In Russia, a huge number of people still live in practically unchanged primitive conditions. They live in the north in the tundra, grazing reindeer just like thousands of years ago...
It's almost always cold and snowy here. There is no civilization. Even the compass is going crazy. These pictures may look like stage decoration, but it’s all for real. Look!
1 This photo shows a family of reindeer herders. It could have been made a hundred years ago; outwardly, almost nothing has changed in their lives. Reindeer herders still roam the tundra, moving from place to place. And once a year they get together and come to the village, the only center of civilization for many kilometers.
2 To look at the life of reindeer herders, it is not enough to fly to Novy Port; you need a guide through the tundra and transport. In winter there are two options, and guests most often get there by all-terrain vehicle.
3 The locals have a fast horse-snowmobile, a Yamaha or a Buran. A wooden box is attached to the car on skis: several people or luggage fit into it.
4 Along the way, among the white desert, Nenets cemeteries are barely visible: the same boxes, but without skis. The dead are not buried here, but left on the ground. The photo shows a storage room for reindeer herders. At the end of summer, all light things are left in a designated place on the sled, and when the snow melts, they return for them.
5 One of the tundra families lives twenty kilometers from the village. It takes an hour to get there.
6 It is difficult to explain why this particular place was chosen for the parking lot. Just desert, just snow. There are huskies tied to the sleds, which began to bark heart-rendingly as soon as they sensed strangers. The most reliable alarm system. Small dogs are not capable of pulling a sled, but they cope well with the role of shepherds: that’s what they are called, reindeer huskies.
7 A woman came out of the chum in a traditional outfit - a malitsa, made of deerskin. The chum itself was also assembled “from deer”. “Nothing has changed for a thousand years,” I thought and decided to walk around the hut.
8 A satellite dish near a house made of sticks and deerskin...no, after all, we are in the twenty-first century.
9 The owner of the tent in a colorful robe greeted us without looking up from the screen where “Commissar Rex” was shown. Two smartphones were charging near the TV. There was an automatic air freshener hanging on the wall.
10 I would like to talk about the features of plague construction, especially since there are interesting details there. For example, how often do reindeer skins need to be changed, how quickly can they assemble or disassemble their hut, but unfortunately, at that very moment my camera stopped working, and I tried in every possible way to bring it back to life. Unfortunately, it didn’t help, and most of the photographs in this report were taken not by me, but by Yamal photographer Danil Kolosov. Thank him very much, he helped me out!
12 Reindeer husbandry is practiced in one and a half dozen northern regions of Russia, but it is in the Yamalo-Nenets Okrug that the largest number of reindeer is found; in 2010, there were 660 thousand deer, three times more than in the next largest region, Yakutia.
13 And the deer in these places is not just livestock, but a breadwinner. Moreover, in the literal sense: venison forms the basis of the diet of residents of northern villages and tundra dwellers themselves; houses and clothes are made from reindeer skins.
15 But deer is not only valuable fur. Every family certainly has its own pet, a domestic fawn, which even spends the night in the tent.
16 In their occupation, reindeer herders resemble American cowboys, only instead of untucked checkered shirts and wide-brimmed hats, they wear warm, windproof malitsa that retain heat even in extreme frosts. And minus forty here is so cool.
17 One may get the impression that they are some kind of savages, for some unknown reason living in the middle of the tundra, but many reindeer herders can read and write, among young people almost all have completed secondary education, and such a life is their own choice.
18 Once a year, in the spring, Reindeer Herder Day is held in Yamal. The holiday is nomadic, just like its “culprits” themselves: due to the vast territories and different climates, it takes place in different cities and towns throughout the month.
19 And if you want to see all the beauty and romance of life in the tundra, you should fly on these dates. Vivid impressions are guaranteed!
20 I found myself at a holiday in the village of New Port, which I told about separately. Reindeer herders from all over the endless tundra come to the regional center. They literally travel for half a day on reindeer. Sometimes longer.
