Experience life with a Sami reindeer herding family in Kautokeino, Norway

Details

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  Description

  We are a sami family that recently moved into a small farm. The farm itself has been closed down for several years, but we want to rebuild it to be a small farm with some animals like chicken og sheeps and a small garden. We would also have some reindeers around the house, at some occasions.
  
  The family has reindeerherding as main income where Anders, the father will do most of the work with the herd and is away from home one week at time. Ellen is then home-alone with children, and would love to have someone to talk with be around the kids she is doing some work. Ellen is mother working outside the home and will need help to take care of the house and children. We have five children under age of 15 years old. School children must take the bus everyday to the school as we live 20 km from the town. We eat mostly reindeer meat, and if you are vegetarian or have been, or not tolerate blood or animal intestines, we are not the right place for you. It will be very difficult for us to make food for you.
  
  Sometimes the whole family will go with the reindeer herd and work together to take care of the reindeer and travel by snowmobile or ATV and car during summer.
  
  We are quite busy as the reindeer herding is based on the weather and the changes of the nature. Our days are not the same everyday, and we are flexibel and changing the plans as how the weahter and where the animals are. We use the nature and harvest and prepare food and plants during the season.
  
  Our farm has a small cosy cottage by the river where our guest will stay. We live quite remote, but the main road is around 500 meters from our house, and it is 2 km to the neighbour. Winter and arctic light is fantastic in snowy landscape from oktober to may. The river will freeze so its possible to use the snowmobile trail as highway :) In March the longest dog-sledge competition in Europe will pass our farm. The midnightsun will appear from may and disappear in august. Nature is just outside the door and you will get closer to an authentic experience about how a sami family lives when you stay at our home.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Charity Work

  Language practice

  Help with Eco Projects

  Teaching

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Farmstay help

  Babysitting and creative play

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance

  Help with Computers/ Internet
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  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

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  What's this?
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  To visit us you will be included in a sami family that will cook alot of reindeer meat and local fish, we are easygoing in cooking and don´t do fancy. You will learn how to use nature for food and survive in cold climate. You can learn sami language as this is our main language in our home. A lot of nature is available year around. We have a big family and you will get to understand how indigenous way of living can be like. The Sámi culture is so special and also vulnerable and you would need time to get to understand it, so we prefer that you are here for a longer period. We use lot of time to get you into the culture so we appreciate to have people here who is willing to understand and is really interested, and for a longer stay.

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  Projects involving children

  This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.

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  Help

  We would like to have a flexible and easygoing minded people who like to be active, as our lifestyle is busy and always on move. You should be interested and able to ask about your tasks. . If you come and help with kids it would be great if you have an understanding of real food, child development and education. Other childcare tasks are playing outside with older children in all kind of weather, but then you should be a person who like to communicate with older children that is at school age.. Cleaning the house and keep children room tidy is a good thing, but not necessary.
  If your are a handyman the maintenance of the house and painting walls will be suitable help. We will also start a chicken and gardening project.. Help to get winterwood from the forest, take wood and fireplace maintenance. Drive ATV and snowmobile with the family. It is great if you have driving license, because driving car and transport children is sometimes requested. Also to drive to buy petrol to ATV and snowmobile. Outdoorwork like clear the snow and bring the wood inside, and drive tractor to clear the snow.
  Participate in picking berries and harvest other plants in summertime, aswell as and fishing, some gardening. We would like to grow potatoes, strawberries and have a small kitchengarden. The food has to be taken care of and stored away. To take care of meat and blood is a normal thing in our house and you should be interested in learning sami methods of conserving food. If your are vegetarian or have been, we are not the right place for you. Trust us, u don’t want to be here then.
  
  Participate during season with reindeer-collecting during intense periods like spring, summer and autumn (sept), winter (des-jan), only one week per period. You will participate to make fences for the animals, give food to the reindeer and participate in collecting and storing meat, fish and berries. It is great if you have cooking skills.
  All work is season depended so please ask for more details about when you will come. Sometimes we work other places than hometown, like our summerpastureland in Alta fjord or winterarea on the tundra in Finnmark.
  The help can sometime lasts longer than expected while working with reindeers as they are wild animals, you need to be patient when the work is lasting, it is advantagous if you are willing to cross your limits physically and use your social skills to get into people around. Our communication-culture how to socialise is not easy to understand, but if you don´t take everything to seriuos you will be able to have a good time. You should be able to communicate to both of the parents and not be shy.
  Sámi people are proud of the culture, way of living, our values, child raising methods, storytelling. connection to family and the nature. Please respect our inherited wisdom and knowledge of our “know how” about living in our Sámi land. This is not the place to be besserwisser in any way, as an example is that the climate is harsh, cold and not to be kidding with. Have in mind our kind requests and advise how to behave.
  We are looking for someone to help us with harvesting, berry picking and meat storage in August and September. We seek for help around the house for to prepare for winter in September-November, aswell as help indoor with cooking, childcare and other maintenance help in the house from October-January. We work with reindeer in mid August, September, end of October and sometimes around end of January-March. Also in mid May sometimes.
  Now we need someone to help to build a sauna inside a cottage, and also to restore a cottage. We need a plumber and concrete building knowledge for restoring our second bathroom.

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  Languages spoken

  English: Fluent
  Norwegian: Fluent
  Sami: Fluent

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  Accommodation

  You can live in a cosy cottage with electricity, but not water inside. Camp toilet inside is available or you can use the main house toilet and shower. The cottage has kitchen, livingroom, bedroom and bathroom. Wood fireplace/stove to heat and electricity for heat is available. We have bedroom inside the main house with separate bathroom and small kitchen and livingroom, aswell as separate door if you prefer to live comfortable. Sometimes we live in sami tent called Lavvu and basic cottages in the woods or tundra, with the whole family.

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  What else ...

  Bus transport only 500 meters from the house to nearest big city Alta, 130 km where the airport is. The local town Kautokeino is a small student town with pub and sport facilities, aswell as cafe, shops, and other services. Handicraft evening courses aswell as sami and norwegian courses are in season. Concerts during weekends and theatre will show you some of the sami youthculture. Festivals with music and cultural experiences are arranged sometimes during the year. During wintertime outdoor activities as cross-country skiing and snowmobile trips to do ice-fishing or make a bon-fire is a common sparetime activity. The Summer activites you can do is hiking, fishing, hunting and berry-picking. Kautokeino is the biggest in area in Norway, so you can experience lots of nature.
  
  Please send information in you application about what previous experiences you have done, what you would like to experience on your travel, what your interests are and what do u like to to in your sparetime.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Space for parking camper vans

  This host can provide space for campervans.

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  Can possibly accept pets

  This host has said they are willing to accept those travelling with a pet.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  My animals / pets

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