All language subtitles for Living with Nomads 2of3 Siberia

'I've always been fascinated
by nomads.

'Constantly on the move...'

It's the most beautiful journey.

'..surviving in the world's
most remote wildernesses...'

Where's a removal van
when you need it?

'..and living cheek-by-jowl
with nature,

'it's always seemed
a wildly romantic existence.'

It's the most magical place.

'But it's no easy life...'

It's the sort of cold that makes you
feel physically sick.

'..and in today's modern world...'

'..they're under
increasing pressure.'

'I'm going to live
with three groups of nomads,

'in Nepal...'

Namaste.

'..Mongolia...'

Sain bain uu?

'..and now with the Nenets
in Siberia.'

It's kind of a really
exhilarating feeling!

'These reindeer herders have always
lived life on the margins...

'..but today, giant global threats

'are encroaching on their
traditional migrations.

'Can they hold on
to their ancient way of life?'

'The Yamal Peninsula
in Northern Russia - a vast

'and frozen wasteland jutting
deep into the Arctic Circle.'

'Home to the nomadic reindeer
people, the Nenets.'

'In their language, 'Yamal'
means "end of the world",

'and if anywhere feels like that,
it's this place.'

Minus 26 is the air temperature,

but with the wind chill,
it's minus 35.3.

I have never been
in the Arctic wilderness

in the teeth of the winter.

I feel inadequately prepared
for life in a landscape like this

and in temperatures like these.

It's truly impossible to imagine
how any human being could or would

choose to live
in a region like this.

'The Nenets have survived
in these extremes for generations.

'But now they're facing
serious threats that could

'undermine their
traditional way of life.'

Like so many
places in the world,

this is an environment
that is changing rapidly.

'Particularly with
regards to climate.

'In 2013, a dramatic
temperature rise in mid-winter

'led to the death
of thousands of reindeer.'

But it isn't the only threat
to these people.

The discovery of huge reserves
of gas in the Northern Peninsula

have brought in machinery,

have brought in roads,

have brought in railways.

'This massive infrastructure
supporting the gas industry

'is squeezing and blocking
the Nenets' migratory routes.

'I'm hoping to find out how they're
coping as these pressures

'stack up against them.

'It's early December

'and our journey begins
at the edge of the Arctic Circle,

'in the town of Salekhard.

'From here, six-wheel-drive trucks,
called Trekols,

'are taking us 200km further north.

'We've arranged a rendezvous
with a Nenets family

'who are migrating south
across the tundra - the barren,

'permafrost of the Yamal Peninsula.'

We'd been making our way
painfully slowly

along this very difficult road,

and suddenly the truck
in front of us,

which was carrying all the fuel
and a lot of our equipment,

lost an entire tyre.

This is the size of the thing
we are dealing with.

So poor Sergei and Igor
are now having to try and work out

how they can get this
back on the trailer.

As night falls, the temperature
drops to minus 40.

Attempting a repair in these
conditions is perilously difficult.

The trailer didn't
get fixed last night

and we ended up here,

which is one of these strange
trading posts next to the railway.

It was midnight
and everybody decided that

if there was anywhere to stay,
we would give up for the night.

We did actually find a part,
which is miraculous,

and Sergei and Igor
are welding it onto the trailer.

But we spent the night here,
in a shipping container,

everybody crowded in together.

Frankly, if we manage to get
to the Nenets camp today,

I think it will be a miracle.

'This remote trading post
serves as a depot for Gazprom,

'the Russian Energy Giant
exploiting the gas fields here

'and as one of the many
Reindeer slaughter houses

'that are dotted
across the Peninsula.

'In recent years,
many Nenets have been forced to

'leave their nomadic lives.

'Some of them
have ended up working here.'

I heard there was very bad weather
for reindeer last year

and that a lot of herders like
yourself lost a lot of animals.

'It's a truly heart-breaking story,

'one that's been
repeated across the tundra.

'In 2013, over 15,000 reindeer died

'and over 60 families were ruined.'

Is there something, one thing,

that you would hold
responsible for that,

that you would blame for that?

'With the trailer repaired,
there's over 100km to go,

'and the temperature is
a staggeringly low minus 54.'

Basically,
we tried to leave the trading post,

and, almost instantly,
the Trekol got a puncture.

And, as they were fixing that,
the diesel started

to freeze in both vehicles.

So nothing is working.

I think the real concern is that
if we try and head off even further

into the wilderness, we might be
stranded in the middle of nowhere.

'To make matters worse,
the delays mean we've missed

'our rendezvous with the Nenets
family we had planned to stay with.'

