Reindeer are one of the first species to have been domesticated - before the horse in fact - and they are the only members of the deer family to have undergone this process. 5-8000 years ago the indigenous people of the circumpolar region of Europe and Asia begand to domesticate the reindeer. It is believed at first the people captured reindeer, tamed and trained them to ride them back into their herd to hunt the wild reindeer. They were a nomadic people and followed the herds as they migrated from summer to sinter pastures depending on them for their very survival. Reindeer ultimately were ridden, driven, milked, skins were used for shelter nad clothing, meat for food, bones and antlers for tools. Essentially the indigenous people interwoven with the reindeer continued fairly unchanged throught the centuries, well into the 20th century. Few groups continue with the nomadic lifestyle although they continue to maintain their interdependence with the reindeer. Reindeer are naturally social animals and easily herded which has contributed to the domestication process. One reindeer expert has described reindeer as the 'couch potatoes of the deer world'.

Page updated April 2006