Tuesday, 11 January 2011

The Reindeer People Of Mongolia


The Tsaatan (and not Tsaan, as the article mentions) are a small culture of reindeer herders living in Mongolia. Only 44 Tsaatan families remain, totaling somewhere between 200 and 400 people. They ride, breed, milk, and live off of reindeer.

Since the democratization of Mongolia, no governmental programs have been in place to replenish reindeer herds with animals from Siberia, direly endangering the Tsaatan way of life. Much of the Tsataan income today comes from tourists who pay to buy their crafts and to ride their domesticated reindeer.

(via Everlasting Blort)

0 comment(s):