Tsaatan
Encyclopedia
The Dukha are a small culture of reindeer herders living in northern Khövsgöl Aimag of Mongolia
.
The North Taiga
band was organized under the Qing Dynasty
from 1755-1912 as part of Toja or Uriyankhai
banner. With Mongolian independence, the banner became part of independent Tuva
, which was soon annexed by the Russians
in 1944, leaving only North Taiga band on the Mongolian side of the frontier. The South Taiga group of the Dukhans and other Uriankhai
s fled over the frontier from Tuva to avoid conscription in the 1930s. At first, the Mongolia
n government repeatedly deported them back to Tuva. In 1956 the government finally gave them Mongolian citizenship and resettled them at Tsagaan Nuur Lake
on the Shishigt River
.
Only 44 Dukha families remain, totaling somewhere between 200 and 400 people. They ride, breed, milk, and live off of reindeer
, though the reindeer population has dropped to approximately 600 since the 1970s, when it was an estimated 2000. Since the democratization of Mongolia, no governmental programs have been in place to replenish reindeer herds with animals from Siberia
, direly endangering the Dukha way of life. Much of the Dukha income today comes from tourists who pay to buy their crafts and to ride their domesticated reindeer.
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
.
The North Taiga
Taiga
Taiga , also known as the boreal forest, is a biome characterized by coniferous forests.Taiga is the world's largest terrestrial biome. In North America it covers most of inland Canada and Alaska as well as parts of the extreme northern continental United States and is known as the Northwoods...
band was organized under the Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
from 1755-1912 as part of Toja or Uriyankhai
Uriankhai
"Uriankhai" , also known as Urianhai or Uryangkhai, is a term applied to several neighboring ethnic groups...
banner. With Mongolian independence, the banner became part of independent Tuva
Tuva
The Tyva Republic , or Tuva , is a federal subject of Russia . It lies in the geographical center of Asia, in southern Siberia. The republic borders with the Altai Republic, the Republic of Khakassia, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Irkutsk Oblast, and the Republic of Buryatia in Russia and with Mongolia to the...
, which was soon annexed by the Russians
Tuvan Autonomous Oblast
The Tuvan Autonomous Oblast was an autonomous oblast of the Soviet Union created on 11 October 1944 following the annexation of the Tuvan People's Republic by the Soviet Union. On 10 October 1961 it was transformed into the Tuvan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic....
in 1944, leaving only North Taiga band on the Mongolian side of the frontier. The South Taiga group of the Dukhans and other Uriankhai
Uriankhai
"Uriankhai" , also known as Urianhai or Uryangkhai, is a term applied to several neighboring ethnic groups...
s fled over the frontier from Tuva to avoid conscription in the 1930s. At first, the Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
n government repeatedly deported them back to Tuva. In 1956 the government finally gave them Mongolian citizenship and resettled them at Tsagaan Nuur Lake
Dood Tsagaan nuur
Dood Tsagaan Lake is a lake in northwestern Khövsgöl aimag, Mongolia, between the Tsagaannuur and Renchinlkhümbe sums. It is sometimes divided into the Targan, Dund, and Kharmai lakes. Targan lake is 3.5 meters deep, Dund nuur 5 meters and Kharmai nuur 15 meters.Tsagaannuur's sum center is located...
on the Shishigt River
Shishged Gol
The Shishged River a river in northern Mongolia and in Tuva. It is part of the Yenisei's drainage basin, and the headwaters of the so-called Small Yenisei. It flows through the Darkhad Valley in northwestern Khövsgöl aimag, Mongolia and then westward through the Ulaan Taiga Mountain range to...
.
Only 44 Dukha families remain, totaling somewhere between 200 and 400 people. They ride, breed, milk, and live off of reindeer
Reindeer
The reindeer , also known as the caribou in North America, is a deer from the Arctic and Subarctic, including both resident and migratory populations. While overall widespread and numerous, some of its subspecies are rare and one has already gone extinct.Reindeer vary considerably in color and size...
, though the reindeer population has dropped to approximately 600 since the 1970s, when it was an estimated 2000. Since the democratization of Mongolia, no governmental programs have been in place to replenish reindeer herds with animals from Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
, direly endangering the Dukha way of life. Much of the Dukha income today comes from tourists who pay to buy their crafts and to ride their domesticated reindeer.
External links
- National Geographic News "Reindeer People" Resort to Eating Their Herds, 2004
- Nomadicare
- Film protraiting the life of the Tsaatan "Tracking the White Reindeer"
- Mongolia' reindeer people Jump into the Future, By Adrienne Mong, NBC News Producer, MSNBC, September 02, 2009.
- The Disappearing Reindeer People, By Jan Michael Natividad, November 4, 2009.