Tsaatans, Mongolia
From series “Wildest Tribes Avoiding Civilization”
The Tsaatan nomads from Mongolia live like no one else. They inhabit Darkhad Valley, their number was 282 people in 2010. Over the past 50 years it has reduced by half. Even in 1965, the tribe consisted of 455 people. Tsaatan people are experienced reindeer herders. They live in their traditional tents named ‘yurts’. Contacts with tourists give them an opportunity to earn extra money from the sale of handicrafts.
Reindeer is the main breadwinner in the family. The community’s chores and activities are centred around the care and feeding of their deers. Deers provide them with milk which is used to make cheese and sour cream. Regular quail hunting and a wild-goose chase is helping them to provide their families with game. The Tsaatan have also a contextual alcoholic drink, it’s ‘arak’. This small population is on the verge of extinction nowadays. More and more young tribal people choose to go to cities, and older people spend last days of their life among the desert Mongolian steppes. To the beginning - Surma People
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Tsaatans - interactive map
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