infoNenets by Heidi Bradner
Saturday 6 December 2003 to Sunday 1 February 2004
Surviving Stalin's diktats in the 30s, the Nenets adapted to communism, but kept to their nomadic way of life on the frozen tundra of Siberia's Yamal Peninsula. Everything the Nenets need can be roughly covered by one word: reindeer. These half-domesticated, half-wild animals supply almost all their food, clothing, transport and shelter. They also provide playmates and pets. Sasha's wife, Tatiana, who is in her early forties, has been looking after one calf, Horha, since his mother died. On icy days, Horha's antlers are too small to break through the snow, so Tatiana helps him dig for the lichens beneath. In return, Horha takes food from Tatiana's hand and comes running every time he hears her call. But beyond this individual connection, the life of the Nenets is linked to the herds in more fundamental ways. They move as the reindeer move, following the annual migrations. Heidi Bradner
Now, in Russia's post-Soviet era, Gazprom is drilling and building pipelines and railways across the fragile eco-system, the River Ob is polluted and the debris of industrial development cuts into the deer's hooves.
For us, deer are wealth. Without them we are nothing. Without them, we could not survive. Sergei Serotetta (Head of the 8th Brigade of Reindeer Herders)
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