Sámi, the people that walk with reindeer (2007-2011)
Erika Larsen / Redux Pictures for National Geographic Magazine
Erika Larsen’s photographs explore the symbiotic relationship between Sámi reindeer herders and the environment, their existence in today’s world and their ancestral roots. Native to the Arctic Circle of northern Scandinavia and Russia – the largest area in the world with an ancestral way of life based on the seasonal migrations of the animals – the Sámi are by tradition reindeer herders who live a semi nomadic lifestyle. This work was created between 2007-2011 in Kautokeino, Norway and Gallivare, Sweden where Larsen worked as a beaga, or housekeeper, for a family of Sámi reindeer herders. The actual image making process was intuitive, but the process of understanding the culture required full immersion, through work, learning North Sámi language and listening.
Erika Larsen
Erika Larsen’s (American b.1976) photographs look intimately at cultures that maintain strong connections with nature. She followed hunting culture in the United States and Canada for Field and Stream Magazine from 2004-2007. From 2007-2011 she documented Sami reindeer herders in Norway and Sweden.
She began working as a magazine photographer in 2000 and her images have been published and exhibited internationally. Her work has appeared in publications including Time, Reader’s Digest, The New Yorker, The New York Times and National Geographic.
Her work has been exhibited in the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, National Geographic Society and The Swedish Museum of Ethnography.
Larsen is a recipient of several awards and fellowships including a Fulbright Fellowship and a World Press Award. She holds an MFA from Rochester Institute of Technology and is represented by Redux Pictures.
Sámi, the people that walk with reindeer – Erika Larsen
From september 1st to september 21st
Couvent Sainte Claire
Rue Général Derroja
66000 Perpignan – France
