pedestrian footpaths that run through the whole settlement.

Compared with Gremikha, Lovozero can be called a quiet little hamlet in the tundra.

Reindeer herders live in a small wooden house held together with resin. Jars of canned cloudberries and cranberries line the walls.

Some of herders are Komi – a semi-nomadic ethnic minority native to the Russian north, and following the deer is in their blood.

Russian government statistics suggest that there are 47 low-population ethnic minority peoples in Russia, including the Saami and Komi of Lovozero.

Many of these peoples are dying out, numbering just a few dozen people only. Most indigenous people live in the Russian north, including Kamchatka, Chukhotka, the Yamal-Nenets Area and Sakhalin.

There is a legal framework in place in Russia to protect the rights and way of life of the indigenous peoples of the North. Over the past 15 years, three federal programs have been put in place to help improve the life of native people.