REINDEER HERDERS ASSOCIATION
CONTACT INFORMATION
Reindeer Herders Association
The purpose of the Kawerak Reindeer Herders Association is to provide assistance to its twenty-one members in the development of a viable reindeer industry, to enhance the economic base for rural Alaska and to improve the management of the herds.
RHA provides assistance to its members who are reindeer herd owners and managers. The program offers administrative, logistical, advocacy and field support toward the development of a self-sustaining reindeer industry.
UPCOMING MEETINGS:
October 28-29 2025 (tentative)
PAST MEETINGS:
October 28-29 2024
November 27-18, 2023
RHA Herder interviewed on ‘Native America Calling’ episode dedicated to Sámi reindeer herding in Alaska
Fourth generation Inupiaq reindeer herder and RHA member, Bonnie Scheele, of Midnite Sun Reindeer Ranch, was featured on the May 22, 2024 ‘Native America Calling’ episode entitled “The Sámi Reindeer Connection in Alaska.” Scheele, who owns a reindeer herd just outside Nome on the Davis grazing range, spoke about the impact of the 1937 Reindeer Act as a rare example of food security and reparations during colonization. Scheele also highlighted the work of RHA partner organization, UAF Northwest Campus’ High Latitude Range Management Program (HLRM) and the continued role of the Seward Peninsula reindeer economy in meat sales, food security and value-added processing.
Also featured on the episode is Dr. Sean Asikłuk Topkok of UAF’s Cross-Cultural Studies Department, who hails originally from Teller, and carries a family history with the Kakaruk Herd.
Listen to the episode on https://www.nativeamericacalling.com/wednesday-may-22-2024-the-sami-reindeer-connection-in-alaska/, or wherever you get your podcasts, to hear more about this impressive history and the excitement around reindeer herding moving forward.
Reindeer! Podcast on “The Ongoing Transformation”
In Alaska, reindeer are much more real than the fantasy animals that pull Santa’s sleigh. Introduced to Alaska from Siberia by the US government in the 1890s, reindeer were part of a strategy to solve food shortages among the Native peoples after the gold rush. Today, reindeer provide food security and economic opportunities for the Alaskan Native community. Even more so than farming, reindeer herding requires a deep understanding of the needs of Indigenous communities and academic science—as well as how to navigate and influence local, state, and federal policies.
On this episode, host Lisa Margonelli is joined by Jacqueline Hrabok and Bonnie Scheele of the University of Alaska Fairbanks’s High Latitude Range Management program to learn more about the interplay of science, policy, and community in reindeer herding.
Listen to the episode on https://issues.org/reindeer/ or wherever on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/episode/18QaZVzyUfPQL6HzQvdPmC?si=tg5_qJEPQJShU_KieZNiNA.
RHA Communities
| Wales | Brevig Mission | Teller | Koyuk |
| Council | St. Michael | Kotzebue | Shaktoolik |
| Buckland | Mekoryuk | Nome | Golovin |
| Gambell | Savoonga | Shishmaref | Stebbins |
RHA NEWS:
Alaska Food Policy Council Article on Nome Visit for RHA Annual Meeting
Kawerak News Story on Murkowski’s ‘Improving ARCTIC Act’
Kawerak’s Comment Letter on Farm Bill Reauthorization
RHA RESOURCES
Reindeer Act of 1937
Alaska Food Code Regulations of Field Slaughter
State Veterinarian
Alaska Department of Fish and Game
USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)
GRAZING PERMIT AGENCIES
Bureau of Land Management
- 43 CFR Part 4300 (BLM Regulations for Reindeer Grazing)
- Reindeer Grazing Information
Alaska Department of Natural Resources
National Park Service
Reindeer Herders Association
The purpose of the Kawerak Reindeer Herders Association is to provide assistance to its twenty-one members in the development of a viable reindeer industry, to enhance the economic base for rural Alaska and to improve the management of the herds.
RHA provides assistance to its members who are reindeer herd owners and managers. The program offers administrative, logistical, advocacy and field support toward the development of a self-sustaining reindeer industry.
UPCOMING MEETINGS:
October 28-29 2025 (tentative)
PAST MEETINGS:
October 28-29 2024
November 27-18, 2023
RHA Herder interviewed on ‘Native America Calling’ episode dedicated to Sámi reindeer herding in Alaska
Fourth generation Inupiaq reindeer herder and RHA member, Bonnie Scheele, of Midnite Sun Reindeer Ranch, was featured on the May 22, 2024 ‘Native America Calling’ episode entitled “The Sámi Reindeer Connection in Alaska.” Scheele, who owns a reindeer herd just outside Nome on the Davis grazing range, spoke about the impact of the 1937 Reindeer Act as a rare example of food security and reparations during colonization. Scheele also highlighted the work of RHA partner organization, UAF Northwest Campus’ High Latitude Range Management Program (HLRM) and the continued role of the Seward Peninsula reindeer economy in meat sales, food security and value-added processing.
Also featured on the episode is Dr. Sean Asikłuk Topkok of UAF’s Cross-Cultural Studies Department, who hails originally from Teller, and carries a family history with the Kakaruk Herd.
Listen to the episode on https://www.nativeamericacalling.com/wednesday-may-22-2024-the-sami-reindeer-connection-in-alaska/, or wherever you get your podcasts, to hear more about this impressive history and the excitement around reindeer herding moving forward.
Reindeer! Podcast on “The Ongoing Transformation”
In Alaska, reindeer are much more real than the fantasy animals that pull Santa’s sleigh. Introduced to Alaska from Siberia by the US government in the 1890s, reindeer were part of a strategy to solve food shortages among the Native peoples after the gold rush. Today, reindeer provide food security and economic opportunities for the Alaskan Native community. Even more so than farming, reindeer herding requires a deep understanding of the needs of Indigenous communities and academic science—as well as how to navigate and influence local, state, and federal policies.
On this episode, host Lisa Margonelli is joined by Jacqueline Hrabok and Bonnie Scheele of the University of Alaska Fairbanks’s High Latitude Range Management program to learn more about the interplay of science, policy, and community in reindeer herding.
Listen to the episode on https://issues.org/reindeer/ or wherever on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/episode/18QaZVzyUfPQL6HzQvdPmC?si=tg5_qJEPQJShU_KieZNiNA.
RHA Communities
| Wales | Brevig Mission | Teller | Koyuk |
| Council | St. Michael | Kotzebue | Shaktoolik |
| Buckland | Mekoryuk | Nome | Golovin |
| Gambell | Savoonga | Shishmaref | Stebbins |
RHA NEWS:
Alaska Food Policy Council Article on Nome Visit for RHA Annual Meeting
Kawerak News Story on Murkowski’s ‘Improving ARCTIC Act’
Kawerak’s Comment Letter on Farm Bill Reauthorization
RHA RESOURCES
Reindeer Act of 1937
Alaska Food Code Regulations of Field Slaughter
State Veterinarian
Alaska Department of Fish and Game
USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)
GRAZING PERMIT AGENCIES
Bureau of Land Management
- 43 CFR Part 4300 (BLM Regulations for Reindeer Grazing)
- Reindeer Grazing Information
Alaska Department of Natural Resources
National Park Service