Alexandra Goryashko's review to visit the deers

This material is borrowed from Alexandra Goryashko's personal blog with her permission for this publication https://alexandragor.livejournal.com/557758.html

That's what it's called. I don't know how to define it. This is NOT a tourist base, NOT an ethnographic village, none of the standard terms of the tourist industry to this place is suitable. Although the hostess, Svetlana Matrekhina, receives tourists, shows them deer, Saami traditional dwellings, clothes, tells a lot of interesting things. But Svetlana does not trade Saami culture. She lives in this culture, naturally and organically, as her ancestors lived, the Saami. As for them, for Svetlana the natural part of life is shamanism, communication with spirits, seeking help to the seid in solving various practical issues, and their own, domestic deer.
Objective information and beautiful, but not my photos of this place I already gave in October, when I myself did not go there yet. Now there will be photos not super-quality, but their own, and the information is also not very objective. Not even information at all, just my impressions.

At the same time, it is difficult for me to tell about the impressions of this trip. First, because it is always difficult to talk about the present. Secondly, because I always unwittingly compared this place with another institution, where they offer deer-Saami flavor. About that institution was written much easier. And only then it became clear why. That, another institution, it is made to write about it, to come to it and pay money. It is flaunted, and its flaunting often goes to the detriment of authenticity up to its complete distortion. And it wasn't flaunting. There was a man here who lived the life he knows and loves, and we just came to visit this man. And the truth is to visit the deer. But not just to the deer.

In the possessions of Svetlana, 37 km from Murmansk, on the banks of the river Kitsa, except for the reindeer ship, there are traditional Saami dwellings, stupid, veja, kuvax, a large spiritual house in which you can bask, drink tea and talk conversations. At the entrance of the seid. You can ask him to fulfill his wish.
Seid, like everyone else these days, is covered with snow. Svetlana digs up the seid.

Everything else had to be dug up, too.

Inside one of the Saami buildings (sorry, I don't remember which one). The hearth and the table, there you can tea, and an unreal amount of deer skins.

But especially everyone is amazed by the house it is covered with deer skins FROM. I was struck by what was going on. Very spectacular, beautiful and unusual.

And yet much more impressed this house from the inside. No, not deer antlers, #8230; but the fact that you go there, and there immediately good. I want to live there right away. Sit with Svetlana at the stove for a long, drink herbal tea with cranberry pie, and talk. In fact, very rarely there are houses in which you want to live at first sight. This effect will not help to achieve neither money nor designers, here is another. In general, I understand why people even come here to do weddings.

And let me show Svetlana. The little mistress of a big house. A woman with lightning-fast reactions, a long list of skills, real hospitality and great love for her work, her people, and all living things.

From Sveta I learned that I can brew in tea, it is a natural antibiotic. I didn't know before.

And yes, I know that I promised about the deer, and everything about the house and Svetlana. Now, we're going to finish the tea and go to the deer. But it must be understood that without Svetlana and the deer there would be no.

When I made different sites to different people and institutions, I heard protests against the publication of portraits of the main actors. Especially from aunts. First, aunts are always dissatisfied with the way they look in the photos. Secondly,, why is it necessary at all? I am deeply convinced that it is necessary. When you're going to visit someone, or even just writing to someone, it's good to see who you're talking to. Individuals are part of the information, and a significant part of it. I hope Svetlana will not be in the claim for the abundance of his portraits. After all, she is not only the face of the institution, but also his soul.

However, I was distracted from the Saami color. It's Saami clothes. Guests like to dress up and take pictures in them. Since it was more valuable for me to talk, we did not come to dressing up.

Well, finally, the deers! we said joyfully. Well, finally, reindeer moss! the reindeer said deers.

The boys have now dropped their horns, and the new ones have not grown yet, so the species is quite innocent.

However, for me they are the cutest animals with horns. The only danger of can accidentally hurt the horn. But only by accident. Therefore, during feeding it is necessary to raise the food higher, so that the horns are not under your face.

Only boys are dangerous during the gona, it is about August-October. That's at this time to them just so do not enter and do not shake. But now there is no gona, peace and quiet.

And an absolutely delightful feeling of softness and peace next to the deer. That's how many times I had to touch them, always it's this feeling. Peace and safety. Even when they crowd throwing themselves for food or sage over the fence.

Speaking of the crowd. The people, as you can see, have arrived. This came to visit the reindeer girls from Donetsk and the girl from Spain. Girls from Donetsk at first deer actively afraid and loudly squealed. But after 10 minutes they were cuddled.

And the girls from Spain were not afraid from the beginning. Or skillfully concealed their fears as well-mannered European girls.

Actually, you know, I can do that for a long time. I still have a lot of pictures of deer, and all of them are not of the best quality, because to shoot running deer under the snow of it is entertainment for the, which I do not belong to. But I just have to show another girl Sonechka, Svetlana's favorite.

Sonechka is still very small, she will be only a year old on April 22. She's a good girl on all sides, no matter what you look at.

And finally, I'll say finally, I'll say this. Many tourist establishments call their customers not customers, but guests. This is probably the right move in terms of marketing, in which I do not understand anything. Only in most cases you still feel like a client. For whom there is something done to please him and get money from him. So at Svetlana I did not feel like a client for a minute. We were just a guest. Visiting the deer and their wonderful hostess.