21 Our own event in Novy Port was held only for the second time in the last 30 years: for a long time we had to travel even further, to the village of Yar-Sale. It was possible to revive the tradition thanks to Gazprom Neft, whose field is located close to the village. The “Native Towns” social investment program operates in the Yamalo-Nenets Okrug and is aimed at supporting the indigenous population, whose traditional territories come from mining.
In addition to organizing events in support of the traditional culture of the peoples of the north and investing in the education of tundra dwellers, oil workers enter into socio-economic agreements with each family: they are entitled to cash payments or the purchase of equipment. The money can be spent on purchasing equipment, construction or repairs. And if a child in a reindeer herder’s family gets sick or an accident occurs, a helicopter flies out to them: otherwise it’s simply impossible to get to their inaccessible places of residence. So, the Nenets feel no worse than the American Indians, if not better.
For residents of the Far North, Reindeer Herder's Day is even more important than the Olympics. The Nenets, a small indigenous and gambling people of the north, wait for these games all year.
23 Competitions are held in national disciplines. One of the most favorite among the Nenets is throwing a tynzian at a trochee (throwing a lasso, depicting the capture of a deer chosen from the herd).
24 Among the deer they choose the most beautifully dressed ones. Women also take part, in many disciplines on an equal basis with men. Except for fighting, perhaps.
25 Traditional Nenets martial arts are similar to Japanese sumo and attract many spectators.
26 The fight takes place not only in the ring, but also next to it. Children have their own atmosphere.
27 An important detail of the reindeer herder’s wardrobe are kitties, Nenets felt boots. Made from deer skins. Uninhabited, windproof, waterproof. They just weigh a lot, so jumping in them is quite a competition!
28 Stick tug is somewhat reminiscent of “our” arm wrestling. And in general, almost all Nenets competitions have something in common with what is familiar to Western culture. Such different peoples, but the roots are the same.
29 Baby strollers, popular in the far north, look strange. Angular and clumsily made “armored cars on sleds.” Local residents don’t pay attention to them; they themselves were driven around in them as children. I couldn't take my eyes off.
30 This is how the stroller is built from the inside.
31 Tired. Tundra dwellers are not used to spending so much time with other tundra dwellers, and by evening many of them lose their strength.
32 On stage, meanwhile, the winners of various competitions were awarded. Good prizes, dishes and household appliances. But the Nenets cannot be captivated by this.
33 The main prizes were much more serious: the winners of the “Reindeer Olympics” received a brand new Yamaha snowmobile, and the prize fund also included a domestic “Buran” and diesel generators.
34 After lunch, everyone moved to the shore of the Ob Bay. The ice has already been cleared for the main and most spectacular competition, reindeer racing.
36 The essence of the competition is reminiscent of drag racing: two reindeer teams with “pilots” start at the same time, race as quickly as possible to the control point and return back. Whoever crosses the line first wins.
37 Racing reindeer are raised from childhood, and then it takes a long time to select team partners for them. This is a whole science, and a good business. To avoid cheating, the deer participating in the race are marked with a marker.
38 But even this does not help: the desire to come first is so great that the reindeer herders sometimes resort to real tricks. For example, one guy borrowed reindeer from a neighboring area: he took a couple from a team of winners who had participated a couple of weeks ago, and brought them to New Port. But the tundra dwellers know not only each other, but also the neighboring deer. Spectators and other participants easily identified the catch, and the participant was removed from the competition.
Among the peoples of the North, such a branch of animal husbandry as reindeer husbandry is popular
In harsh climates, this is one of the few species of domesticated animals for which such a habitat is native. Successful attempts to tame and domesticate these animals in the north have been known for a long time. Deer began to be bred for draft purposes, as well as for skins, meat, milk, and antlers.
Since childhood, folk art has shown us deer as quiet, kind, beautiful and obedient animals that are always close to people and help him in every possible way. In fact, this is how it is, deer are quiet and calm, and lend themselves perfectly to harness use. Of course, except for the mating season, when males can fight among themselves almost to the point of death.
Images of deer can often be seen on coins and on the coats of arms of cities. In ancient times, these animals were exclusively hunted by people, who, after mastering fire, began to populate cold territories beyond the tropics and subtropics. They made warm clothes from the skins, and used meat and milk for food. The horns were used to make primitive cutlery, spear tips and some other items.
