REINDEER HERDERS: JOTUNHEIMEN

-30C°. Veodalen, Jotunheimen, Norway  

Sjur Slettom and his family have been managing their herd of reindeer on the high mountain plateau of Jotunheimen for generations. This traditional method of subsistence living is a trade with a long history in this part of the world.  

“This isn’t something you learn from a book. You can’t just look it up. It’s more based on experience. What’s right one day, might be wrong the next day.” 

Being one of only four non-Sami (the indigenous group of Scandinavia) reindeer herds in the country, the Slettom’s herd is a rarity in the modern world. But, their intimate relationship with the animals and the land fosters a unique relationship with nature – an occupation based in Friluftsliv. 

“This is Friluftsliv - and a job that becomes a lifestyle, as much as a job. We don’t work from 8 to 4. We follow the nature. I enjoy that.”