The Plight of Mongolia's Reindeer Herding People
Reindeer are milked twice a day by women of the tribe. The yogurt-like milk is four to five times more fatty than cow’s milk.
The mountainous boreal forests of the taiga are harsh, wild, and achingly beautiful. Although not as well known as the either the Gobi Desert or the grassy steppe of Mongolia, the taiga nevertheless represents the world’s largest biome.
Beginning where the frozen tundra ends, the taiga’s dark, coniferous woodlands stretch almost continuously from Eurasia across to sub-arctic North America. It is an important place because of its tremendous environmental value and as the home of the indigenous Dukha people and their reindeer herds – yet it is currently under threat.
Reindeer are milked twice a day by women of the tribe. The yogurt-like milk is four to five times more fatty than cow’s milk.The mountainous boreal forests of the taiga are harsh, wild, and achingly beautiful. Although not as well known as the either the Gobi Desert or the grassy steppe of Mongolia, the taiga nevertheless represents the world’s largest biome.
Beginning where the frozen tundra ends, the taiga’s dark, coniferous woodlands stretch almost continuously from Eurasia across to sub-arctic North America. It is an important place because of its tremendous environmental value and as the home of the indigenous Dukha people and their reindeer herds – yet it is currently under threat.
This is not an easy place
in which to live. Mostly, it is cold: the average temperature is below
32°F (0°C) and can drop all the way to a bone-chilling -65°F (-53°C).
However, in the summer months the heat can shoot all the way up to 70°F
(21°C), a massive variation from the usual chill. Yet, for the forests
of the taiga and its flora and fauna, these are the perfect conditions
for life.
The woman pictured, Chechek (Flower), was host to the photographer and is a shaman of the taiga.
For over 3,000 years, the Dukha people (also known as the Tsaatan) have lived here, adapting their nomadic lifestyle to the extreme weather and landscape of the taiga. During this time they have become bound to their reindeer herds, which provide them with everything from meat, hides and milk to a vital system of transport. Everything on the reindeer, down to the antlers, is used by the Dukha. They are a hardy people – as they would have to be to survive in this challenging terrain. Yet the population of the Dukha, and the reindeer on which they rely, are dwindling, and urgent changes are needed if they are to continue with their ancient way of life.
Photographer Uluc Kecik traveled into the taiga to capture these pictures and meet the Dukha in Mongolia’s northernmost reaches. “Today, the Dukha represent Mongolia's smallest ethnic minority, with approximately 45 nomadic households herding reindeer,” says Kecik. “They are, to varying degrees, facing threats to their cultural survival – transitions to market-based economies, tourism, global warming, language loss and assimilation into the dominant majority.”
The Dukha’s Mongolian name “Tsataan” can be translated as “reindeer herder”, reinforcing just how inextricably their whole way of living is tied to these animals. As recently as 15 years ago, the Dukha (along with three other nomadic tribes of the region) herded up to 15,000 reindeer between them. These days, the number has dwindled to 2,200 and is still falling.
The reindeer themselves are tame and will often respond when called. Traditionally, the Dukha have primarily hunted wild animals for meat, slaughtering their reindeer only when the animals were past breeding age and too old to be used for transport. However, these days, difficult economic times and the decreasing amount of wildlife in the forests mean that, more and more, herders are forced to kill and eat their reindeer to survive.
The woman pictured, Chechek (Flower), was host to the photographer and is a shaman of the taiga.For over 3,000 years, the Dukha people (also known as the Tsaatan) have lived here, adapting their nomadic lifestyle to the extreme weather and landscape of the taiga. During this time they have become bound to their reindeer herds, which provide them with everything from meat, hides and milk to a vital system of transport. Everything on the reindeer, down to the antlers, is used by the Dukha. They are a hardy people – as they would have to be to survive in this challenging terrain. Yet the population of the Dukha, and the reindeer on which they rely, are dwindling, and urgent changes are needed if they are to continue with their ancient way of life.