Surely, not without human help, some breeds of deer became extinct long before humanity began to study flora and fauna for scientific research purposes. At the same time, other breeds appeared, hybrids obtained as a result of mating animals that differed from each other in external characteristics.
For example, David’s deer belongs to the category of animals that have disappeared in the natural world and is preserved as a species solely thanks to the activities of people who breed these beautiful and noble animals in captivity. White reindeer are a vulnerable species and their numbers are steadily declining. But the number of sika deer, almost completely exterminated by the beginning of the last century, has now increased so much due to the work of enthusiasts and systematic introduction that the species itself is considered an animal with minimal risk of extinction.
At the present time, there are also those breeds that are on the verge of extinction. Fortunately, humanity is still making attempts to influence the situation and save endangered species of wild animals. For example, in the United States, deer hunting is prohibited by law, and those who violate the ban can face serious penalties in the form of huge fines and even imprisonment.
Development of reindeer husbandry in Russia
Deer is a member of the artiodactyl family; their classification currently includes 51 species. Some species of deer are so small that they are no larger than a dog. The largest representative of the deer family is the elk - it is larger in size than a large horse. In Russia, reindeer have a very important agricultural purpose, the breeds of which are divided into four groups:
- Evenskaya;
- Chukotka;
- Evenki;
- Nenets
It is in the Russian Federation that two thirds of the world's livestock are concentrated. Northern peoples closely intertwined their lives with these animals, and from the indigenous inhabitants of these harsh places you can often hear that people will live as long as deer exist on their land.
But not so long ago, even in pre-revolutionary times, reindeer husbandry was the most backward and unpromising branch of livestock farming. A considerable number of livestock died as a result of mass diseases and lack of nutritious and balanced feed. But after the Great October Revolution, reindeer husbandry began to develop much more intensively.
Specialized collective farms were organized; their staff included not only workers serving animals, but also competent veterinarians. A clear system of feeding and caring for deer was developed, thanks to which the animals began to get sick less often and reproduce more intensively. This made it possible to push reindeer husbandry off the ground and occupy an important niche for it in the field of livestock farming. At the moment, about two dozen peoples of the North are engaged in reindeer husbandry in Russia.
What is the purpose of reindeer husbandry?
Vehicle. Reindeer teams allow a person to travel long distances in the absence of roads as such. The design of the sled allows it to quickly move through the snow without getting stuck in it. For this, the Nenets breed of deer is most often used, which, despite their small stature, are very strong and resilient. And the Evenki breed, whose representatives have a large build, is used for transporting very heavy loads.
Meat-skin application. It is used among all peoples of the taiga and tundra, usually the Even and Chukchi breeds of deer. Venison has useful and valuable properties, as it is not only considered, but also the most environmentally friendly. Reindeer are raised for meat in an area where there is often no polluting industry. The skin, after being separated from the carcass, is processed using a special technique and warm outerwear, hats, and shoes are sewn from it.
Obtaining energetically valuable and healthy milk. For this, the Even breed is used.
Horns. In the homes of hunters and just people who love extraordinary decorations for their homes, you can often see deer antlers hanging on the wall. In ancient times, they were used to make knives, spears, spoons, and needles. The most humane way to obtain antlers is the period of their natural replacement, that is, when the deer sheds its old antlers and new ones appear in their place. Otherwise, the horns are taken from a killed animal.
Today, most farms are provided with all the necessary conditions for the development of reindeer husbandry. First of all, these are huge areas of pasture, high-quality veterinary care, and paddocks optimized for housing animals. In the tundra and forest areas, reindeer are grazed using the nomadic method. The herd gradually moves hundreds of kilometers forward, periodically stopping at intermediate points. Shepherds and their families, like their wards, also lead a nomadic lifestyle. Personnel are provided with production equipment and a complex of mobile homes. At intermediate points, shepherds can replenish supplies of provisions, and, if necessary, find a replacement for a while in order to leave for a while and settle personal affairs.
