Paper short abstract:

Hunting is one way of performing nature, but in 2003 the hunters on Hardangervidda in Norway organized a “strike” and refused to hunt reindeer. This paper document the meaning, ethics and aesthetics of reindeer hunting and why certain conflicts over wildlife and hunting become global issues, while others remain local.

Paper long abstract:

Hunting is one way of performing nature, but in 2003 a rather strange event took place on Hardangervidda in Norway. The local "reindeer-authority" imposed a ban on hunting that year because they estimated that the reindeer population was too low. The Directorate for Nature Management tried to overrule the local authorities but to no avail. The hunters organized a "strike" and refused to hunt reindeer. Normally you would not expect a "strike" from hunters and many people regard hunters as "blood thirsty", cruel, and not politically engaged. This strike proved them wrong. Also it was an action that gives us direct insight into the struggle between local knowledge and scientific knowledge and thereby larger debates on identity, ethics and aesthetics. Reindeer hunting has a long standing history in Norway and there are cultural values and cultural practices attached to this type of hunting. This paper document how these values and practices are an important part of the Norwegian history and what characterizes reindeer hunting in Norway - its meaning, ethics and aesthetics. The paper also discuss if reindeer hunting is a cultural practice that is loosing ground, and why certain conflicts over wildlife and hunting become global issues, while others remain local.