Story highlights Reindeer are a way of life for the Sami people of Northern Europe, says Laura Galloway

An Alaskan missionary helped bring reindeer to North America in the 1800s, she says

Galloway: In the 1920s an American businessman tried to popularize reindeer meat

His marketing campaign helped create the indelible image of Santa and reindeer, she says

Millions of people know Clement Clarke Moore's poem "The Night Before Christmas," written in New York in 1822 and believed to describe Santa's mode of transportation, a reindeer-driven sleigh, for the first time. But Santa's reindeer have a story and a history all of their own, one tied to the oldest indigenous culture in Northern Europe and accelerated by an American entrepreneur whose principal intention was not delighting children around the world, but creating an appetite for what he hoped would become a mealtime staple as ubiquitous as beef.

For thousands of years here in the snowy Arctic of northern Norway, reindeer have been a symbol and a way of life for the Sami, Northern Europe's oldest surviving indigenous people, spanning parts of Norway, Finland, Sweden and the Kola Peninsula of Russia, in an area that is known as Sapmi. (They are also called Laplanders.) About 10 percent of Samis still herd, with the bulk of the reindeer population found in Kautokeino and Karasjok, Norway, where even today the reindeer are herded up into the mountains for the long winter and brought down again in spring.

The Sami are some of the most tenacious people on earth -- the cowboys and cowgirls of the tundra, deeply in tune with nature and able to deftly move and guide huge herds of animals during brutal winters over vast expanses. To many, there are no better herders in the world.

Reindeer first came to Alaska, via Siberia, through the work of an Alaskan missionary named Sheldon Jackson. In the mid-1800s, many Inuit were starving due to the commercial overfishing of whales, the core of the Inuit diet, for whale oil. Consumed with the idea finding an alternative food source for this culture, Jackson turned to the idea of reindeer herding and husbandry.

Laura Galloway

Thanks to Jackson's lobbying, the U.S. government agreed, appropriating funds to support seeding the plan by knowledge transfer of expert herders to the Inuit, starting with a short-lived attempt with Siberians, and later, the Sami. And so in 1898, more than 100 Sami reindeer herders and their families, and nearly 600 reindeer, made the passage from the north of Norway to the United States, ending up in Alaska to introduce reindeer herding, Sami style, to America.

While reindeer are at the heart of traditional Sami culture, the idea of a jolly, gift-giving Santa Claus flying around with his herd has no part in their history or tradition. The two ideas collided in popular culture via a businessman in Alaska named Carl Lomen. When the reindeer came to Alaska and began to flourish, Lomen, a native of Minnesota, saw the commercial, mass-market possibilities of reindeer meat and fur for the United States and sought to promote it aggressively.

Lomen was as much a clever marketer as a businessman, and in 1926 he conceived, along with Macy's department store, a promotional Christmas parade led by Santa, his reindeer, a sleigh and several Sami herders in their vibrant traditional dress.

Eventually, similar parades were held in cities around the country, and a meme was born. Lomen is said to have further accelerated his marketing efforts by planting fake children's letters in local newspapers, the fictitious children asking for Santa and his reindeer to visit their towns.

In the 1920s, the Lomen Reindeer Co. owned more than a quarter-million reindeer, and Lomen became known as "the reindeer king." But reindeer meat never took off in America for many reasons, most notably pressure from the cattle lobby and changes in laws about who could own reindeer in the U.S. -- the right eventually going in 1937 to indigenous American cultures, excluding even the Sami. (The law was reversed 60 years later.)

Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – The cold water of Barcelona's Port Vell doesn't deter this swimmer dressed up as St. Nick from joining in the Copa Nadal swimming race, a traditional holiday event in the Spanish seaport, on Tuesday, December 25. Hide Caption 1 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – A car wash worker in Santa gear washes a vehicle in Amritsar, India, on December 25. Hide Caption 2 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – A man decked out as Santa Claus slips through the back streets of Hamburg, Germany, on Monday, December 24. Related photos: Magnum Santas Hide Caption 3 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – A Steelers fan in a Santa outfit waves his Terrible Towel during the game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, December 23, in Pittsburgh. Hide Caption 4 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – Members of a local yoga club perform at a public park wearing Santa Claus costumes in Hanoi, Vietnam, on December 23. Hide Caption 5 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – Indian sand artist Sudersan Pattnaik works on a sand sculpture with more than 500 Santa Claus statues on the beach in Puri, India, on Saturday, December 22. Hide Caption 6 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – Michael Pless, 62, catches a wave off Seal Beach, south of Los Angeles, on Friday, December 21, in California. Pless, who also runs a surfing school, has been dressing up as Santa Claus and taking to the waves in costume since the 1990s, sometimes joined by his wife, Jill, in a Mrs. Claus outfit. Hide Caption 7 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – A militarized police helicopter leaves a Santa Claus atop a school in a shantytown, or favela, of Rio de Janeiro on Thursday, December 20. This St. Nick, dressed in the white and blue colors of Peace Police Units, handed out toys among the children in the Brazilian slum. Hide Caption 8 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – Two Japanese Santas clean the windows of a Tokyo hotel on December 20. Hide Caption 9 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – Santa auditions an alternative species to pull his sleigh at the Marineland park in Antibes, France, on Wednesday, December 19. Hide Caption 10 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – Stuttgart fans don Santa hats during a German Cup match between VfB Stuttgart and 1. FC Köln on December 19 in Stuttgart, Germany. Hide Caption 11 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – A man dressed in a Santa Claus costume poses with a sea lion at the animal exhibition park Marineland, in France, on December 19. Hide Caption 12 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – Santa Claus walks out of the front door during a Christmas party hosted for sick children at 10 Downing Street on Monday, December 17, in London. Hide Caption 13 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – Santa Claus opens his coat to reveal a Matt Schaub jersey at Reliant Stadium on Sunday, December 16, in Houston, Texas, before the Texas Longhorns played the Indianapolis Colts. Hide Caption 14 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – Participants wear Santa costumes as they take part in a Santa Claus-themed race in downtown Milan, Italy, on December 16. Hide Caption 15 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – A man dressed up as Santa Claus appears at a demonstration in Paris for the legalization of same-sex marriage on December 16. Hide Caption 16 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – A fan stands out in his Santa Claus attire during an NFL game between the Baltimore Ravens and Denver Broncos on December 16 in Baltimore. Denver won 34-17. Hide Caption 17 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – A girl points out toys to Santa Claus on Saturday, December 15, in a store in Lille, France. Hide Caption 18 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – Costumed Santas crowd into a telephone booth during the Santacon pub crawl near London's Trafalgar Square on December 15. Hide Caption 19 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – Revelers in Santa costumes sit on the lion statue at the base of Nelson's Column in London's Trafalgar Square on December 15. Hide Caption 20 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – A member of a French anti-fur group wades into the sea during a beach protest to denounce the practice of wearing fur on December 15 in Nice, France. Hide Caption 21 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – A man dressed as Santa Claus sees a patient in the pediatric ward of a hospital in Guatemala City, Guatemala, on Friday, December 14. Hide Caption 22 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – A man decked out as Santa walks down Geary Street on December 14 in San Francisco. Hide Caption 23 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – A man wearing a Santa Claus costume performs in downtown Rome on Thursday, December 13. Hide Caption 24 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – Police check a man dressed as Santa Claus as he passes through a metal detector at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, December 12, in Washington. Hide Caption 25 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – Catholics United hold a press conference with Santa Claus in front of the U.S. Capitol to rebut the GOP's budget effort in the ongoing fiscal cliff argument on December 12 in Washington. Hide Caption 26 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – Icelandic philantropist Einar Sveinsson, dressed as Santa Claus, speaks with a patient in the oncology ward during a visit to the Benjamin Bloom National Children's Hospital in San Salvador, El Salvador, on Tuesday, December 11. Hide Caption 27 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – A man dressed as Ded Moroz, the Russian Santa Claus, entertains children at the Ded Moroz residence in Kuzminsky Park in Moscow on Tuesday, December 11. Hide Caption 28 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – A man dressed as Santa waits for customers in a wooden house in Rome on December 11. Hide Caption 29 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – A diver dressed as Santa Claus poses for a photograph with children during a promotional event for the "Sardines Feeding Show with Santa Claus" at the Coex Aquarium in Seoul, South Korea, on December 11. Hide Caption 30 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – Costumed participants of the annual "Best Father Frost" contest from different city districts make their way through a courtyard in Krasnoyarsk, Russia, on Monday, December 10. Hide Caption 31 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – A few thousand Santa Clauses ride between Gdansk and Gdynia, Poland, on Sunday, December 9. Santa Clauses rode on scooters, motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles between the two Polish cities. Hide Caption 32 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – Participants in the fourth annual Michendorf Santa Run, one wearing a camera on his head, gather shortly before the run on December 9 in Michendorf, Germany. More than 800 people took part in this year's races. Hide Caption 33 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – A woman and her dog in Santa suits prepare for the annual Glasgow Santa Dash on December 9 in Glasgow, Scotland. Hide Caption 34 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – Beachgoers carry a man wearing a Santa Claus costume on the Mediterranean coast on Saturday, December 8, in Nice, France. Hide Caption 35 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – Takashi Inui of Frankfurt, Germany, celebrates dressed as Santa Claus after the Bundesliga match between Eintracht Frankfurt and SV Werder Bremen on December 8 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Eintracht won 4-1. Hide Caption 36 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – A customer holds the door of a shopping mall for a man dressed as Santa Claus on December 8, in Berlin. Hide Caption 37 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – Valery Kokoulin, 47, rings a bell on his yacht to mark the end of the sailboat season on Friday, December 7, on the Yenisei River outside Krasnoyarsk, Russia. Temperatures in the Siberian city dipped to minus 9.4 degrees Fahrenheit. Hide Caption 38 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – Kokoulin stands aboard his yacht on December 7. Hide Caption 39 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – President Barack Obama greets Santa Claus with actors Neil Patrick Harris, Rico Rodriguez and musician Phillip Phillips during the 90th National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony at the White House on Thursday, December 6, in Washington, D.C. Hide Caption 40 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – A diver dressed as a Santa Claus dives with a nurse shark in the Sea Life Aquarium in Munich, Germany, on December 6, which is St. Nicholas Day. Hide Caption 41 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – Around 400 people dressed as Santa Claus arrive by train in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, on December 6. Hide Caption 42 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – A man dressed as a Santa Claus waves at the port in Hamburg, Germany, on December 6. Hide Caption 43 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – People in Santa Claus outfits imitate South Korean rapper Psy's famous "Gangnam Style" dance outside offices in Seoul, South Korea, on Wednesday, December 5. The dance marked the start of a charity mission to hand out gifts to children. Hide Caption 44 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – A man dressed as Santa Claus stands at The Paley Center for Media on December 5 in Beverly Hills, California. Hide Caption 45 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – Santa descends on a rope during Christmas Box Launch at Wellington Arch in London's Hyde Park on Tuesday, December 4. Hide Caption 46 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – Santa Claus, aka Tim Connaghan, sits in the audience while a Marine stands guard during a presentation at Ronald Reagan National Airport on Monday, December 3, as part of the Marines' Toys for Tots program. Thousand of donated toys are set to be delivered to families affected by Hurricane Sandy. Hide Caption 47 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – A spectator dressed as Santa Claus and wearing an Australian green cap watches the South African team walk out onto the field at a cricket match against Australia on December 3. Hide Caption 48 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – Runners dressed in Father Christmas costumes take part in the annual 5-kilometer Santa Dash in Liverpool, England, on Sunday, December 2. Many runners who refuse to run in red, the color of their football rivals Liverpool FC, wear blue to support the football team Everton FC.



