THE NENETS: REINDEER HERDERS OF RUSSIA
The Reindeer Connection
The Nenets people of Siberia are expert reindeer herders who live in one of the harshest environments in the world, the frozen Arctic tundra. They share deep ties with the animals they herd.
“The reindeer is our home, our food, our warmth and our transportation,” says Nenets herdsman Sergei Hudi. Eaten raw, (cone-shaped tents). Heat is kept in and the cold out. When winter temperatures plunge to -50°, men wear coats made of four reindeer skins with the fur on the inside and the leather on the outside. Women’s coats are made of a double layer—about eight reindeer skins. Both men and women wear hip-high reindeer skin boots. Reindeer tendons are also used to make lassos, and bones become tools and sled parts. The reindeer pull sleds carrying the Nenets’ gear across the tundra as they migrate. To the Nenets, reindeer are life itself.
