Čakča - Fall (october - november)

Čakča means fall in northern Sami. The reindeer instinctively move towards the autumn and winter pastures that are up in the highlands, among the mountains, forests, and plateaus. In these pastures, the reindeer can find food like mushrooms, grass, and herbs in the autumn. As the frosty nights begin, the green vegetation disappears quickly. As a result, autumn pastures are often found in bogs, high mountainsides, and valleys. Autumn is the high season for fresh reindeer meat as the reindeer are at their heaviest and finest. Reindeer meat usually tastes the best around this time of year because of all the natural nutrition they have ingested during the summer. In the different districts, autumn slaughtering and the separation of the reindeer have started, and the polar nights have arrived. This is also the time for picking out the reindeer skins, which will be used for the production of shoes and clothing during winter. The reindeer owners follow the herd closely in order to pick out the animals that are hurt and too weak to make it through the winter and also to protect the herd from any attacks from predators.