'We've no choice but to head back
to our starting point,

'the town of Salekhard.'

Being up there, at that trading post
gave me a real sense of,

you know, of another way of life.

I just felt deeply saddened
by the way

that those people's lives
had turned out.

Those men were killing reindeer,
day in, day out -

that was their job.

And those were people
whose whole lives

had been about living with,
living alongside,

and looking after reindeer.

That would destroy
the most robust of human souls.

'Having missed the meeting
with our original family,

'we need to find another group
who will take us in.'

Our quest for a new
reindeer herding family

has begun in a different Trekol.

This one running on petrol,
so hopefully it won't freeze up,

despite the fact that it is

absolutely bitter again outside,
minus 35.

'We head for another slaughterhouse
where we've been told

'Nenets families
are delivering their reindeer.'

Is this the place?

The slaughterhouse is over there.

'At this time of year,
the Nenets come in from their camps

'in the surrounding tundra
to sell some of their animals.'

'The cash they earn will buy
what they need to survive
the year ahead.'

Maybe we'll go up.
Let's go up and see.

'It's an extraordinary but sad sight
as the reindeer are rounded up

'into pens ready for slaughter.'

'Every part of the animal is used -

'the meat is sold
into a profitable global market,

'while the fur is made
into clothing.'

It's indescribably cold.
It's the sort of cold that makes you

feel physically sick
if you exert yourself in any way.

And it feels like I'm...

Like I've sort of jumped into
this other worldly scene of,

kind of, life and death.

It's hard to describe when your
brain is frozen. It's so cold.

I can feel my eyelashes
freezing to my cheeks.

'The Yamal Peninsula is home to the
world's largest reindeer population,

'with 600,000 animals looked after
by 15,000 nomads.'

It's rather sad that my first
feel of the reindeer here

is the ones that are about
to be slaughtered.

But I suppose what
they also represent is

the survival for another year
of the people who own them.

'With the reindeer rounded up,

'their owners take a break
inside a communal building.'

Good? Shall we do that one as well?

Oh, it's cold!

'There are several families here,

'but one seems particularly
friendly.'

So, Natasha,
who lives with your family?

And will you be migrating again
when you're finished here, Natasha?

Would you allow me
to come and learn from you

about the Nenets way of life?

Women are in charge - always.

'We set off for the family's camp -
Natasha and her daughter

'guiding the way, while Kostya
travels back on his sledge.'

It's an hour's drive through
the snow and across a frozen river.

WHEELS BUMP OFF ICE
Sorry.

That's OK. No, you're doing good
driving, Daniel, don't worry.

VAN HORN TOOTS

There's a man up the tree here.

I was thinking,
"What on earth is he doing?"

Apparently he's trying
to get a mobile phone signal.

This is modern nomadism for you.

Oh, it's beautiful. Look.

'Natasha and Kostya
are nearing the end

'of their 500km seasonal migration.

'At the moment,
they're moving every few days.

'They're travelling
with two other families.

'Next door is Yegor,
Kostya's brother,

'and in the third tent, or 'chum',
is their friend, Vitaly.'

OK, OK.

DOG BARKS

'These traditional chums
are all that protect these

'families from the
harsh Siberian winter.

'A simple wooden frame is covered
with reindeer skins and that's it.

'Without a fire,
it's as cold inside as out,

'and right now that's minus 38.'

But what a place to be!

There is something so harsh
and bleak about this landscape,

and it seems amazing that these
little pyramids of snow are

enough to keep whole families alive
in conditions as harsh as this.

I think the thing that always
strikes me is just

how pared-down their lives are.

You know, this is it.

DOG BARKS EXCITEDLY

Natasha and Kostya
have four children -

three boys away
at boarding school,

and a five-year-old
daughter, Papaneya,

and their cat, Marushka.

What type of fish is this?

Is it from the river
or from the sea?

And do you fish for it?

'Traditionally the Nenets would have
caught their own fish or

'traded with other families, but now
with the arrival of the road,

'they can buy supplies
from passing traders.'

Oh, it is! I don't think I've ever
eaten raw, frozen fish before,

but it's not bad.

'It seems the modern sits alongside
the ancient here -

'they camp where the mobile
signal's best, but still

'live in reindeer-skin tents and
ride on hand-carved wooden sleds.'

If things like telephone connection
are important,

does that mean that your generation

is camping in different areas
than the generation

before there were phones?

Have you, sort of, moved your
migratory routes?