Photographer Uluc Kecik traveled into the taiga to capture these pictures and meet the Dukha in Mongolia’s northernmost reaches. “Today, the Dukha represent Mongolia's smallest ethnic minority, with approximately 45 nomadic households herding reindeer,” says Kecik. “They are, to varying degrees, facing threats to their cultural survival – transitions to market-based economies, tourism, global warming, language loss and assimilation into the dominant majority.”
The Dukha’s Mongolian name “Tsataan” can be translated as “reindeer herder”, reinforcing just how inextricably their whole way of living is tied to these animals. As recently as 15 years ago, the Dukha (along with three other nomadic tribes of the region) herded up to 15,000 reindeer between them. These days, the number has dwindled to 2,200 and is still falling.
The reindeer themselves are tame and will often respond when called. Traditionally, the Dukha have primarily hunted wild animals for meat, slaughtering their reindeer only when the animals were past breeding age and too old to be used for transport. However, these days, difficult economic times and the decreasing amount of wildlife in the forests mean that, more and more, herders are forced to kill and eat their reindeer to survive.
As one United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) document puts it,
“Taiga reindeer herders, including the Dukhas, have been likened to
hunter-gatherers, rather than true pastoralists, because hunting wild
meat has played as important a role in their livelihoods as herding."
The Dukha and their reindeer move between six and ten times a year.
The taiga is normally a rich habitat, sustaining creatures such as
bears, squirrels, rabbits, badgers and, of course, reindeer. Yet, in
recent times, commercial hunting and other factors have severely
diminished the wild animal population. And not only does this result in
there being less for the Dukha to hunt, but also less for their hunting
competitors, the wolves. This means that, like the herders, wolves are
also preying on the reindeer stocks.
Another environmental problem for the taiga – and therefore the reindeer
herders – is unregulated mining. These small-scale operations,
generally searching for gold or jade, cause large-scale damage to the
forest ecosystem. Some of the undesirable side effects of the mines are
deforestation, wildfires, and contamination with toxic chemicals that
affects both the land and water sources. All of this has adverse results
for the animals living within the forest and the herders needing to
pasture their animals.Like people who live off the land all around the world, the Dukha are
also being affected by climate change. “The taiga – the Dukha homeland –
is a hotspot for biodiversity and is rich in natural resources,” says
UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner.
“But it is also one of the regions of Mongolia which could suffer the
greatest impacts of climate change over the coming decades.”
The effects of climate change in the taiga include disastrous weather
patterns. In the last twelve years, there have been seven erratic
weather events – from droughts to extreme winters – a sobering
statistic, considering the fact that there had only been three such
extreme weather events in the 60 years leading up to the year 2000.
These changes create added demand for suitable grazing land and put more
stress on the ecology and herding communities.
Trimming the antlers to allow for maneuverability in the trees.
Bad weather, overhunting, wolves and mining are unfortunately not the
only problems for reindeer herds. Another major factor in their
declining population are the effects of inbreeding and disease. For
thousands of years, the Dukha have been experts in reindeer husbandry – a
skill passed down through families for generations. In the past, this
was sufficient to keep the herds strong and healthy, but sadly it is
perhaps no longer enough. Unfortunately, much of the collective knowledge about reindeer husbandry
was lost during the mismanagement of the Soviet years. Inbreeding among
herds meant weaker stock that was more susceptible to diseases such as
brucellosis. Caused by bacteria, brucellosis leads to reproductive
problems and joint swelling in the animals it infects.
