Russian Lapland, a region of amazing contrasts. Here lies the last true wilderness of Europe, a rich and pristine ecosystem teeming with bird and animal life. But here too lie the dark, satanic mills of the former Soviet Union and the rotting remnants of nuclear submarines. Running with Reindeer is the first account in over a century to describe life in this harsh but beautiful land. Living among remote reindeer-herding and hunting families, Roger Took spends a decade following the lives and traditions of the indigenous Lapps, or Saami. He meets pioneering villagers descended from medieval Novgorod fur-traders who are now learning to cope with the new economy, and the men and women originally forced north to mine Russian Lapland's fabulous mineral wealth but are now unemployed and stranded. Avoiding the still vigilant security services, he explores the naval bases where nuclear-powered submarines are lying dangerously neglected. His encounters with the land and its inhabitants are dramatic and comical as well as emotionally disturbing and physically dangerous. Moving between the lines of the official histories, coping with arduous Arctic conditions, he writes compellingly, offering a vivid account of a unique part of Europe.
| Illustrations | ix | |
| The Territory of Russian Lapland | xi | |
| Maps | xiii | |
| 1 | Englishman Abroad | 1 |
| 2 | In Search of Aboriginals | 33 |
| 3 | Settlers | 101 |
| 4 | Warm Fronts | 155 |
| 5 | Watershed | 187 |
| 6 | Rocks and Blood | 209 |
| 7 | Cold Fronts | 249 |
| 8 | New Northerners | 295 |
| 9 | Running with History | 337 |
| Glossary | 345 | |
| Further Reading | 348 | |
| Acknowledgements | 353 | |
| Index | 355 |
Anonymous
Posted July 15, 2008
Or any of his other books for that matter. The author has been imprisoned in the UK for horric crimes against children since February. His wife courageously exposed this last week after she was outraged that his crimes had been glossed over and seemingly covered up by the media and the Establishment. These were the sort of crimes that would outrage any decently minded person and his sentence is ridiculously lenient
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Overview
Russian Lapland, a region of amazing contrasts. Here lies the last true wilderness of Europe, a rich and pristine ecosystem teeming with bird and animal life. But here too lie the dark, satanic mills of the former Soviet Union and the rotting remnants of nuclear submarines. Running with Reindeer is the first account in over a century to describe life in this harsh but beautiful land. Living among remote reindeer-herding and hunting families, Roger Took spends a decade following the lives and traditions of the ...