Reindeer husbandry

The ancestors of the Nenets people obviously brought the primary skills of reindeer husbandry with them from their distant homeland. Many scientists consider the Samoyeds to be the first reindeer herders on earth: they tamed wild deer for the first time. Some believe that the first domesticated deer appeared as a result of corral hunting. Some of the animals were left in the pen as a live stock of meat, gradually these animals gave rise to domestic deer. According to another version, a whole herd was domesticated at once. A group of hunters roamed behind a herd of wild deer, shooting the right amount as needed. Gradually, hunters began to consider the herd as their property, protect it from predators and improve the breed. The deer, in turn, got used to the constant proximity of people.

Unlike the deer of the Tuvan or Evenk breeds, the northern breed of deer, due to the harsh climatic conditions, is smaller. One cannot ride on such an animal, therefore, only the harness use of deer is practiced.

By the beginning of the 19th century, the Nenets had formed a large-scale reindeer herding. The size of herds ranges from 500 to 3 thousand heads. The average size of the deer herd is about 1.5 thousand heads. Deer are kept on foot food all year round. In winter they feed on yagel, in summer — on green grass and young shoots of shrubs. In spring, in March, the deer begin to move north, often to the shores of the Kara Sea, where strong winds blow and there is less wildebeest. In August, the deer go south, closer to the border of the taiga, where the trees hold back the winter winds, the snow is looser, it is easier to get food for themselves. Reindeer herders follow the herds. The larger the herd, the more it must move, because the deer do not have enough food in one place for a long time. Usually, during the season, the family moves from one place to another 15−25 times.

Reindeer husbandry in USSR

Creation of collective reindeer herding farms

In 1929, the first collective farms appeared in the Ob North. When they were created, the principle of voluntariness was violated, the wealthy were subjected to repression. In 1932−1933, the collective farm sector in the North received financial assistance, for example, loans for reindeer husbandry. This made it possible to increase the number of collective-farm reindeer herds: from 7279 heads in 1932 to 10 287 heads in 1933. But then the number of deer began to decline. Already in 1934, there were 6,325 heads in collective farm herds. This was due to sabotage by the well-to-do population, negligence of shepherds and epizootics. Vaccination of animals was not always carried out on time. With the help of economic, administrative and judicial pressure on representatives of the indigenous population, by the end of the 1930s, collectivization in the North was completed. Several reindeer herding state farms were established. The consolidation of personal herds has also led to a reduction in the number of deer.

Reindeer husbandry in Yamal

In the middle of the twentieth century, the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug became the second reindeer herding region of the Soviet Union after the Chukotka District, the largest in Western Siberia. Nadymsky, Purovsky and Muzhivsky reindeer herding state farms were established. In the northwestern part of the district, three quarters of the total deer population was concentrated. The Nenets, part of Komi and Khanty were engaged in reindeer husbandry.

This way of doing traditional farming still exists. In summer, reindeer herders with their herds move north to Yamal, to the coast of the Baydaratskaya Bay, to the Gydan and Taz peninsulas, where strong winds blow and there is less wildebeest. In winter, they move south into the forest tundra and northern taiga, where it is less windy and snow falls, although more powerful, but less dense, which makes it easier for the deer to forage. In the warm season, deer feed on grasses, cereals and flowering plants. At the end of summer, deer move to places covered with moss and mushrooms. In winter, lichens are the main food for deer. Tundra reindeer herding is widespread mainly among the Nenets.

In the southwestern part of the Yamalo-Nenets Okrug, near the Ural Ridge, reindeer herding is widespread, especially among the Komi. In winter, deer graze in the forests, and in summer and partly in spring and autumn they are driven to the watershed open areas and mountain peaks of the Urals. The seasonal movement of reindeer herds is limited to short distances. Husky dogs are of great importance in reindeer husbandry, protecting reindeer herds from predators.

Tynzian

Tynzian is a noose for catching reindeer. Its length is 20−30 meters, and its cross-section is about 8 millimeters. It takes a whole deer skin to make one tynzian. First, the skin is soaked in water for several days in warm weather, and the hair is removed. Then the skin is dried and the uneven edges are cut off. With a sharp knife, the skin is cut into strips of 1.5−2 centimeters. To make the strips soft, they are rubbed against an object. Then they are stretched between two trees or chorea, and then woven using special sticks. The finished tynzian lasts for thirty years, but it needs to be kept dry, so currently, in spring and autumn, growers often use synthetic ropes.

Reindeer herders have been trained in the art of tynjan since early childhood. The most favorite game of children in the tundra is the deer game, it develops eyesight, strength and dexterity, which will be useful in fishing. Already at the age of four or five, the father makes the boy the first tynzian, and by the age of ten a young reindeer herder may well lassoed a one-year-old bull.

Chorey

A Chorey is a long pole (up to five meters) for controlling a reindeer team. In the lower part, the Chorey has a thickness convenient for the owner’s arm to wrap around, and the pole tapers up to the thickness of the thumb. In order not to injure the deer, a bone tip made of wild deer or elk horn, less often made of wood, is put on the sharp end. The tip is needed as a counterweight, and the reindeer herder can use it to check the depth of snow, strength and thickness of ice. The Chorey is made from a single tree trunk, most often from spruce. To make the pole straight, it is leveled by heating it in some places by friction. Currently, the Chorey is planed with an axe and a plane and treated with sandpaper. Then the Chorey is dried and a round-shaped bone tip made of deer or elk horn is put on it.

The sled

For a long time, the means of transportation of the peoples of the North has been a sled with a reindeer team. Three types of sleds are most common: cargo sleds, riding sleds and women’s sleds. The cargo sled has a large size compared to others. It is very easy to manufacture and is used to transport the plague and household items.

The riding sled is designed for fast movement over short distances. It is often used in the protection of deer herds.

The women’s sled has a backrest and railings. It is used to transport small children. Most often, such a sled is brightly colored, especially on holidays.

The sled is made with an axe, a knife and a thin spoon-shaped national drill. A sled is being assembled without a single nail. People ride a sled all year round on the wet tundra cover. Some reindeer herders decorate the sled with bone and leather products and even paint it.

In Nenets folklore, the sled is endowed with magical properties, even left without a master, it buries enemies under itself.