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A Chum Alone: A Day Among Siberia's Reindeer Breeders
| Article
# : |
11048 |
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Section : |
CULTURE
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| Issue
Date : |
11 / 1993 |
2,133 Words |
| Author
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Elena Pavlova
Elena Pavlova is senior literary assistant for But Why? an
educational magazine published in Moscow. This essay is a
retelling of a legend first collected and recorded by the
Russian folklorist Alexander Afanasiev (1826--1871). |
Nelmy Nos, a reindeer ranch, is located sixty kilometers from Naryan-Mar, the capital of the Nenets Autonomous District in northwest Russia, near the Pechora Sea. Even in summer it can only be reached by helicopter. The landscape is a labyrinth of rivers, lakes, and swamps. There are few clear landmarks. Not for nothing do the Nenets say, "A chum (dwelling) alone in the tundra is like a needle lost in a haystack."
Our helicopter landed on the banks of a little river, the Mezolva, and a crowd of narrow-eyed Nenets children ran to meet us. Two women, dressed in deerskin malitsas (cloaks), also emerged from the chum. The clothing of Siberia's far north is a tribute neither to cultural style nor to the ethnic nationalism that now prevails across the territories of the former Soviet Union. It is simply practical, ideally suited for the severe climate.
The Nenets were very hospitable. They had known nothing of our impending arrival until less than half an hour before, yet we were warmly welcomed and soon were seated on deerskins, drinking tea in an authentic chum, the conical structure that is the traditional Nenets home. Two families lived in the chum. While we drank our tea, the Nenets women, Liza Vylka and Tanya Laptander, prepared a traditional stew of reindeer meat seasoned with flour. The stew bubbled atop an iron stove. Although many varieties of mushroom grow along the riverbanks, the Nenets do not use them in cooking. They are considered to be more important as food for the reindeer.
The chum is easily dismantled, transported, and reassembled. The structure is remarkably stable, and snow slides off its sides even in blizzards. The interior is unadorned but comfortable. Overhead, crossed fir poles are covered with cured reindeer hides. A stove is located in the center of the dwelling, where once an open fire would have been. There is no furniture except for a low table. Dishes are kept by the entrance. They were traditionally made from wood or skins, but contemporary Nenets have aluminum and enameled bowls, saucepans, glasses, and ceramic mugs.
Always in movement
"Deer come!" Liza's three-year-old son, Dima, pushed his head through the chum's entrance. This was the moment we had hoped for. We left the chum and saw the huge herd of reindeer seemingly close by on the horizon. But the endless scope of the tundra easily deceives the eye. It took the herd five hours to finish the last leg of the ten-kilometer trek. Finally, the
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