Mystique and romance largely gone from traditional reindeer roundups
By Kristiina Yli-Kovero
"It’s a male. It’s obviously a male."
Aarne Aatsinki grabs a young reindeer and wrestles it to the ground inside the roundup enclosure. The animal’s gender is checked by lifting the tail.
Aatsinki and the other reindeer herders of the North Salla reindeer herding association have gathered for the October roundup. A total of 400 reindeer have been taken into the big pen, from where they are sent in small groups into the enclosure.
Weather conditions are rather unpleasant, with the first snow of the autumn lying thick on the ground.
The reindeer, which are brought in from the forest run around the pen in circles, with a fearful look in their eyes, as if they know what might await them.
In the middle are the reindeer herders, as well as a group of professional cooks who have already had a liquid eye opener or two.
The cooks, sous-chefs and chefs are in Salla taking part in a relaxed seminar organised by Finnfood, an association which promotes Finnish food culture. The aim is to learn more about the use of reindeer meat in cooking. The seminar people already have one night of partying behind them at a cabin on a pond near the Russian border.
The Tuohivaara roundup is being held to mark the 150th anniversary of the Salla region. Municipal employees have also gathered together at the campfires.
The reindeer pant and snort, and the men perspire.
When a reindeer comes close enough one of the men grabs the antlers and takes a tight hold. A seasoned reindeer man will topple the strongest buck.
Tarmo Yjrjänheikki, Leo Ikäläinen, Timo Pohtila", the men shout to each other as they look at the earmarks to see the name of the owner.
The owner decides on the fate of the reindeer. Some are let back into the forest, while others are consigned to the butchering bench.
Renowned TV chef Markus Maulavirta has been in Salla from the beginning of the month with his daughter Iida. Father and daughter are working for a month at a reindeer meat processing company run by Hannu Lahtela.
Maulavirta managed the restaurants of the Hotel Klaus K in Helsinki until he quit at the beginning of October. Maulavirta is a Lapland enthusiast and his daughter also likes to spend time with reindeer herders.
"Watch out, Markus, so Iida doesn’t stay in Salla", his cook friends joke. Iida Maulavirta stays with the reindeer when the other guests have gone back to the cabin.
Reindeer roundups have lost much of the exotic lure of bygone days. The reindeer are driven into the enclosures with the help of helicopters and off-road vehicles. There are no dogs in the enclosures, and few use lassos any more.
Slaughter on the spot ended in the 1990s. The reindeer are taken from Tuohivaara to an abbatoir in the main village of Salla. Only a few reindeer for consumption at home end their lives in the pen.
The road to Tuohivaara is narrow and has many holes. The new snow at the roundup site becomes slippery and wet under all the feet, and the transport vehicle has difficulties backing up toward the opening in the fence.
Few pay any attention to the arrival of the lorry, because coffee is brewing on the fire, and people’s stomachs are full of reindeer sausage and reindeer wok.
The oil sump of one of the vehicles is punctured on the bumpy road, as is the tyre of one of the cars. Fortunately the men in the bus coming behind are able to make the necessary repairs.
The reindeer orientation takes from late Thursday to Sunday morning. There is little time to sleep.
The food professionals get their first taste of reindeer on the first evening, as they watch Pentti Juotasniemi carves a reindeer slaughtered two days earlier. The participants are given thin slices to taste - without salt, as is the custom in Lapland.
Juotasniemi is an experienced carver, having dealt with thousands of reindeer in his career. He has also taught proper knife technique to reindeer herders in Finland, Sweden and Russia.
Long gone are the days when butchered reindeer were kept outside in the snow. They would sometimes freeze and sometimes thaw out, and whenever people felt hungry, they would chop off a piece of meat with an axe.
A professional can carve four carcasses in one hour into cuts of meat ready for cooking, "after the first 1,000", Juotasniemi explains.
In the hands of a good carver, the prized meat has no unnecessary cuts or bruises, which can occur if the reindeer is manhandled during the roundup.
The knife works gently. First the shoulder is detached, then the meat from the ribs. The neck and the accumulations of fat are taken away, and then a filet from the back. Finally the various cuts of meat are separated.
Juotasniemi does the cutting, and Jarmo Kynkäänniemi from a local meat packing company helps. The kitchen professionals look on, and keep asking anatomical questions.
The long-travelled guests do not get to wield the knife, because they lack the skills to deal with a reindeer carcass.
The different cuts are packed inside the bus. The meat will be used for a dinner of many courses.
In front of the cabin there is a pond, and on the opposite shore, a fire is lit using dried logs many metres long. Millions of stars twinkle in the sky, and the northern lights glow.
A thin cover of ice has formed on the pond in the cold temperature. Few can walk across it without getting wet.
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 21.10.2007
KRISTIINA YLI-KOVERO / Helsingin Sanomat
kristiina.yli-kovero@hs.fi
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| 23.10.2007 - THIS WEEK |
 Mystique and romance largely gone from traditional reindeer roundups |
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