Hide Caption 49 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – A fan of the Baylor University Bears dresses up as Santa Claus while the Bears face the Oklahoma State University Cowboys on Saturday, December 1, in Waco, Texas. Hide Caption 50 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – Competitors run in the annual 6-kilometer Santa Run in Battersea Park, London, on December 1. Hide Caption 51 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – A man dressed as Santa leaves the the annual meeting of volunteer Santa Clauses and angels on December 1 in Berlin. Studentenwerk Berlin, a student organization at the German capital's technical university, hosts a general meeting for guidelines on participating in this year's events during the festive season. Hide Caption 52 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – Angels and Santa Clauses gather for the annual meeting on December 1 in Berlin. Hide Caption 53 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – A man dressed as Santa Claus attends Berlin's meeting of volunteer Santa Clauses and angels on December 1 in Berlin. Hide Caption 54 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – Men dressed as Santa Claus carry sacks through the meeting of volunteer Santa Clauses and angels on December 1 in Berlin. Hide Caption 55 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – A volunteer Santa Claus takes a nap during the general meeting outlining guidelines for Father Christmases in Berlin on December 1. Hide Caption 56 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – Volunteers in New York's 110th annual Sidewalk Santa Parade cross the street on Friday, November 23. Hide Caption 57 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – A diver wearing a Santa Claus costume feeds a sunfish during a Christmas show at the Hakkeijima Sea Paradise Aquarium in Yokohama, Japan, on Wednesday, November 21. The show will be held daily until Christmas Day. Hide Caption 58 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – Estonian Santa Claus "Santa Aare," from left, Dutch Santa Claus "Santa Holland" and Swedish Santa Claus "Snaretomten" compete in the Kicksled Sack Race during the Santa Claus Winter Games in Gallivare, Sweden, on Saturday, November 17. Santas from around the world gathered to participate in Christmas-themed competitions that weekend. Hide Caption 59 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – Santas from various countries compete in the porridge-eating contest during the Santa Claus Winter Games in Gallivare on November 17. Hide Caption 60 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – A Santa Claus representing the indigenous Sami people competes in the reindeer ride event during the Santa Claus Winter Games in Gallivare on November 17. Hide Caption 61 of 62 Photos: Photos: Santa sightings around the world Santa sightings around the world – Japanese Santa Claus "Santa Paradise Yamamoto" hits the ground in the reindeer ride event during the competition in Gallivare on November 17. Related photos: Magnum Santas Hide Caption 62 of 62

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Lomen's company was forced out of the reindeer business as a result, but his marketing efforts unleashed a worldwide obsession with Santa and created a common narrative now known around the world, and even elaborated on: Rudolph, the most famous reindeer of all, was not based in mythology or literature stemming from an indigenous culture, but was instead concocted as a character in a coloring book distributed in 1939 by the now-defunct Montgomery Ward department stores.

As a Sami descendant, I became curious about the origin of Santa and his gang of reindeer last year on the Arctic tundra, where I experienced firsthand how difficult it can be to rig up even one reindeer. Forget flying. As beautiful and majestic as the reindeer are, they can be skittish, and the idea of rigging eight together and making forward progress seemed ambitious, even in a children's poem.

For a sled, only one reindeer is the Sami tradition, but sometimes more are used when pulling supplies. I've queried many herders about the feasibility of eight reindeer -- it is possible in the right hands, but not common. And these days in Sapmi, the snowmobile has replaced the reindeer for transportation purposes, anyway -- something Santa may want to consider.