Original subtitles

'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.