Meet the Inhabitants of Taiga Debris: Reindeer, Herders and Shamans of Mongolia

The Dukha nomads have been herding reindeer freely in the vast Taiga forests of the eastern Sayan Mountains. They have migrated throughout the dense woods of Siberia for generations. In 1926 an international border was drawn between the Republic of Tuva, later part of the Soviet Union, and Mongolia in 1926, leaving the majority of the Dukha population on the Mongolian side of the border. Although they are losing some of their authentic traits, for instance the Dukhan language, and adapting themselves to more modern ways, some traditions remain intact. Sputnik let you peek into their world.

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Local doctor Davaajav Nyamaa rides a reindeer to visit nomads in a forest near the village of Tsagaannuur, Khovsgol aimag, Mongolia, in April 2018. Nyamaa is an ethnic Darkhad, herders of northern Mongolia who have historically inhabited the steppe that borders the Taiga forests. He grew up around the Dukha, who he regularly treatments in their tents.

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Dukha reindeer herder Erdenebat Chuluu walks through a forest to bring in his reindeer before nightfall, near the village of Tsagaannuur, Khovsgol aimag, Mongolia, in April 2018. The Dukha nomads have freely been roaming the vast Taiga forests of the eastern Sayan Mountains for generations until an international border was drawn between the Republic of Tuva, later part of the Soviet Union, and Mongolia in 1926. Today, the majority of the Dukha live on the Mongolian side of the border.

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Ethnic Dukha nomad Jargal Gombosed drinks salty milk tea in her tent in a forest near the village of Tsagaannuur, Khovsgol aimag, Mongolia, in April 2018.

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Dukha reindeer herder Erdenebat Chuluu rests on a stick as he travels with his animals to visit neighbours near the village of Tsagaannuur, Khovsgol aimag, Mongolia, in April 2018. Chuluu has lived his entire life in the centuries-old tradition of his ancestors, renowned for their reindeer-herding and hunter-gathering skills, in the forests of the rugged Sayan Mountains straddling the Russian border.

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Pupils leave a village school in Tsagaannuur, Khovsgol aimag, Mongolia, in April 2018. People who are between 35-40 years old belong to the last generation that speaks the Dukhan language, linguist Elisabetta Ragagnin said. Together with the head teacher of the school in Tsagaannuur, she is writing textbooks in the nomad's native tongue to help preserve traditional knowledge.

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Shaman Kyzyl-ool reacts outside his tent after performing a ritual near the village of Tsagaannuur, Khovsgol aimag, Mongolia, in April 2018. "At the beginning I often thought, why me? I didn't like carrying these spirits, but I can't do anything about it, because I was chosen," he said about becoming a shaman.

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Tsetse, the six-year-old daughter of Dukha herder Erdenebat, rides a reindeer in a forest near the village of Tsagaannuur, Khovsgol aimag, Mongolia, in April 2018.

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Dukha reindeer herder Erdenebat Chuluu and his daughter Tsetse are riding a reindeer in a forest near the village of Tsagaannuur, Khovsgol aimag, Mongolia, in April 2018. Dukha tents have a conical frame made of wooden poles and canvas and serve as a family home all year around. The pole structure is left behind when they move to a new camp to be re-used the following year.

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Ethnic Dukha nomad Jargal Gombosed holds her grandchild outside her family's reindeer pen in the forest near the village of Tsagaannuur, Khovsgol aimag, Mongolia, in April 2018.

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Reindeer lick the salt off the coat of a Dukha nomad in her family's camp in a forest near the village of Tsagaannuur, Khovsgol aimag, Mongolia, in April 2018.

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A Dukha nomad drives a herd of reindeer into a forest near the village of Tsagaannuur, Khovsgol aimag, Mongolia, in April 2018. This herd is the combined property of four families.

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Tsetse, the six-year-old daughter of Dukha herder Erdenebat Chuluu, leads a reindeer using a leash as she brings in the herd before nightfall in a forest near the village of Tsagaannuur, Khovsgol aimag, Mongolia, in April 2018. The herd is taken to nearby grazing spots twice a day.