The safety of the herd's movement through the taiga zone is sometimes ensured by reconnaissance teams that move by vehicle and air transport. The responsibilities of these people include exploring the territory for the detection of bogs, impassable areas, and packs of predators. To communicate with the shepherds and among themselves, the teams use portable radios. You don’t have to rely on mobile communications, since in the tundra and deep taiga cell phones are practically useless.
It should be remembered that reindeer husbandry is only a partial alternative to raising cattle, sheep and goats. It will not be able to completely displace these industries, and this is not necessary. Reindeer husbandry makes it possible to use existing pasture areas in regions with more harsh living conditions. This type of animal is able to survive where an ordinary cow or horse would feel very bad. In addition, in areas where the snow cover melts only for 3-4 months, and there are no equipped roads, reindeer sleds are almost the only means of transportation for the population.
It is also important that there is a food supply in the tundra specifically for deer - this means the specific lichen “moss”, often called reindeer moss. It is moss that forms the basis of the diet of reindeer, especially in the winter months, when animals obtain food by breaking through deep snow with their hooves in search of food.
Deer farming business
Reindeer husbandry is practiced not only in Russia. New Zealand, Scotland, Great Britain, Germany, Switzerland - these countries are also intensively engaged in rearing deer. From the point of view of economic benefits, it is much more profitable to export venison abroad. After all, if in Russia the price for 1 kg of reindeer meat is 150-250 rubles, then in other countries it can be sold at a price of 500-600 rubles/kg or more. This applies to ordinary meat and minced meat, but the finished product is valued much higher and is considered a delicacy. New Zealand boasts good rearing indicators, where the average livestock increase is 95 calves per 100 females. And the UK, where mainly reindeer are raised, has established supplies with countries such as the USA, Japan, Canada, Austria, Sweden, Spain and many others.
Considering that you usually don’t see venison on supermarket shelves, not everyone can afford it. Venison dishes are offered in some of the best restaurants in the country, and you will have to pay a decent amount for them. It was much easier for the northern peoples - for them, deer are a means of subsistence. In Siberian conditions, venison can be kept fresh without any problems. To do this, residents dig holes in the snow and place already cut and sorted carcasses there. The advantage of deer meat over beef and pork is that when consumed, fat practically does not accumulate in the human body. This will benefit people leading a healthy lifestyle, athletes, as well as those who suffer from obesity, metabolic disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and gastrointestinal problems. Now more and more people are switching to a healthy diet, and it is possible that venison will soon become more accessible to the majority of citizens of our country.
Russia, Nenets Tundra. The girl Mariana is 9 years old. Her city-dwelling peers are already versed in cosmetic trends, scrolling through glamorous Instagram feeds, and Mariana skillfully drives a reindeer team across the endless expanses of the Nenets tundra. Very soon, in a week, she will board a school helicopter and go to boarding school until spring, but for now she is in a plague, in which life does not stand still, in which a place on the map is only tied to a changing GPS position, which only knows the helicopter pilot with whom we went to visit Mariana.
The life of reindeer herders who lead a traditional nomadic lifestyle in the Tundra is one of the most interesting parallel realities that I came into contact with during my travels. Today I want to tell and show how life works in the plague in the summer, but I will definitely return for the winter continuation of this amazing story. A story that very much contrasts with the realities of life in megacities that are familiar to us.
Photos and text by Alexander Cheban
Where is the fresh air... which you can taste.
Where is the endless space... which you really feel, but cannot grasp with your imagination.
Where the age-old traditions of their ancestors are preserved... which cannot be replaced by any modern technology.
Welcome to Tundra!
2. See the small spot of color in the center of the frame? A few pixels in a photograph, a small, barely noticeable dot on the map and a place that is very well described by the untranslatable phrase “in the middle of nowhere.” This is the tent of reindeer herders of the Kharp reindeer herding brigade.
3. Helicopter pilots only know approximate coordinates; the search is carried out visually on the ground, sometimes taking half an hour or even more.
