Summer
Summer on the Yamal Peninsula can be an utterly magical time, particularly if you visit the Yar-Sale or Panaevsk herders on their Sumer pastures in the north of the Yamal Peninsula. At those latitudes the sun never sets from mid-May until late July. It hovers just above the horizon most of the time, meaning that the region’s utterly spectacular sunsets can last for hours on end. On windless days this glowing sky is perfectly reflected in the region’s thousands of lakes, giving them the appearance of pools of molten metal.
The Yar-Sale and Panaevsk Nenets migrate 2 – 3 times a week throughout this period. Fishing becomes a major source of food. After every migration people walk to the nearest lake and set up huge nets up to fifty metres long. The tundra comes alive with berries and mushrooms too.
Cloudberries are most people’s favourites. They are so abundant that they lend their almost psychedelic red and yellow colour to the whole tundra in places. A whole bucket can sometimes be gathered in about half an hour. Mushrooms are usually not picked as they are the reindeers’ favourite food. The fewer mushrooms, the more the reindeer herd breaks up in search of them, creating more work for the people.
As well as berries, herbs and shrubs, children spend a lot of time collecting sphagnum moss. This is used instead of toilet paper, nappies and for cleaning tables, cutlery and crockery.
Whereas in winter and spring the herd is kept 20 – 30km from the encampment, in summer it is kept much closer. In winter most of the daily herding work is done on snowmobiles, but in summer it is all done on reindeer sledges. This means the herders have to drive the herd right up to the chums every day and lasso new reindeer for their sledges. This is an utterly spectacular event, with thousands of reindeer galloping around the camp and the men lassoing them.
Another interesting thing about summer is that the Nenets have a habit of capturing young birds and bringing them up in the chum as pets. These can be hawks, buzzards, gulls, owls or any other birds. Some say that when the birds grow up, they can fly off before a migration, then find their chum and fly back to it after a migration.
Likewise, there are usually several reindeer living in the chums in summer. These are calves whose parents died while they were too young to fend for themselves. The Nenets bring them up in their chum almost like a family member, feeding them human food such as bread and fish soup. For the rest of their lives these reindeer will move freely between the herd and the camp and never lose their taste for food that reindeer do not usually eat. They are known as hand-raised reindeer. Every Nenets at the camp, even small children, knows the names of all these reindeer. They are the only ones that will never be killed. Even sacred reindeer, which are dedicated to Nenets gods, are slaughtered when they are too old to migrate. A similar-looking reindeer is found, has the blood of the old sacred reindeer wiped on its face and becomes the new sacred reindeer. However, when the hand-raised reindeer become too old to migrate, they are given as a present to another family, who will slaughter them. In return that family will give one of its own hand-raised reindeer that are too old to migrate.
Chums feel very different in summer from in spring or winter. The floorboards and stove have been left behind so there is no floor and just an open fire in the middle.
Among the Yar-Sale and Panaevsk Nenets, most people wear traditional clothing every day in summer. This is usually an old fur coat that has lost most of the hairs on the reindeer skin, making it less warm than a winter one. They do not, however, wear fur boots as the tundra is too wet and swampy. On extremely hot days they may take off their fur coats too, wearing just jeans and a T-shirt.
Please note that the above is true for the Yar-Sale, Panaevsk and Seyakha Nenets only. Nenets herders closer to Salekhard, and almost all Komi and Khanty herders, no longer wear traditional clothing in summer. In addition, while the Yar-Sale and Panaevsk herders use reindeer sledges in summer, Komi, Khanty and Nenets nearer to Salekhard have started using quad bikes instead.
One blight of summer trips can be mosquitoes and midges. Mosquitoes come out in July and midges in August. Anyone who has been to northern Russia will know that they can be a real problem. Around Salekhard and in the forest they can be almost unbearable. However, in the northern Yamal Peninsula it is colder and windier. This is, after all, one of the reasons that reindeer naturally spend winter in the forest tundra and the summer further north in cooler regions with fewer mosquitoes. In addition, the Nenets always choose
a slightly raised bit of land to set up their chums so that the wind keeps mosquitoes away. Still, on windless days the mosquitoes can still come out in full force and guests need to be prepared for this.
June: Most of the snow has melted. If anyone still had their snowmobile with them, this is the time they leave it behind at a spot in the tundra to be picked up on the way south in autumn. This isolates most nomad camps from one another. During winter, it is very easy for nomads to visit their neighbours, but in summer this happens rarely if ever.
