MONGOLIA
I went to Mongolia in the 90's in the hope of filming the reindeer herders in the north not far from the Siberian border.  The trip was very challenging: two days by Russian jeep over horrible roads and six days on horseback in search of their camps.

                         Reindeer People
For thousands of years, reindeer herders have roamed the taiga of northern Mongolia.  The herders, know as the Tsachin, or Dukha, rely on their animals for transportation, and for the staples of their diet, milk, cheese, yogurt and dried milk curds.  But disease and inbreeding have reduce the herds from more than 2,000 in the 1970s to less than one-third of that today.  And that, in turn, has threatened the Tsachin's way of life.*
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                     Reindeer Woman
Nansalmaa Myagmar is a woman veterinarian who frequently travels to northern Mongolia to treat the reindeer of the Dukha nomads.

An ovoo is a pyramid-shaped collection of stones, wood and other offerings, like vodka bottles and silk scarves, placed on top of a hill or mountain pass in a shamanistic traditional offering to the gods.*​

There are only about 60 Tsaatan families, spread over 100,000 square kilometers of northern Mongolia.*

The Tssatan do not use gers, but prefer tents made from reindeer skin.*
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There entire existence is based round the reindeer, which provide milk, skins for clothes, transport and, occasionally, meat.*

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The Duka ride, breed, milk, and live off of reindeer, though the reindeer population has dropped to approximately 600 since the 1970s, when it was an estimated 2,000.*

The name "tsaatan" means "reindeer herder" as in "tsaa bug" (reindeer).*
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A unique traditional singing style, apart from throat singing, is urtyn-duu.*​​
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Along the lower Tsagaan Salaa and upper Baga Oigor is one of the largest rock art complexes in North and Central Asia, and the richest in terms of chronological age, quantity, and quality of imagery.*

They are truly nomadic, often moving their small encampments, called ail, every two or three weeks -- looking for special types of grass and moss loved by the reindeer.*

Visiting the Tssatan is difficult, exhausting and not recommended.*
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The difficulty in reaching Tsagaannuur ensures that the unique Tsaatan people who inhabit the valleys are able to continue their traditional lifestyle -- but tourism is slowly making an impact.*

Since the democratization of Mongolia, no governmental programs have been in place to replenish reindeer herds with animals from Siberia, direly endangering the Dukha way of life.*

Urtyn-duu involves extra ordinary complicated drawn-out vocal sounds, which related traditional stories about love and the countryside.*

Music is often played at weddings and other traditional and religious gatherings.*​
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The Vanishing Dukha
​Cultural diversity refers to having different cultures respect each other's differences.

In the past several decades, the average temperatures in Mongolia have risen more than twice the global average. This warming trend has intensified both summer droughts and extreme winter conditions making survival more difficult for Tsaatan reindeer herders.

In response, the Mongolian government set up a Special Protection Area: cancelling mining licenses, eliminating hunting and fishing and excluding reindeer.

​Although this action may have helped protect certain wildlife, it has upset Tsaatan hunting traditions and may have harmed the general health of the reindeer.

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The Tsaatan practise shamanism.*



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The Tsaatan are part of a Tuvan ethnic group, which inhabits the Tuvan Republic of Russia.*

Tsagaannuur and the region inhabited by the Tssatan is not part of Khovsgol Nurr National Park.*

Only 44 Dukha families remain, totaling somewhere between 200 and 400 people.*

Much of the Dukha income today comes from tourists who pay to buy their crafts and to ride their domesticated reindeer.*

​​Sometimes referred to as 'long songs' because of the long trills, they are also called 'drawing songs'.*​
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Mongolian wrestling is similar to wrestling found elsewhere, except there are no weight divisions, so the biggest wrestlers are often the best.*​

*These captions are from Mongolia -  Lonely Planet's travel guide.