'Kostya has to move
the herd to new pasture,

'so while his neighbours round up
the reindeer to pull the sleds,

'he prepares the harnesses.'

Is it the same rule for children?

'In Nenets culture, once a female
reaches puberty, it's considered

'bad luck if she steps over ropes,
poles, and even men's boots.

'It's believed to bring misfortune
to the family and their herd.'

So, Kostya, when I see this,
should I lift it up

and put it over like this?

So I have to walk around it?

And that's just for women?
For men, it's OK, you can step?

OK.

'These ancient beliefs are part
of the Nenets' animist faith.

'They believe everything in nature
possesses a spiritual force.

'When women start to menstruate,
they become directly connected

'to this force -
known by the Nenets as 'sya'mei'.'

DOGS BARK IN DISTANCE

'Kostya and his neighbours
share over 300 reindeer,

'and like their ancestors,

'they rely on them for food,
warmth and transport.

'The three families own
individual animals,

'but they all share the workload.'

'Amazingly, Kostya, Yegor and Vitaly
can tell each animal apart,

'even at several hundred metres.'

Oh, got it, good shot!

'The Nenets'
animals are semi-domesticated

'cousins of wild reindeer.

'The bulk of the herd
is for trading,

'whilst some are used
to pull sleds.'

'A few are believed to be

'sacred and will not be killed
until they're too old to walk.'

Can you all explain to me

how important reindeer are
to your life?

So this is my first...

break-neck ride
on a reindeer sledge.

It's an incredibly
exhilarating feeling.

'We're taking the herd out
to new pasture for the night.

'It's a 4km ride.'

The ground looks incredibly rough,

but it's actually
quite a smooth ride,

and they move
a lot faster than you'd think.

'The men's days are ruled
by caring for their reindeer,

'making sure they get enough food,
and protecting the herd

'from predators like foxes, eagles,
wolverines and wolves.'

Actually, it's quite hilly.

I don't know how we are going
to get through here.

We're going just bashing
through some trees.

'After half an hour,
we arrive at a clearing.

'The reindeer scrape through the
snow to reach the lichen below.

'Remarkably, it's all
that sustains them

'through the long winter months.'

DOGS BARK

'The Nenets need to be
constantly on the move,

'migrating up and down
the Peninsula,

'to ensure that their herds
have enough to eat.'

Just to be out here,

with these people,

having had all the trials
and tribulations we've had...

And what was really, really lovely
was just seeing how Kostya

completely understood his reindeer,
his dogs, the landscape.

You know, I have only just met him,
but I think I've lost my heart.

And this little puppy! You did well,
didn't you, Little Tail?

You can see he's clearly learning

from the other dogs,

and when the other dogs
are all going 'woof woof',

he starts going 'WOOF WOOF!'.
You see?

Come on, do it again.

Go on, Little Tail.

DOG GROWLS

DOG BARKS

'We all bed down in the chum
together, the family on one side,

'the crew and I on the other.'

So...I'm not quite sure

what time it is in the morning.

They have been amazingly
hospitable, these two.

They absolutely refused to let me

and the crew sleep in a tent -

they thought we'd die -

so we spent the night
here in the chum.

And I think this is where
we're going to be for the next week.

Quite tired.

So there are many
challenging things

about this environment.

But there's one challenge
that doesn't get any easier,

and that involves quite a long walk

through thick, inhospitable snow,

the wind howling,
your nose dribbling,

until finally you think,

"OK, is this far enough away?"

But we have to bear in mind

that it's about minus 20
out here this morning.

So the key is...be quick!

DRIBBLING SOUND

'Most days, the men tend
to the reindeer,

'whilst the women
look after the home.

'And these strict gender roles also
extend to the dress code.'

MEN AUDIBLE THROUGH MIC:

'It turns out, I've been unwittingly
upsetting the men with my clothing.'

So, Natasha and her neighbour,
which is also her sister in law,

have told me that basically
wearing a pair of salopettes

is completely unacceptable,

so I need to wear a skirt.

So do you both make
all your clothes?

So, Natasha,
how did you meet Kostya?

KATE LAUGHS

What happens? Can you tell me
about a Nenets wedding?

So when your sons are older,
will you do the same for them?

OK, so I put it on like that?

Yeah, what do you think?

Come here.

Look at us, we are the
best looking girls on the tundra.

What do you think?

Pretty? Yeah?

'Natasha and Kostya's camp
is next to the Gazprom Railway.'

'This afternoon,

'the director of the 350-mile
train track is coming to visit.'

'The railway has blocked some
of the Nenets' migration routes,

'as the reindeer and sleds
struggle to cross the track.