4. The soil in the tundra is special, unlike anything else, soft and delicate to the touch. The Mi-8 helicopter of the United Naryan-Mar Air Squad cannot land here, so it hovers after touching the surface. We unload our things very quickly.
5. And after 5 minutes it rises sharply into the air, blowing even a backpack or bag tens of meters away.
7. This is Timofey - the foreman of the reindeer herding brigade "Kharp", under his command are four shepherds and a tent worker and... 2,500 deer. Timofey himself is Komi, and the shepherds in his brigade are Nenets. And his wife is also a Nenka.
8. In summer and winter they travel across the tundra on sleds. In summer, they also glide perfectly along the surface of bushes.
What is nomadic reindeer herding?
There are 7 brigades in the Kharp reindeer herding farm, all of them belong to the collective farm, which is located in the village of Krasnoye. Each brigade has its own grazing route, changing its location every 3-4 weeks, walking tens of kilometers across the tundra. Timofey's brigade travels a distance of 200-300 km per year, for some brigades this route can be up to 600 km. The herd itself grazes within a radius of 10 km from the miracle.
In the village of Krasnoe, members of the brigade have houses, but they live in them very rarely, on vacation and after retirement. Even pensioners go to the tundra whenever possible.
Why is it impossible to engage in reindeer husbandry on a permanent basis on a collective farm?
In Soviet times, attempts were made to establish stationary farming. But reindeer husbandry cannot be stationary; deer eat moss, which is renewed over the years. On the other hand, the number of deer cannot be increased uncontrollably for the same reason - there is simply not enough food in the vast expanses of the Tundra.
How is deer made into venison?
Every spring, deer give birth to offspring; Timofey has 1,200 calves in his brigade, half of which will need to be delivered to the slaughter plant on the collective farm by winter.
In December-January, deer are slaughtered. Most slaughterhouses (which are located in villages) do not have refrigeration facilities, so freezing occurs naturally. The number of deer in the Nenets Autonomous Okrug is 180 thousand; 30-35 thousand deer are slaughtered annually. 70-80% of the slaughter contingent are deer under 1 year old. For comparison: in the 70s of the last century, 60-70 thousand deer were slaughtered annually in the Nenets Autonomous Okrug.
Frozen deer carcasses are taken from populated areas in the tundra using a Mi-26 helicopter, this is the largest serial transport helicopter in the world! One hour of operation of the Mi-26 costs 670 thousand rubles/hour, the carrying capacity is 18 tons. With a purchase price of 125 rubles per 1 kg of venison, the cost of its helicopter transportation is another 90 rubles/kg!!! And there are simply no other options to get to remote regions of the district. There are no roads or winter roads! During the winter, the helicopter makes 20-25 such flights to different regions, where meat is centrally transported on snowmobiles from smaller villages or the deer are driven independently to large slaughter points. Moreover, there are flights of 1 hour, and there are flights of 5-6 hours.
The turnover of the only Naryan-Mar meat processing plant is 900 tons of venison per year. 450 tons are delivered by helicopter and 450 by ground transport along winter roads. In just one season, 1000-1100 tons are slaughtered in the Nenets Autonomous Okrug, 900 are taken and processed by the meat processing plant, and 100-150 are bought by the local population and used locally for their own needs.
How much does a deer cost?
One live deer costs an average of 15 thousand rubles. This is not only meat, but also has horns, hooves, skin...
10. Mariana is in the tent all summer, this is the only way to learn reindeer herding skills. In the Nenets Autonomous Okrug and Yakutia, distance education is being introduced, when even in winter children remain with their parents in the tundra, and basic education is taught by their parents.
Children help with the vast majority of household tasks. For example, Mariana helps to dart the reindeer, driving them into the karzak (an area limited by a net), where the shepherds select the reindeer for the sleigh team. Marina harnesses and unharnesses the reindeer herself without any problems.
12. The shepherds and the foreman know each reindeer by sight. Many have nicknames.
Mariana, what toys do you have?
- (thinks) None, why do I need toys?
I’m wearing argish (sleigh with things and food), puppies, reindeer sleds...
