Week 6

Recent History: November 19 – November 25
Reindeer aboard Wein Alaska Airlines with flight crew and herders

Reindeer aboard Wein Alaska Airlines with flight crew and herders 1959

OVERVIEW

In this week you will hear stories and accounts of independent livestock producers and their experiences with a variety of domestic ungulates. In part two, we will examine the current state of the reindeer industry in Alaska. Don’t forget to continue working on your final project. It will be due late next week.

OBJECTIVES

  1. Describe the unique challenges faced by livestock producers in Alaska.
  2. Review the stories and experiences of independent livestock producers.
  3. Review the current status of the reindeer industry in Alaska.
  4. Synthesize information from lecture and readings.
  5. Formulate response to historical questions.
  6. Discuss and evaluate the arguments of your peers.

Estimated Time to Complete

Instruction 3 hrs
Assignments 3 hrs
Collaboration 2 hrs

Current Status of the Reindeer Industry:

 "Theresa Creek Reindeer Corral, Deer passing from outer to inner holding pocket, March, 1942"
“Theresa Creek Reindeer Corral, Deer passing from outer to inner holding pocket, March, 1942”

LECTURE

READING

Finstad, G. L., Kielland, K. K.; Schneider, W. S. 2006.  Reindeer Herding in Transition: Historical and Modern Day Challenges for Alaskan Reindeer Herders.  Nomadic Peoples, Volume 10, Number 2: 31-49(19).

Alaska Livestock Act of 1927

The Taylor Grazing Act of 1934

Public Lands Grazing Conflict

Alaska DEC Reindeer Slaughter Regulations

Olson, Dean. “Alaska Reindeer Herdsmen: A study of native management in transition, Chapter III, The Period of Decline 1933-1950.”  Online materials about Alaska Native history, education, languages, and cultures. www.alaskool.org, n.d. Web. 10 Jan 2014. <https://www.alaskool.org/projects/reindeer/history/iser1969/reindeer_3.html>.

Borchert, Nanna. 2001.  Land is Life:  Traditional Sami reindeer grazing threatened in northern Sweden,  Nussbaum Medien, St. Leon-Rot, Germany.

Norway. University of Tromso.  Reindeer husbandry in Alaska. Tromso: , 2002. Print. <https://www.reindeer-husbandry.uit.no/online/indexonline.html>.

 

DISCUSSION

By Midnight, Tuesday, write a brief (no more than 350 words) response to one of the following questions and post it to the forums:

1.  Support or refute the argument that the government should regulate the reindeer industry.

2. Should the government subsidize the reindeer industry at the same level as the milk and beef industries in the lower 48?

3. Livestock and wildlife compete for forage on Alaska’s rangeland. How should we prioritize use of range land; reindeer or wildlife?

Use information from the readings and lecture to support your answers. Read and respond to at least two posts of your peers.

COGNITIVE TUTORIAL

When you’ve completed the lectures and reading materials, give the following Week 6  Cognitive Tutorial a try. These questions were taken from the Archive Map above. If you are unsure of your answer, take a moment to review the images and documents represented there.

QUIZ

When you’re ready, take the week 6  Blackboard quiz.

Additional Resources:

“Reindeer Herding in Alaska.”  www.alaskool.org: Online materials about Alaska Native History, languages, education, and cultures. N.p.. Web. 4 Dec 2013.

Jackson, Sheldon, Annual Report On Introduction of Domestic Reindeer into Alaska:  1893,  1894,  1899,  1901,  1904,  1905

Jackson, Sheldon and United States. Bureau of Education. Alaska Division.  Annual Report On Introduction of Domestic Reindeer Into Alaska.Washington: G.P.O., 1900-1907.