The Tsaatan Tribe Of Mongolia: Reindeer Shepherds

The Tsaatan tribe of Mongolia: reindeer shepherds

The Tsaatan de Mongolia tribe is one of the latest communities of reindeer shepherds. Traditionally nomads, they live in a remote region of the north of this fascinating country and strive to conserve ancestral traditions. You want to know more? Pay attention, yours is a more than interesting story. 

The Tsaatan people and their lifestyle

What most attracts the attention of the Tsaatan is the relationship they have with the reinde. They treat their animals with absolute care, almost as if they were family members. Not surprisingly, their subsistence depends on them.And it is that the life of the Tsaatan is extremely hard. They live in one of the planet areas with a harder climate. In winter they can support temperatures up to 50º C below zero. And in the brief summer there are days that 40º C are reached.

In the warmest months they are dedicated to storing firewood and meat to resist the endless winters. When it dawns, women release animals so they can graze freely. Meanwhile, men watch to prevent herds from suffering the attack of wolves and bears or hunting.They also take advantage of products with reindeer milk. Thus, they make butter and yogurt, and also a strong flavor cheese called Aaruul. In the cold months they are practically isolated. It is at that time when they migrate to Taiga forests to try to find the most optimal climatic conditions for them and for the animals on which they depend.

The reinde also have an essential role in the migratory movements of the TSAATAN, since thanks to them they can load from one side to another with their belongings.

Some curiosities of the Tsaatan people of Mongolia

The Tsaatan people of Mongolia have a shamanic beliefs. For example, they consecrate the reindeer to the spirits of the forests. The animals that are considered sacred differ from the rest because they cover their colored powders and adorn them with ribbons. On the other hand, its origin is very old. Their ancestors are of Siberian origin, hence the tsaatan have lighter skin and the eyes larger than other populations of Mongolia.And centuries ago, Marco Polo himself was surprised by his way of life. Especially the fact that they domesticated the reindeers (great deer, called them) and mounted them as if they were horses. 

The recent history of the Tsaatan of Mongolia 

Despite their isolation, the Tsataan have not been oblivious to the future of the history of Mongolia. Thus, during the revolution, already in the 30s of the last century, they were collectivized. It was a hard blow to his lifestyle.The political leaders of the moment appropriated their reindeer. But not all, many Tsaatan preferred to sacrifice their animals to deliver them. No less than seven million animals died. And this tribe did not recover its freedom and life nomad until the fall of the former USSR. Today your future is uncertain. The hardness of his nomadic life makes them less and less the tsaatan who maintain their traditions. To this are added the health problems they suffer and can suffer from consecration.

Meet the Tsaatan people in person from Mongolia

From the outset, knowing this tribe is like traveling to another world, since it is an immersion to a totally different lifestyle. Finding it is not easy, being hidden in the middle of the boreal forest, between northern Mongolia and southern Siberia, so the ideal is to visit it with the company of a guide. Already in the place, the camp can be composed of two stores of stores (that of the population and in which tourists can stay), an enclosure for reindeer, a site to cut the wood, as well as for an open space for tie animals when they are not refugees.Likewise, on the visit you can see the generosity of the Tsaatan people of Mongolia. Simple and hospitable people, despite the tremendous hardness of his life.