22. Timofey found a fragment of a mammoth tusk, started digging, and found other bones. This is exactly why we flew to him this time. Then our expedition continued and we began to dig deeper in search of the rest of the skeleton.
24. Satellite dish and TV in the tent. One tank of diesel fuel in a diesel generator is enough for 6-8 hours of viewing. Everything is delivered only by helicopter in the summer! In winter it’s a little easier - you can bring the necessary things, food, and diesel fuel from the nearest village by snowmobile.
Blogger Alexander Cheban writes:
Russia, Nenets tundra. The girl Mariana is 9 years old. Her city-dwelling peers are already versed in cosmetic trends, scrolling through glamorous Instagram feeds, and Mariana skillfully drives a reindeer team across the endless expanses of the Nenets tundra. Very soon, in a week, she will board a school helicopter and go to boarding school until spring, but for now she is in a plague, where life does not stand still, where a place on the map is only tied to a changeable GPS position, which only the helicopter pilot knows , with whom we went to visit Mariana.
The life of reindeer herders leading a traditional nomadic lifestyle in the tundra is one of the most interesting parallel realities that I came into contact with during my travels. Today I want to tell and show how life works in the plague in the summer, but I will definitely return for the winter continuation of this amazing story. A story that very much contrasts with the realities of life in megacities that are familiar to us.
Where is the fresh air... that you can taste.
Where is the endless space... which you really feel, but cannot grasp with your imagination.
Where they preserve the centuries-old traditions of their ancestors... which cannot be replaced by any modern technology.
See the small spot of color in the center of the frame?
A few pixels in a photograph, a small, barely noticeable dot on the map and a place that is very well described by the untranslatable phrase “in the middle of nowhere.” This is the tent of reindeer herders of the Kharp reindeer herding brigade.
Helicopter pilots only know approximate coordinates; the search is carried out visually on the ground, sometimes taking half an hour or even more.
The soil in the tundra is special, unlike anything else, soft and delicate to the touch. The Mi-8 helicopter of the United Naryan-Mar air squad cannot land here, so it hovers after touching the surface. We unload our things very quickly.
And after 5 minutes it rises sharply into the air, blowing even a backpack or bag tens of meters away.
This is Timofey - the foreman of the reindeer herding brigade "Kharp", under his command are four shepherds, a tent worker and... 2500 deer.
Timofey himself is Komi, and the shepherds in his brigade are Nenets. And his wife is also a Nenka.
In summer and winter they travel across the tundra on sleds. In summer, they also glide perfectly along the surface of bushes.
- What is nomadic reindeer herding?
There are 7 brigades in the Kharp reindeer herding farm, all of them belong to the collective farm, which is located in the village of Krasnoye. Each team has its own grazing route, changing its location every 3-4 weeks, walking tens of kilometers across the tundra. Timofey's brigade travels a distance of 200-300 km per year, for some brigades this route can be up to 600 km. The herd itself grazes within a radius of 10 km.
In the village of Krasnoe, members of the brigade have houses, but they live in them very rarely, on vacation and after retirement. Even pensioners go to the tundra whenever possible.
- Why can’t you engage in reindeer husbandry on a permanent basis on a collective farm?
In Soviet times, attempts were made to establish stationary farming. But reindeer husbandry cannot be stationary; deer eat moss, which is renewed over the years. On the other hand, the number of reindeer cannot be increased uncontrollably for the same reason - there is simply not enough food in the vast expanses of the tundra.
- How do you make venison from deer?
Every spring, deer give birth to offspring; Timofey has 1,200 calves in his brigade, half of which will need to be delivered to the slaughter plant on the collective farm by winter.
In December-January, deer are slaughtered. Most slaughterhouses (which are located in villages) do not have refrigeration facilities, so freezing occurs naturally. The number of deer in the Nenets Autonomous Okrug is 180 thousand; 30-35 thousand deer are slaughtered annually. 70-80% of the slaughter contingent are deer under 1 year old. For comparison: in the 70s of the last century, 60-70 thousand deer were slaughtered annually in the Nenets Autonomous Okrug.
