Reindeer Blog

Russia Today have a short video that features a reindeer herding family in the village of Varyogan, Khanty Mansisk, Russia. Khanty and Mansi peoples are ancient reindeer herding peoples, but their traditional livelohoods have come under a great deal of pressure from development, most particularly the oil and gas industry, which has been active for several decades in this region. Khanty-Mansisk is an area of northwestern Siberia nearly the size of France. It is home to about 18,000 native Siberians from three different cultures-Khanty, Mansi and Forest Nenets.

While Kamzakin speaks of snowmobiles received from oil companies in return for access to pastures, he also alludes to the damage that is being done to the ecology of the region as a result of their activities. Watch the clip here.