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Leonard Olanna

Leonard Olanna is Iñupiaq from Brevig Mission, Alaska. He comes from a family with a long history of reindeer herding. His grandfather, Harry Olanna, herded for the Lomen Brothers around Brevig Mission in the early 1900s, and in 1970 his father started a herd with reindeer from Wilbur Kakaruk in Teller. Leonard grew up helping his father, and took over management of the herd when his father passed away. That herd crashed, and then in 1994, Leonard started his own herd with animals from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Having grown up herding and with few job opportunities in the village, Leonard was drawn to reindeer herding. Leonard is also an artist who creates ivory and bone carvings.

Leonard Olanna appears in the following new Jukebox projects:

Reindeer Herding: The Present and the Past

Interview Title	Abstract	Archive #: Oral History	Project	Date of Interview
Leonard Olanna	Leonard Olanna was interviewed on March 24, 2003 by Bill Schneider, Knut Kielland, and Kumi Rattenbury at Leonard's home in Brevig Mission, Alaska. It was a difficult time for Leonard because he had received word that two relatives had just passed away. Nevertheless, he agreed to go ahead with the interview and then drove the group by snowmachine over to Teller. In this interview, Leonard talks about his family's heritage in reindeer herding, how he got into herding, and the effects of weather on the reindeer and their range. He also talks about the influx of caribou, the effect of wolf predation on his herds, and how he uses radio collars to track his reindeer.	2000-102-25	Reindeer Herding: The Present and the Past	Mar 24, 2003