'The gas industry has also
been accused of damaging
feeding grounds.

'Alexandra Malenchuk and his family
are here on a PR exercise

'to find out how this heavy industry
is affecting the Nenets' lives.'

So, Galina and Galina, is this
your first time up to this area?

Your first time.

And, Alexander, you work up here?
You're based up here, your work?

'When the Soviet state
collapsed in the 1990s,

'multinational corporations
flooded in to explore

'the tundra for
its huge gas reserves.

'In 2011, Gazprom, the Russian
energy giant, began to exploit them.

'At $41 billion,

'it's the fourth most expensive
energy project in the world,

'and a vital and strategic part
of the Russian economy.'

How did you meet Kostya and Natasha?

'To compensate
the Nenets for blocking

'some of their migration routes,
the railway has made concessions.'

Was any compensation given to

the nomadic people in this area?

'The gas industry pays each
Nenets adult £20 a month,

'and funds development
across the Tundra.'

Do you think that
this is good progress

for the people of the tundra?

It was a very interesting
little visit.

I thought the most
telling thing about him

was how extraordinarily well
media trained he was.

There was a man who was never, ever,

ever going to answer
a question straight.

'There are, no doubt,
some benefits for the Nenets.

'The tax revenues raised
by the local government from

'the gas industry are helping
to finance schools

'and medical facilities
in the Yamal district.'

What scares me is that
these are big, powerful industries

and, I suspect, pretty unstoppable.

Is this is a way of them

seemingly to be doing
the local people here a favour,

when actually what they're doing
is gently eradicating their culture?

'With gas production planned
to treble over the next 15 years,

'the impact on the Nenets
is only just beginning.'

'It's very early in the morning
and the family are on the move.'

'It's migration day,
the absolute essence of nomadism.

For me, it's incredibly romantic.
It's the sort of thing

that, as a child... I wanted to be a
nomad, or a gypsy, or in the circus,

you know, somebody who was
constantly on the move.

'Kostya, Natasha, their neighbours

'and their reindeer
are heading for new pastures

'and I'm going with them.'

'Everything has to be packed up
and put on a specific sled.'

Literally five minutes ago, everyone
was sitting around very relaxed

having tea,
and then suddenly the whole thing is

dismantled
in what seems like moments.

It's like trying to manoeuvre
giant chopsticks!

'It has taken three hours
to pack three families

'and their entire lives
onto 33 sleds.'

'The migration is a colourful
affair - the sleds are decorated

'with bells and red leather tassels,

'and the reindeer
wear special harnesses.'

It's a very beautiful thing -
what's it made out of?

This is mammoth?

Really?

Do you still find mammoth
sometimes out on the tundra?

The women are concerned that
this jacket won't be good enough.

Oh, my,
that looks very special!

'This reindeer-skin coat is called a
Yagushka - handmade and intricately

'embroidered by the women, it can
take as long as a year to complete.'

It looks very special.

Are you sure
I'm allowed to wear this?

Gradually, they're getting
their wicked way

and turning me into a Nenets woman.

Good, good, good.

Yeah?

I feel very, very honoured.

'With everything finally packed,
we're off.'

'We head down the ice road,
alongside the railway,

'with the herd following behind.'

'Kostya and Natasha have travelled
nearly 500km south since September

'and now are only a few weeks away
from their winter grazing grounds.'

'Dusk's falling as we head off the
road and onto the wide-open tundra.'

'After 6km, we arrive at the new
camp, just as the wind picks up.'

It was the most beautiful journey.

There something just amazing about

looking back and there
was this great line of reindeer

and their sledges and their loads.

And what was quite funny was...

we stopped in this place
and then Natasha came up

and you could see
her standing like this -

she was checking
the mobile phone signal,

and I'm assuming it was OK...

Oh, hold on, Kostya.

..cos we've now stopped.

'The floor is laid out first.'

'Then the chum framework goes up.'

'It's intriguingly simple -

'three poles tied together
that the others lean against.'

'But trying to cover the frame
with a gale blowing is

'a bit of a challenge.'

'As the last layer
of reindeer skin goes on,

'the family's protected against the
worst that Siberia can throw at it.'

'Natasha lights a fire inside
and the dogs curl up outside.'

I'm tired, that was a tiring day.

But will this be now where
you spend the rest of the winter?

Wow. So, how many times
will you move to get there?

Five more times? Whoa.

When do you, then, begin
to migrate back in the summer?

Well, it was a great honour
to be part of it today.

So, this is our new home.