Frozen deer carcasses are taken from populated areas in the tundra using a Mi-26 helicopter, this is the largest serial transport helicopter in the world! One hour of operation of the Mi-26 costs 670 thousand rubles, the carrying capacity is 18 tons. With a purchase price of 125 rubles per 1 kg of venison, the cost of its helicopter transportation is another 90 rubles/kg!!! And there are simply no other options to get to remote regions of the district. There are no roads or winter roads! During the winter, the helicopter makes 20-25 such flights to different regions, where meat is centrally transported on snowmobiles from smaller villages or the deer are driven independently to large slaughter points. Moreover, there are flights of 1 hour, and there are flights of 5-6 hours.
The turnover of the only Naryan-Mar meat processing plant is 900 tons of venison per year. 450 tons are delivered by helicopter and 450 by ground transport along winter roads. In just one season, 1000-1100 tons are slaughtered in the Nenets Autonomous Okrug, 900 are taken and processed by the meat processing plant, and 100-150 are bought by the local population and used locally for their own needs.
- How much does a deer cost?
One live deer costs an average of 15 thousand rubles. It's not just meat, it also has horns, hooves, skin...
Mariana is in the tent all summer, this is the only way to learn reindeer herding skills. In the Nenets Autonomous Okrug and Yakutia, distance education is being introduced, when even in winter children remain with their parents in the tundra, and basic education is taught by their parents.
Children help with the vast majority of household tasks. For example, Mariana helps to dart the reindeer, driving them into the karzak (an area limited by a net), where the shepherds select the reindeer for the sleigh team. Marina harnesses and unharnesses the reindeer herself without any problems.
The shepherds and the foreman know each reindeer by sight. Many have nicknames.
Mariana, what toys do you have?
- (Thinking) None, why do I need toys? I'm wearing argish (sleigh with things and food), puppies, reindeer sleds...
Timofey found a fragment of a mammoth tusk, started digging, and found other bones. This is exactly why we flew to him this time. Then our expedition continued, and we began to dig deeper in search of the rest of the skeleton.
Satellite dish and TV in the tent. One tank of diesel fuel in a diesel generator is enough for 6-8 hours of viewing. Everything is delivered only by helicopter in the summer! In winter it’s a little easier - you can bring the necessary things, food, and diesel fuel from the nearest village by snowmobile.
This is firewood... it’s not easy to find firewood in the tundra, because there are no trees here.
In the tent, the hostess treats us to delicious pasta with stewed venison! The taste cannot be described in words.
The last days of summer... the last rays of the stingy polar sun. Last days in the tundra for Mariana before the long school year at boarding school.
Deer translated from Nenets means “life”. Deer is everything: food, dishes, clothes, it is life in the literal sense of the word.
So who is leading whom where?
A reindeer herder leading a herd of reindeer?
Or do reindeer herders move their chum from place to place, following the herd?
The life of reindeer herders who lead a traditional nomadic lifestyle in the Tundra is one of the most interesting parallel realities that I came into contact with during my travels. Today I want to tell and show how life works in the plague in the summer, but I will definitely return for the winter continuation of this amazing story. A story that very much contrasts with the realities of life in megacities that are familiar to us.
Welcome to Tundra!
2. See the small spot of color in the center of the frame? A few pixels in a photograph, a small, barely noticeable dot on the map and a place that is very well described by the untranslatable phrase “in the middle of nowhere.” This is the tent of reindeer herders of the Kharp reindeer herding brigade.
3. Helicopter pilots only know approximate coordinates; the search is carried out visually on the ground, sometimes taking half an hour or even more.
4. The soil in the tundra is special, unlike anything else, soft and delicate to the touch. The Mi-8 helicopter of the United Naryan-Mar Air Squad cannot land here, so it hovers after touching the surface. We unload our things very quickly.
5. And after 5 minutes it rises sharply into the air, blowing even a backpack or bag tens of meters away.
7. This is Timofey - the foreman of the reindeer herding brigade "Kharp", under his command are four shepherds and a tent worker and... 2,500 deer. Timofey himself is Komi, and the shepherds in his brigade are Nenets. And his wife is also a Nenka.
