THE NENETS PEOPLE An indigenous people of northern Russia |Eszter|
The nomadic Nenet tribes of the Yamal peninsula in Siberia.
REINDEER
Reindeer are the basis of the Nenets culture, providing food, shelter, tools, income and more . Every year, the Nenets tribes migrate along the Yamal peninsula, along ancient migration routes. But no one knows if the reindeers lead the people, or vice-versa. During the winter, at temperatures of -50°C or less, the reindeer graze on moss and lichen, as there aren't many plants due to the permafrost. Reindeer are extremely important to this nomadic tribe and are an important spiritual symbol.
SHELTER
Nenets live in teepee style tents, which are basically reindeer skins that are mounted on heavy, long, wooden poles. These tents, called choom or mya, usually hold one family and, during migration, are moved every other day. Outside, sledges and caravans carrying belongings and supplies are arranged in a half-circle around the tent. Toilets are placed away from the tents, usually separated into male and female areas. The Nenets are known to carry sticks with them to the toilet to fend off any reindeer looking for salty fluids.
GAS EXTRACTION AND RAILWAY
The Yamal Megaproject is a plan to exploit the gas in the peninsula that was initiated in the 1990s. Billions of cubic meters will be piped to western Europe to collect gas, and the Nenets people fear that this will interrupt their migration. As they migrate, the pass many pipelines, drilling towers and roads that are changing the tundra, making it hard for them to migrate. The Obskaya-Bovanenkovo Railway Line is the northernmost railway in the world, built by Gazprom, the same company that started the Yamal Megaproject. The railway line was built to supply the gas fields in Bovanenkovo and deliver supplies. This railway is also disrupting their migration routes, using up all their natural resources and changing the land.
TUNDRA NENETS There are more than 42,000 Tundra Nenets in the Russian Federation, as of 2010, making them one of the largest indigenous groups in Northern Siberia. Tundra Nenets are mostly reindeer herders and breeders, as reindeer are their main source of food, clothing, shelter (skin tents) and transport. The all speak either Nenets and/or Russian and have been slowly migrating up the Yamal peninsula yearly for 1,000 years, residing between the Kanin and Taymyr peninsulas.
FOOD
Reindeer meat is the most important part of the Nenets' diet. It is not uncommon for the Nenets people to eat the meat raw, as they may not have the means to always boil or cook their meat, but they do occasionally eat it frozen. They eat the reindeer meat while drinking its warm blood, as it is rich in vitamins and nutrients, and warms them up from the inside. They also eat fish, like salmon and muksun, that they eat frozen or raw, and collect berries in the summer.
CLIMATE CHANGE
The Nenets tribes and their reindeer are under threat from climate change. As the temperatures are rising, the permafrost is melting and bodies of water are taking longer and longer to freeze. The Nenets cross the frozen Ob River in November every year, but these past few years, they have had to wait until late December until the ice was thick enough to cross. The longer they wait, the more hungry the reindeer get, since there isn't enough pasture. The snow is melting earlier every year, making it difficult for the reindeer to pull the sledges and weather is always unpredictable, causing problems, like snowstorms, in May, when the reindeers give birth. The average winter temperature has increased by 20ºC, melting permafrost and releasing tonnes of CO2 and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Even some species of insects have disappeared and other species have increased, all due to global warming.