Anastasia Lapsui describes a sled

"This sled is called chanako. People from the Ural region would call it sjunka. The runners of the sled are called chansadada, mansinju. It is a very old sled, and the front part is broken off – even though it hasn’t been used. Perhaps the wood has simply become very dry. After all, it was made more than 100 years ago.

A smaller sled like this one is pulled behind a person. A hunter or fisherman might use it to carry some dried fish, a little food, and some warm clothing. But you can’t load many things onto such a small sled. Maybe it’s actually a children’s sled. Because it’s so small, it can’t carry much. But there is a spot where you can sit. If a child is playing outside, they can harness a dog to the sled. The dog will then pull it. Sometimes children ride the sled together. One child can be the reindeer, and the other the herder. First one will pull the sled, then the other.

Sometimes children might ask their father: ‘Papa, take us with you, let us ride with you!’ Children know that their father can’t take them along on long journeys. But if he’s just traveling near the camp, he will of course take his children – like when he goes to check his fishing nets. Then he will sit all his children on the sled and take them for a little ride around the camp. In this way, the father spends time with his children, because parents also need to play with their children sometimes. And when they ride with their father, they also learn how to handle a reindeer sled.

Even a five- to seven-year-old child can already drive a reindeer sled. Of course, it would be pulled by experienced old bulls. They are calm. They know they are carrying a child on the sled. So they don’t rush; they walk slowly. This is how children learn to use a sled with reindeer.” (Video in progress)

Aufgezeichnet von Roza Laptander. Helsinki, 2024.