With the Reindeer People

Our hosts in Tsagaan Nuur were an NGO dedicated to the preservation of Reindeer People culture called the Itgel Foundation. However, Amina and I were far more comfortable staying at the one Inn in town, Gannbaatar's Guest House. So the next day as Tugsu prepared to go to the camp about 35 kilometers away, where the Reindeer People were waiting to meet them, Amina and I moved into the guest house. It was very comfortable and the hospitality of the hosts was unparalelled. The proprieter is an amazing artist and Amina was treated to some private art lessons. Though it was in Mongolian she understood the bulk of what he had to teach. His wife meanwhile was an amazing cook and Amina had some of the freshest fish in the world 3 times a day. Compliment it with a nice fry bread and juice made out of pine berries and we ate quite well. Their daughter was wonderful with Amina and was kind enough to lend Amina all her old toys. Finally, their little white shaggy dog was alot of fun.

Meanwhile, Tugsu was off meeting the reindeer herders participating in a workshop meant to educate them about the new Tsataan Center, get their feedback and try to establish a grass roots community organization among them. Important work for a ethnically and culturally distinct people that only have about 200 members left. For more information on the reindeer hereders you can visit the website of the group Tugsu was working with, the Itgel Foundation:

http://itgel.org/

However, after three days we were set to join Tugsu out at the camp where the reindeer herders were staying and participate in a Reindeer herders festival. We were pretty excited and headed off in the morning to join her. It was a typical Huvsgul countryside road so though the distance was only 35 kilometers it took us an hour to get there. However, the site that greeted us was worth it, well over a hundred reindeer and teepees everywhere. Of course seeing Tugsu was a nice bonus as well. Off we went to see the festival and what was really amazing was how kind and considerate everyone was. I should explain that the reindeer herders were a long way from home, they live up in the mountains where their reindeer can find the food they pretty much subsist on, a special moss. It is about a 3-5 days ride (on reindeer) home for them. In addition, they had been there so long their meagre stores of food were mostly used up and they were quite hungry.

That did not stop them from enjoying the festivities, their was reindeer races, reindeer polo and plenty of wrestling for all. Tugsu was constantly being invited into peoples teepees, in only a few days she had made some very good friends there. We got to try lots of Reindeer milk products, and found them quite tasty. Amina was also invited to sit on quite a few reindeer, however, she politely declined each time. In the end we were there, in the beautiful surroundings for two days. The last night we were there they had a real Shaman come and perform a ritual meant to put him in touch with the dead, around a raging campfire. The shaman of this region are the most feared as they are considered to be in touch with ancient forces and have remained unchanged for centuries.

With the festival over we headed back to Tsagaan Nuur and all shacked up in the guest house there. It was nice being back with Tugsu and we were also happy to have more excellent fresh fish fried up for us. It took a couple days to finally negotiate a ride but even though they are neighbors, the road to Renchinlhumbe is so frequently flooded or the bridges so often washed out, hardly anyone goes there. Fortunately, they recently established a ferry in place of a bridge so the road was passable. We left to continue work, this time mine, in Renchinlhumbe. This gets us to the 27th! More to follow