MONGOLIA’S FORGOTTEN REINDEER HERDERS: The Tsaatan Nomads of Hovsgol

MONGOLIA’S FORGOTTEN REINDEER HERDERS PHOTOGRAPHY TOURS WITH WILD IMAGES

For thousands of years, the Tsaatan people have lived in the remote, deep forests and tundras of northern Mongolia. Numbering only around 200 people they are an Inuit culture that is considered to be one of the smallest ethnic minorities in the world.

Moving from pasture to pasture every seven to ten weeks, this tiny community of nomadic reindeer herders is one of the few remaining tribes of its kind.

Natives of Russian Siberia and Mongolia’s northernmost province of Khovsgol, Tsaatan herders depend on their reindeer for nearly all aspects of survival, as well as cultural and spiritual identity.

But as modern development makes its way into their remote habitat, their ancient traditions are now at risk of dying out.  The introduction of a conservation area (which has restricted the Tsaatan from traditional hunting) in 2012, illegal mining and climate change have all added pressure on these special people, forcing many of them to move to towns and abandon their traditional nomadic lifestyle with their reindeer herds.

This tour will take you to the heart of the Taiga forest in northern Mongolia where we will camp alongside a family of traditional Tsaatan people for several days, learning about how they keep their reindeer and survive the harsh winters in this spectacular region of northern Mongolia.

After leaving the remote town of Murun, we will drive to the trailhead of Darkhad Valley in 4WD vehicles.  Along the way, we will see some of the most pristine landscapes in the world, gaze upon spectacular views, see stunning wild horses, yaks, and golden eagles, and meet incredible local people who will welcome you into their home with open arms and talk to us about the joys and hardships of nomadic life in Mongolia.

From there we will trek out to a family of herders living in a wild region of forest called Tengis Shishegt, near the border between Mongolia and Russia. Reindeer outdo horses in this wild terrain and they have allowed the Tsaatan to evade many of the upheavals that have historically afflicted people in the lowlands, from Genghis Khan to Communism.

The last remaining Tsaatan are spread out across 30 households in this area and to visit them is to witness something magical. A relationship between humans and animals that has stood the test of time, and a culture that has a deep respect for the earth and all of its gifts.

Originally from the Russian region of Tuva, the Tsaatan people live on the border of Mongolia and Russia in an area of boreal forests called the taiga.

The taiga constitutes the largest biome on earth, after the oceans, and it  is a snow forest (in winter) or swamp forest (in summer) that forms a border between the arctic tundra and the grasslands.

You can find taiga in any of the world’s northernmost countries including Russia, Mongolia, the Nordic countries in Europe, Canada and the US (Alaska). The taiga is actually the world’s second-largest biome (apart from the ocean), which is crazy considering I had never even heard of it before my trip to Mongolia.

While the taiga may seem like a cold and unforgiving environment to you, it’s the perfect place for the reindeer that the Tsaatan have grown to love and care for like family. And where their reindeer thrive, they thrive.

The Tsaatan and their reindeer have an incredible symbiotic relationship, each dependent on the other for survival. Without the reindeer, the Tsaatan could never survive in the taiga, and without the Tsaatan, the reindeer would die off at the paws of wolves.

The Tsaatan use their reindeer for dairy products (including milk, yoghurt and cheese) and transportation while the reindeer use the Tsaatan for safety and protection from predators. This symbiotic relationship necessitates that the Tsaatan live as nomads, moving with their reindeer as they graze on a very specific kind of arctic moss.

The taiga extends from Mongolia into Russia, and, in the past, the Tsaatan used to migrate freely between the two countries. However, Russia’s involvement in World War II ended that lifestyle. Consequently, food shortages and the fear of having their reindeer claimed by the government forced many of the Tsaatan people to move permanently into Mongolia.

While the Tsaatan have lived exclusively in Mongolia for almost 70 years now, they still speak their native language of Tuvan, making communication difficult for visitors without skilled translators.  Very few of them even speak Mongolian.

Life For the Tsaatan

The Tsaatan people live almost completely off the land, sleeping in Ortz, or tepees that are made from long skinny tree trunks around which a waterproof canvas covering is stretched. Beds are made from logs, warmth comes from a wood-fired stove and their sustenance comes entirely from their reindeer. The Tsaatan consider their reindeer as part of the family, so they rarely eat reindeer for meat.

Every few weeks a family will send one of their members into town to buy supplies and food that can’t be sourced at camp. Typical purchases would be flour, rice, vegetables, or clothes.

A typical day for Tsaatan people includes waking up, lighting the stove and then heading out to milk their reindeer. After milking the families gather in their tepees and make milk tea and breakfast on the stove. Following breakfast, the families let their reindeer loose and a few people work together to herd them away from camp to their grazing area where they are free to graze all day.

