Lapland life: Reindeer herding and sauna culture

DW (English)

What's life like for young people living in Lapland, Finland's northernmost region? Niko Tervo, a reindeer herder, gives us a peek at his daily routine.

Transcript

00:00What I really like in Lapland is nature, and nature is my second home.

00:09My name is Niko, I'm 20 years old, and now I will show for you how my day looks like here in Lapland.

00:16Huomenta, and welcome to my house.

00:21So this is my room, so most of the time I spend my days outdoors, I work, I do something else, so I just sleep here.

00:28Maybe I can show for you the heart of every single Finnish house.

00:35And this is sauna. Almost every single day I go to sauna.

00:41Niko starts his day at 7am. During winter it's dark most of the time with only a few hours of daylight.

00:47Niko only goes outside with adequate protection against the cold.

00:51I will put this jacket, then I have this, and then also this shirt made from the wool.

01:00So totally I have four layers of different kind of shirts.

01:04And then also I have these shoes, and these are made from the wool and seal.

01:08So these are also really good, and your toes are not totally freezing.

01:15I can't live without this hat.

01:18Niko goes to work on foot, generally without meeting anyone.

01:22At an average of just two people per square kilometre, Lapland is Finland's most sparsely populated region.

01:29So here you can see a lake, which is called Sierijärvi, Sieri Lake.

01:34And here you can see the one reason why I like this place.

01:36So look at those views, quite amazing.

01:39We have now about 60 centimetres ice. It's enough safe to walk, and also enough safe to drive with the car.

01:47For his training, Niko had to commute nearly 20 kilometres between Sierijärvi and Lapland's regional capital, Rovaniemi.

01:55After finishing secondary school, he initially trained as a surveyor, but then opted for a more traditional Lappish occupation.

02:03For two years now, he's been working on a reindeer ranch.

02:06He takes tourists on reindeer safaris and looks after the animals.

02:12Okay, so here I have this pack of lichen, or reindeer moss, however you want to call this.

02:17And this is like chocolate for the reindeer.

02:23On the side, Niko has started building up his own little herd, currently with six head.

02:29The reindeer only stay in the corrals during the winter months.

02:32During summer they run free, and only return to the ranch if they haven't been able to find enough to forage.

02:39Reindeers, they have their marks. So every single reindeer from Lapland is owned by someone.

02:45There is no totally white reindeers anymore.

02:51So a little bit of gasoline for the snowmobile.

02:58The cost of daily living in Finland is high, 24% higher than the European Union average.

03:05During the peak tourist season, Niko makes around 4,000 euros a month, which is close to the average earnings for Finland.

03:12During the off-season, he often earns less.

03:16After work, Niko drives some 50 kilometers to his grandmother's place in an even more remote village.

03:22He likes to spend his free time here, mostly out in the forest.

03:27Niko has plans to start a business here soon with a friend, with the aim of showing tourists the true Lapland.

03:35Here you really are in the middle of nowhere.

03:38So when you come here, you don't hear any noises that are made by humans.

03:43You can hear nothing. Just the nature sounds, so nothing.

03:49As a young boy, Niko spent a lot of time outdoors with his family, learning to fish and build fires,

03:55and generally having fun while learning essential survival skills.

04:00Luckily we still have coffee.

04:02So we are now in my grandma's house. I come to this place almost every single week.

04:10Family is maybe the most important thing in my life, and we spend lots of time together.

04:16Most of the times we are there outside doing something.

04:24I want to stay here my whole life. I don't want to move anywhere.

04:28I don't have to travel anywhere, because I'm already here.

04:31People in Lapland are peaceful.

04:36The United Nations World Happiness Report regularly lists the Finns at the top, and Niko is no exception.

04:46This is how my day here in Lapland looks like.

04:49Well, here it's so freaking cold that I will go to have a hot sauna.

04:54You can leave there. Bye bye!

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