What I'm really getting a sense of
is this relationship between them

and their reindeer.

It's a symbiotic relationship,

which allows people and animal
to be up in this really wild place.

And to, not just scratch a survival,

but live a kind of enviably...

..successful way of life here.

It's quite funny.
I just caught Natasha

having a little moment
with some of her reindeer.

She's a complete softie. She's comes
out here with bits of bread

and feeds some of her favourites,
including you, doesn't she? Hmm?

I haven't got any bread.

You're a reindeer -
you're supposed to eat lichen!

'The reindeer are
meticulously cared for

'because the Nenets simply
can't live without them.'

'Reindeer meat is the staple food

'and one animal can last a family
up to a month.'

So, Kostya is killing
a reindeer now.

And he stuns the animal first with
the axe on the top of the head,

and then he stabs it
in the back of the head,

and then straight into the heart.

And the animal's dead already.

DOG BARKS

'This is a non-breeding male that
has been kept specifically for meat.

'Nothing will be wasted.'

DOGS BARK AND HOWL

'The Nenets eat some of
the reindeer meat raw...

'..and the fat and offal
while it's still warm.'

'It's a delicacy to drink the blood,

'which is salted
to stop it congealing.'

LAUGHING: Very small, Kostya.

'But the biggest treat
is the warm raw liver.'

So I take all of it?

Like this?

Can I have half of it?

It's quite a mental process

to eat this.

Can't say I'm enjoying it
terribly much, but it's actually

a very mild taste and an oddly
kind of quite crisp texture.

You, sort of,
expect liver to be soft

because I've only ever had it
cooked before.

'The families gather round the
reindeer carcass to eat their fill,

'but they've asked us
not to film any close ups.

'In the past, the Nenets
have been portrayed badly

'in Russian and foreign media,

'sometimes being called savages and
even vampires for eating raw meat.

'But why wouldn't you eat
the meat while it's fresh and warm?

'In this cold, it'll be
frozen solid in minutes.'

'The Nenets make almost everything
they need - their sleds,

'harnesses, chums
and all their clothing.

'Whilst Kostya works on
some antlers that he can sell,

'Natasha's making sewing thread
from dried reindeer sinew.'

I've got my own hair! I've managed
to plait it into my hair!

Like that? Mm-hmm.

Don't tempt me.

PHONE RINGS

Hello.

'It's one of Natasha
and Kostya's sons.'

'Their three sons are away
at school - it's the legacy

'of the old Soviet system, which
provided education for all Nenets.

'Most children have to board

'as their parents
are constantly on the move.'

Is it hard to send
your children away to school?

And do they, then, come back and
spend the holidays here with you?

And Papaneya, how old will
she be when she goes to school?

'Natasha, get her on the subject
of education and you can see

there's a slight
sort of mistiness comes over her.

She would love, I think,
to have gone to university.

And although Kostya and Natasha
feel very rooted here to the tundra,

it would be interesting to see
what choices their children make.

And, I suppose the reality is,
will they actually be able

to make that choice,
or will gas extraction

and climate actually
take that choice away from them?

I don't know.

'It's my last morning living
alongside Natasha, Kostya

'and their family.'

Thanks you so much
for all your help.

Thank you for lending me
your beautiful coat.

'I've become genuinely fond
of the whole family,

'so leaving them
is going to be hard.

OK, Papaneya.

Ha-ha!

Got ya, got ya!

This is a life
that is incredibly difficult,

not just because it's so cold -

you know, we're north
of the Arctic Circle...

This is a life on the edge.

Thank you.

Nomadic families all over the world
are adapting, evolving,

if you like, to include parts
of the modern world that suit them.

But I get the feeling here that
they've done all those things,

but there is such a big outside
influence that is also chipping,

chipping, chipping insidiously
away at their lives,

and that is the fact
that the Yamal Peninsula

is one big gas reserve.

Thanks, Kostya.

Spasibo, spasibo, spasibo.

'Frankly, a few nomadic people are
not going to be able to stop

that level of development,
and I really hope I'm wrong,

but I'm just not sure,

and that makes me
feel genuinely sad.

'Next time, I journey to
Mongolia...'

It's the most magical place.

'..to live with a family of nomads

'who are adapting
to the modern world...

'deep in the Gobi Desert.'

'But life in this wilderness

'is still dominated
by the power of nature...'

Like any good Mongolian spring day,
it's starting to snow.

'..as storms and predators

'constantly threaten
their nomadic way of life.'

I can't stand here and say,
"Don't kill that wolf."

It's not my place to.