Well, the Siberian Federal University (SFU) "expedition" just finished, but I've stayed on alone in Kyzyl, the capital of the Republic of Tuva (click for map). Last week, after a 15 hour bus ride from Krasnoyarsk and an 8 hour bumpy ride in a massive Russian army vehicle called a "Ural" (which drove over a mountain range and then through the half-frozen Yenisey river!) myself and two other researchers reached the 2,000-person town of Toora-Khem, administrative center for the Todzhu region of Tuva. It's between Iy and Adyr-Kezhig on this map). There, we toured around all the administrative centers (ahh bureaucracy...) and the power plant, saw my first reindeer (they're BIG here!), went fishing on a lake with too-thin-ice, and visited a bunch of homes. Sergey and Sasha were studying the power use of the town, but I was doing "cultural studies," which basically means observing everything, since the town was so different from anything I've ever seen! I can't upload any images, but I thought I was in a historical reconstruction village, since it was all log buildings, cow paddocks, huge mounds of hay, etc. Plus lots of drunken people stumbling about, it being the end of the month...
My main goal in Toora-Khem was to find either a hunter or a reindeer herder with whom I could go out into the taiga (boreal forest), to learn about local use of the taiga. After lots of frustrating comments that "all the hunters are out hunting and will be back in 2 months," on the last morning, 30 min. before the bus left, Boris and his wife visited our hotel room. He invited me to go sable hunting on foot with him next week (he'll sell the fur for luxury clothing), and to visit his son at their reindeer herd (by riding reindeer) at the end of the month! Now, going on a commercial hunt for a luxury clothing item is not exactly subsistence or food related, but it is an important way people use the local environment. Plus, I've never gone winter camping! I'm a little bit apprehensive, because I'll be with a man who was born out on the taiga alongside a reindeer herd, we'll use bivy sacks instead of a tent, and this is the beginning of Siberian winter. It's been about 20 farenheit in the day, so, much warmer than the MINUS 50 it can get in the really cold time in January. Also, Boris doesn't speak any English, and Russian is his second language. But I'm not that worried about language issues, because it's a lot easier to understand someone when you're alone with them in the forest and need to speak less than in a busy city...
Today there are only about 1,000 reindeer in Tuva, whereas in the early 1990s there were 17,000. The post-Soviet government has not been supportive, and the lifestyle is not as soft and cozy as town life. Boris's kids come into town only twice a year, to drop-off and pick-up their own kids at school! So, modern education as incompatible with traditional lifestyles. But, schooling is useful...
Taking Russian "banyas" every few days (instead of showering) was another highlight of the "expedition." These are like Minnesota saunas, except not as hot, and with more steam production. I would say my "Russian baptism" was when a Russian guy I'd just met said "Alex. Take off clothes. Put on hat. [An old Red Army hat that I think you're supposed to wear to increase your perspiration.] Lie down," and began beating me with a bundle of birch leaves, which whoosh burning hot air all over you and exfoliate your skin. It felt great! I'll have to bring the tradition back to the US!
I just purchased a snowsuit and boots rated to minus 60 degrees and a bunch of food, and tomorrow morning I'll hop back on the Ural to visit a family we met in Toora-Khem. Sometime after the 10th of Nov., Boris and I will be off just the two of us for at least a week! I'm VERY excited.
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