8. In summer and winter they travel across the tundra on sleds. In summer, they also glide perfectly along the surface of bushes.
What is nomadic reindeer herding?
There are 7 brigades in the Kharp reindeer herding farm, all of them belong to the collective farm, which is located in the village of Krasnoye. Each brigade has its own grazing route, changing its location every 3-4 weeks, walking tens of kilometers across the tundra. Timofey's brigade travels a distance of 200-300 km per year, for some brigades this route can be up to 600 km. The herd itself grazes within a radius of 10 km from the miracle.
In the village of Krasnoe, members of the brigade have houses, but they live in them very rarely, on vacation and after retirement. Even pensioners go to the tundra whenever possible.
Why is it impossible to engage in reindeer husbandry on a permanent basis on a collective farm?
In Soviet times, attempts were made to establish stationary farming. But reindeer husbandry cannot be stationary; deer eat moss, which is renewed over the years. On the other hand, the number of deer cannot be increased uncontrollably for the same reason - there is simply not enough food in the vast expanses of the Tundra.
How is deer made into venison?
Every spring, deer give birth to offspring; Timofey has 1,200 calves in his brigade, half of which will need to be delivered to the slaughter plant on the collective farm by winter.
In December-January, deer are slaughtered. Most slaughterhouses (which are located in villages) do not have refrigeration facilities, so freezing occurs naturally. The number of deer in the Nenets Autonomous Okrug is 180 thousand; 30-35 thousand deer are slaughtered annually. 70-80% of the slaughter contingent are deer under 1 year old. For comparison: in the 70s of the last century, 60-70 thousand deer were slaughtered annually in the Nenets Autonomous Okrug.
Frozen deer carcasses are taken from populated areas in the tundra using a Mi-26 helicopter, this is the largest serial transport helicopter in the world! One hour of operation of the Mi-26 costs 670 thousand rubles/hour, the carrying capacity is 18 tons. With a purchase price of 125 rubles per 1 kg of venison, the cost of its helicopter transportation is another 90 rubles/kg!!! And there are simply no other options to get to remote regions of the district. There are no roads or winter roads! During the winter, the helicopter makes 20-25 such flights to different regions, where meat is centrally transported on snowmobiles from smaller villages or the deer are driven independently to large slaughter points. Moreover, there are flights of 1 hour, and there are flights of 5-6 hours.
The turnover of the only Naryan-Mar meat processing plant is 900 tons of venison per year. 450 tons are delivered by helicopter and 450 by ground transport along winter roads. In just one season, 1000-1100 tons are slaughtered in the Nenets Autonomous Okrug, 900 are taken and processed by the meat processing plant, and 100-150 are bought by the local population and used locally for their own needs.
How much does a deer cost?
One live deer costs an average of 15 thousand rubles. It's not just meat, it also has horns, hooves, skin...
10. Mariana is in the tent all summer, this is the only way to learn reindeer herding skills. In the Nenets Autonomous Okrug and Yakutia, distance education is being introduced, when even in winter children remain with their parents in the tundra, and basic education is taught by their parents.
Children help with the vast majority of household tasks. For example, Mariana helps to dart the reindeer, driving them into the karzak (an area limited by a net), where the shepherds select the reindeer for the sleigh team. Marina harnesses and unharnesses the reindeer herself without any problems.
12. The shepherds and the foreman know each reindeer by sight. Many have nicknames.
16.
Mariana, what toys do you have?
- (thinks) None, why do I need toys?
I'm wearing argish (sleigh with things and food), puppies, reindeer sleds...
22. Timofey found a fragment of a mammoth tusk, started digging, and found other bones. This is exactly why we flew to him this time. Then our expedition continued and we began to dig deeper in search of the rest of the skeleton.
24. Satellite dish and TV in the tent. One tank of diesel fuel in a diesel generator is enough for 6-8 hours of viewing. Everything is delivered only by helicopter in the summer! In winter it’s a little easier - you can bring the necessary things, food, and diesel fuel from the nearest village by snowmobile.
Loading...
