Sámi – Walking With Reindeer ~ Photographs by Erika Larsen

September 6, 2016

This exhibit features stunning color photographs by Erika Larsen of contemporary reindeer herding life in Sweden. It will be opening on Sunday, September 11, noon-4 p.m. at Nordic Northwest’s Nordia House, at 8800 SW Oleson Rd. Portland, OR, and will continue until November 27, 2016.

Reindeer can spook suddenly, so Nils Peder kneels calmly in the midst of the herd on which his livelihood depends. He holds a lasso color-coded to indicate the temperature and season in which it works best. As he watches the animals, Nils Peder is yoiking, chanting a throaty, traditional Sami song evoking his wife, Ingrid. The Lutheran pastors who converted the Sami forbade yoiking, calling it devil's music. Nils Peder learned it from his grandparents and has taught it to his children.

Categorized in: