Abstract
Reindeer pastoralism is one of the typical forms of pastoralism in the world. However, information about reindeer pastoralism, especially the taiga type has been poorly reported in the past.
In this article, the author presents data for reindeer husbandry, herding methods, techniques and usage observed at Tsaatan’s autumn camp in the Northwestern part of Mongolia.
Reindeer are milked twice a day in stakes and their forefeet are bound.
Reindeer milk is drunk with tea and processed into dairy products such as cheese, butter and yogurt.
Reindeer are put out to graze on a daily basis. The three phases of grazing are talie the reindeer to the pasture, leave them, herd and retrieve them. At about 9:00 in the morning, reindeer are put into pair bonds and taken to the pasture by 2 or 3 herders. Reindeer are left at a certain area in the pasture and set free to graze for about 10 hours. At about 19:00, the pairs of reindeer dispersed around the pasture field are herded and brought back to the camp site. The “retrieve” phase of grazing takes about 1.5 times as long as the “take” phase of grazing.
Reindeer are lead to the pasture or the camp site through different stimuli such as approaching the reindeer silently, using different kinds of voices, whistling and hitting them with sticks. All of the stimuli induce the reindeer to escape. Reindeer can also be lured in by salt when trying to stake them.
The Tsaatan ride reindeer for traveling short distances; stock herding, berry picking, firewood collecting, fishing and visits to the neighbors. Reindeer are also used as beasts of burden to transport firewood for daily use and belongings when people move their residence.
As a whole, Tsaatan’s reindeer are highly tamed. However, they need to be in stakes at night and graze in pair bonds. This may be due to their high activity and low cohesiveness.
