When reindeer are herded to the campsite, the one who notices them first in the camp shouts ty to, which in Nenets means "the reindeer come", to let those in the tent know that it is time to put the kettle on. The sound of grunting and barking becomes gradually louder and louder until it achieves a symphonic culmination near the tent. As the herding men enter the tent, the symphony slowly dies down. After some tea and meat, everyone goes out and the lassoing of animals starts. While women and children manage the movement of animals with shouting, running and waving, men keep a low profile, lassos in their hand, searching for specific animals to catch. As the reindeer mill around the tent, the sounds of the trampling of the ground, the clicking of tendons and the snorting of throats become overwhelming. Reindeer cows and their calves that are separated in this chaos give slightly different grunt-like calls which are unique to individual animals. The louder the reindeer choir the more animals there are in the herd, making this cacophony the favourite sound of a herding family.
First, the eye catches a thousand reindeer that move in an ever-changing pattern. Only after a while does the ear have a chance to hear the sound of this pattern.
Children and young dogs stay at the edge of the camp and keep the milling reindeer inside the lassoing area by running and barking.
Before lassoing starts, herders let the animals move around. So they spot the ones who need to be caught - these can be the ones who have been away from a harness long enough or the newbies who need to be taught how to pull a sledge.
Throwing a noose around an antlerless reindeer (malk ty in Nenets) requires more skill than catching those with antlers.
Lassoing requires complicated calculation of speed and movement which after long years of practice becomes an embodied skill.
Some old-timers among reindeer have themselves rather easily caught, as they know that after pulling a sledge for a few hours or a few days they will be given a well-earned holiday for a week or two.
A quick catch of an untrained animal shows the true mastery of a herder.
Some great photos catching central moments in the life of a reindeer herder. I wonder whether it would be possible to add an audio file with the voice of the deer? Who has never heard it might be stunned...