Beautiful Reindeer herders around the world

Reindeer stand in the snow in northern Norway.

A herder guides reindeer across the Arctic circle in Finland.

Sami reindeer herder, Kautokeino in Norway

reindeer

From reindeer in Aviemore to laughter yoga practitioners in Hanoi

A reindeer herder in Siberia.

We’re used to thinking of reindeer as Santa’s pals at the North Pole, but click through to see more reindeer around the world. Here, an Evenk girl holds her pet reindeer in Inner Mongolia, China.

A Tsaatan father and daughter saw a log in Mongolia.

A reindeer enters a wigwam and is rewarded with a pinch of salt in Mongolia.

A Siberian reindeer herder in the snow in Russia.

A Tsaatan shaman in Mongolia goes into a trance to communicate with ancestral spirits. Unlike other reindeer breeding cultures, the Tsaatan do not traditionally breed their reindeer for meat.

A man shaves off the rich blood-filled velvet from a reindeer’s antlers. The Dukha use the velvet as traditional medicine to reduce fevers and pains

When young reindeer bulls lock horns, the blood-rich velvet covering their antlers comes off.

A boy practices reindeer-herding in Russia.

Mongolian youngsters play with a young reindeer.

The sale of antlers is the Dukha’s principle source of income. In the spring, the Dukha hunt for antlers that have naturally fallen off elk and moose to sell as aphrodisiacs.

A young Tsaatan hunter receives a blessing from a shaman.

A man trims the hair from the saddle area of a pack reindeer.

Tsuya is a shaman matriarch.

Hundreds of reindeer scramble onto Kvaloya island after swimming from the coast of Norway’s arctic Finnmark province. Every spring Sami herders drive their reindeer from the inland tundra to the lush coast and nearby islands

A frisky reindeer rearing up in a snow flurry.

A herder in Mongolia fastens a child onto a saddle during a short fall migration. The Dukha carry all their belongings on the backs of their sturdy reindeer.