During the day families hang out together drinking tea and tending to different household tasks such as making yoghurt, cheese, and bread, hunting for meat, or gathering berries from the woods (in the summer).

In the evening Tsaatan families go out to get the reindeer from their grazing area and herd them back to camp where they are tethered for the night. After dinner, they will do a final night check of the reindeer before going to bed.

The Tsaatan typically move camp up to seven to eight times a year on migration.  This massive task involves packing all of their belongings (tepees, stoves, pots, utensils, clothes, etc.) on the backs of their reindeer so they can move to more favourable grazing grounds.

The culture of Shamanism in the Tsaatan Reindeer Herders.

Shamanism, one of the oldest religious beliefs in the world, is still widely practised by the Tsaatan reindeer herders in Mongolia.  Essentially it is the vehicle behind the close relationship Mongolian people share between nature and Tengrism (sky worship). Tengrists believe the sky, earth, nature and the spirits of their ancestors guard and bless all people. The Shamanistic practices among the Tsaatan are thought to be the oldest in the country. Not only do they worship their Shaman, but they have many mystical holy books as well, and use many different treatises in their daily lives, including those for hunting and for calling or banishing the rain.

We hope to meet a Tsaatan shaman on our tour to meet the reindeer herders of Mongolia.

Uushig Deer Stones

Located on the south-eastern side of rocky Mount Uushig 17km west of Murun, the Uushig Deer Stone area is home to several square burials and 14 deer stones in a single area depicting different figures that date back to the Bronze Age. The deer stones of Uushig are said to be the most clearly depicted deer stones in Mongolia. The deer stones are aligned from north to south in a single column. Each stone is between three and twenty metres distant from each other and is made of tetrahedral granite. A deer, an arch, a shield, a horse, a knife, the moon, the sun and a mirror-figured belt are all depicted on the stones. A total of 109 deer figures as well as some human figures are carved on 14 different stones at Uushig and visiting them on our Mongolia reindeer herder photography tour will give us a snapshot into the ancient ways of these special people.

Accommodation & Road Transport

Road transport is by 4WD vehicles.

Our fully supported camps includes beds with mattresses and bedding inside a shared traditional Ortz (or Tepee tent). A shared toilet tent will be provided.  Delicious meals will be supplied by camp cooks.

Please note that minimal washing facilities will be available at the nomad camp.  A bucket of water can be provided for simple washing every couple of days.

With the exception of the supported camps around the Tsaatan people, accommodation is in comfortable lodges, hotels and guest houses.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The ability to ride horses is essential on this expedition.  The distances in the Taiga are too long to trek and a Mongolian horse will be provided to assist our access to the Tsaatan.  Mongolian horses are generally quiet and sturdy to ride.  A horseback guide will be provided for each rider on the expedition.

Pack horses will be provided to carry luggage and our camp to the nomad camps.

Walking

This tour involves walking in sometimes muddy and boggy conditions over realtively flat ground.

Climate

The Hovsgol region lies very close to the border between Mongolia and Russia and we can expect days to be cool with temperatures between freezing and 10C.  During the nights the temperatures may drop to below zero.

Photographic Equipment

For most photography of the people in Mongolia, a travel lens of around 24-105mm on a full-frame DSLR or mirrorless body will be essential. A wide-angle lens of around 16mm or smaller will be perfect for working with the people inside gers or yurts.

If you prefer to photograph people from a distance, then please consider bringing a larger zoom or telephoto lens. It is our experience that sometimes people can feel a bit intimidated by large cameras and lenses so you may wish to bring a smaller sized zoom lens like a 100-400mm which doesn’t appear as intimidating as a large fixed focal length telephoto lens. Such a lens can also be useful for any wildlife we encounter.

If you bring a good quality bridge camera instead of a DSLR or mirrorless it will be best if it has an optical zoom of 18-20x or more, combined with a reasonable wide-angle at the other end of the zoom range.

If you have a phone or tablet that can be used for photography, you may find these quite useful around people.

Similarly, if you have a Polaroid camera like the Leica Sofort or an Instax Mini, these are wonderful to have on hand when you spend time with tribal people. If you decide to bring one of these, please bring lots of film with you as the photographs you produce will be quite popular!

Be sure to bring plenty of spare battery power. On a number of nights, there will be no access to power.

Drones are also a wonderful addition to your photography kit on our Mongolia photo tours, however, if you plan to bring your drone with you please contact our office to chat with our leader about drone photography in Mongolia.

If you would like to talk over suitable equipment, please contact our office. We will be happy to advise.