Even those reindeer uninfected by brucellosis are showing the other
adverse signs of inbreeding. For one thing, new calves are born small
and sickly. Females will also sometimes be born with fewer teats and,
when they reach child-bearing age, give birth to twins, which normally
die – two clear signs that there is not enough genetic variety in the
herd. During the 1960s and 1980s, the Soviet government tried to deal with the
low population and inbreeding problem by replenishing the herd with
reindeer from Siberia. Since the fall of the USSR, however, there have
been no more outside additions. While some suggest bringing in reindeer,
or at least their semen, from herds in Siberia, or from even further
climes such as Canada or Scandinavia, As suggested, not everyone agrees that introducing foreign stock into
these reindeer herds is a good idea. Some think that introducing new
genes will mess with the generations of adaptations the Dukha have bred
into the taiga reindeer to make them suitable for their use,
particularly as transport animals. Opponents have also pointed out that
molecular research has been done on the taiga herds, and that so far
they have been found to be no more inbred than many other similar
populations. The research continues.
In the old days, pole houses were covered with reindeer hide; now, canvas is used.
Yet despite these objections, plans to introduce new blood to the herd
continue. According to a Dukha herder Bayandalai, it is definitely a
good idea. “The reindeer our ancestors used to herd were healthy,” he
says. “Today I have only one wish, and that is for the government to
bring in reindeer from Siberia, Scandinavia, or Canada. If not reindeer,
then reindeer semen.”
Whatever impact inbreeding has on the health of the reindeer herds,
there are also other factors contributing to the problem. One of these
is the increasingly stationary lifestyle of the Dukha people. Once, the
Dukha were nomadic wanderers, but the younger generations are being
lured to settle down by the promise of schools and consumer goods.
Border closings, such as that between Mongolia and Russia, and the
degradation and commercial use of land, also mean the Dukha are not as
free to graze their herds as they once were.
This restricted movement means the reindeer herds now have difficulty
getting the lichen they need for nutrition. The Dukha also believe that
the disruption of natural migration patterns, as well as climate change,
has led to more health problems like parasites and diseases. They also
blame increased transportation of the reindeer from the taiga to the
steppe, and the contact they make with livestock along the way, for
spreading infection. Added to this is the limited availability of
veterinary care for sick animals.
On the positive side, organizations such as UNEP and international NGOs
are working to help the people of the taiga retain their culture and way
of life. UNEP has made several proposals, including making a record of
traditional Dukha knowledge and promoting biodiversity in the region.
They also propose that strategies be drawn up for future land use and
that this be closely monitored for its impact on the environment
UNEP also advises that tourism be regulated so that it has a positive
rather than negative impact on the sensitive ecosystem. For this, they
recommend talks between tour operators, local government, land users and
herders to reach agreements for the benefit of all. Further, they
suggest that current hunting regulations be evaluated to measure their
impact on the Dukha and their means of support.
Of utmost importance will be a program to grow the reindeer herds and
provide them with veterinary care using, as UNEP say, both Western and
traditional knowledge. Aiding them in this is a New York-based
organization, The Totem Peoples Project, which is raising funds to
research the diseases and health problems of the taiga reindeer as well
as lobbying the local government for more support for the Dukha.
“Reindeer are more than simply the animal which provides a livelihood
in the taiga,” says Daniel Plumley, founder of the Totem Peoples
Project. “They represent the culture here. Without the reindeer, the
culture would cease to exist.” Batulga, a Dukha reindeer specialist,
agrees. “Without the reindeer we are not Dukha,” he says.
Of the current work being done to help the Dukha and their herds, Batulga says, “We have had success in our difficult work, but we have only just begun. We give our deepest thanks to all who can help us, the Dukha, to continue the proud way of our people.”
For our part, we can only hope that efforts to keep alive the millennia-old way of life for these reindeer nomads prove successful, and that the Dukha people and their herds will always remain part of the Mongolian taiga.
Photos: Uluc Kecik
Written by: Yohani Kamarudin
Of the current work being done to help the Dukha and their herds, Batulga says, “We have had success in our difficult work, but we have only just begun. We give our deepest thanks to all who can help us, the Dukha, to continue the proud way of our people.”
For our part, we can only hope that efforts to keep alive the millennia-old way of life for these reindeer nomads prove successful, and that the Dukha people and their herds will always remain part of the Mongolian taiga.
Photos: Uluc Kecik
Written by: Yohani Kamarudin
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