Jaakkola’s Reindeer Farm, including stables, barns and carpentry facilities, was built in 1949 after the end of the wars. Originally the farm was home to Martta and Väinö Jaakkola, who got their living not only from herding the reindeer but also from forestry, crafting of wooden boats, running a mill and doing small-scale farming. The couple had five children, the eldest of which – Reino – remained with his own family to help his parents in the work on the farm and to live in the upstairs area of his parents’ log-house. In 1980s Reino offered tourists reindeer sled rides on Luosto’s skiing slopes, but after some consideration decided to build a big modern kota (Sámi hut) and began to offer various reindeer programmes maintained directly on the farm. Reino’s son Jani had already started absorbing his dad’s teachings at a height of about a metre, and continued his father’s lifework after Reino passed away in 2006. Jani didn´t inherited not only the reindeer farm from his father, but also valuable knowledge concerning the reindeer and training the sleigh reindeer. Even today there still are occasionally guests visitng the farm who remember Reino and his easy-going personality and the joy of life that twinkled in his eyes.
These days Jani looks after his reindeer herd and farm together with his Sámi life partner, Anu. The family’s everyday life blends easily with the annual cycle of reindeer herding, tourism, family life with small kids and Sámi traditions they want to follow and teach for their children. Anu’s happy, carefree personality – in addition to the reindeer farmers’ genuine hospitality make a deep impression on visitors, and many visitor returns to the farm year after year not only to meet well-cared animals but also to meet the warm-hearted reindeer farmers themselves.
