Forty years of reindeer herding in the Mackenzie delta, N.W.T.

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Abstract
Reindeer herding in the Mackenzie Delta area started in March 1935, when a herd of 2,370 animals was delivered to the newly established Reindeer Grazing Reserve. Conceived to supplement the dwindling wildlife resources of the Canadian Arctic and to improve the economic conditions of the native Eskimos, the policy was to keep a government‐owned nucleus herd from which additional units could be obtained and put under Eskimo management. Several native‐owned herds were set up, but for various reasons they all were returned to the government, the last one in 1964. A new approach was undertaken in 1960; in an attempt to demonstrate the economic feasibility of an Arctic reindeer industry, the project was placed under private management. There were plans to start large‐scale reindeer breeding following modern conceptions of reindeer husbandry, but when the reindeer population dropped alarmingly, the Canadian Wildlife Service in 1968 accepted the responsibility for a five‐year term. The main task then was to rebuild the herd and to conduct biological as well as management‐related studies. In March 1974, the herd was finally sold to a native‐owned Reindeer Company. In addition to providing a detailed review of reindeer herding in the Mackenzie Delta area, an attempt is made to evaluate the past economic importance of the project and to assess its potential future development. (The translation is by William Barr, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon.)

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