This is Sami reindeer herder Mathis A. Oskal from Kautokeino/Guovdageaidnu, Norway/Sapmi. The Oskal family are leaders in contemporary reindeer herding and have relatives in the Alaska Sami history who went by the last name Spein. Nathan Muus took the photo at the Easter 2008 Manitoba reunion of the Alaska Sami families.

The Sami issue of Vesterheim has been highly successful. It includes articles by
Nathan Muus "Who Are the Sami" (9Mb PDF)
and Faith Fjeld "The Alaska Sami, A Reindeer Story" (5Mb PDF).
Also see the entire Vesterheim cover (692kb PDF).