The goose hunt continues, but in general this can be a bit of a tough time as far as food is concerned. When temperatures are below zero, meat and fish can be preserved by simply leaving it outside on a sledge. When temperatures go above zero, however, it is much harder to preserve. In July and August, when the upper layer of permafrost has melted, they can dig a small hole and keep meat and fish next to the permafrost. However, in early June, when the ground is still frozen, this is not possible. Most nomads are therefore reluctant to slaughter reindeer at this stage, as much of the meat would go to waste.
Bread has to be sun-dried at this time to stop it spoiling. From now until November the Nenets eat only rock-hard bread, which they dip in tea to soften it a bit. Any remaining butter they brought from the village shop in April will be rancid by now. They start using reindeer fat to replace it.
Reindeer herders begin cutting their own earmarks into the ears of new-born calves at this time. Each herder has his own earmark that identifies his reindeer. When he divides his reindeer up among his children, he creates a new earmark for each of them by making a slight alteration to his own. Everyone knows the earmarks of everyone else who migrates in the same area as them. However, disputes over reindeer ownership rarely reach the level where an earmark has to be checked. This is because every herder knows every one of his own reindeer by its face and fur patterns, even if he has thousands. Most people in one encampment will also be able to recognise which reindeer belong to who and even what the relationships are between the reindeer.
Migrations continue at the rate of 2 – 3 times a week. However, temperatures can by now be hitting +15°C. The permafrost is melting and the ground is becoming very swampy, making it harder for people and reindeer alike.
In late June antler traders start arriving at Nenets camps. This is one of the few ways that most herders have access to fairly large sums of money. The traders collect antlers, dry them and eventually sell them to the Chinese, who make an aphrodisiac out of them.
July: The Nenets name for this month is neniang iry – “the mosquito month”. The watch duty, which they have been performing since April and which involves at least one herder staying with the animals 24/7, suddenly becomes much harder. The reindeer herd is prone to scatter in their attempts to escape the mosquitoes. One defence the reindeer have against the insects is to begin circling. This is a truly spectacular event in a herd of 11,000 reindeer. They form an enormous circle and start rotating. A huge amount of heat builds up in the centre of the circle, which keeps mosquitoes away. There is constant movement of overheating reindeer from the centre to the edge of the circle. Likewise there is constant movement of reindeer who want to escape the mosquitoes from the edge of the circle to the centre.
August: If July is the mosquito month, August is piliu iry – the warble fly month. Warble flies are insects that both irritate the reindeer and lay their eggs under their fur. The egg then grows to an enormous size and leaves a hole in the fur, making it useless for clothing or chum covers.
This is also the time when mushrooms appear, creating another reason for the herd to break up. Two herders are usually required for the 24-hour watch duty at this time, or three in very big herds.
The tundra takes on an array of beautiful colours in the second half of August as autumn approaches. The reds, golds and yellows can make this a very beautiful time of year for photography.
Many calves are slaughtered in August. This is because the soft calf fur is considered the best for making winter clothing. They are slaughtered in August because the hairs on the fur are shorter than in winter and are therefore more stable. They do not fall out as quickly as the hairs in a fur from a reindeer slaughtered in winter.
At this time, most Yar-Sale nomad camps reach the northernmost extension of their migration route, spend a few days there then turn back south.
Nighttime temperatures can already hit -5°C and the sun is no longer visible 24/7.
Summer on the Yamal Peninsula can be an utterly magical time, particularly if you visit the Yar-Sale or Panaevsk herders on their Sumer pastures in the north of the Yamal Peninsula. At those latitudes, the sun never sets from mid-May until late July. It hovers just above the horizon most of the time, meaning that the region’s utterly spectacular sunsets can last for hours on end. On windless days this glowing sky is perfectly reflected in the region’s thousands of lakes, giving them the appearance of pools of molten metal.
The Yar-Sale and Panaevsk Nenets migrate 2 – 3 times a week throughout this period. Fishing becomes a major source of food. After every migration, people walk to the nearest lake and set up huge nets up to fifty metres long. The tundra comes alive with berries and mushrooms too.
Cloudberries are most people’s favourites. They are so abundant that they lend their almost psychedelic red and yellow colour to the whole tundra in places. A whole bucket can sometimes be gathered in about half an hour. Mushrooms are usually not picked as they are the reindeers’ favourite food. The fewer mushrooms, the more the reindeer herd breaks up in search of them, creating more work for the people.
As well as berries, herbs and shrubs, children spend a lot of time collecting sphagnum moss. This is used instead of toilet paper, nappies and for cleaning tables, cutlery and crockery.
Whereas in winter and spring the herd is kept 20 – 30km from the encampment, in summer it is kept much closer. In winter, most of the daily herding work is done on snowmobiles, but in summer it is all done on reindeer sledges. This means the herders have to drive the herd right up to the chums every day and lasso new reindeer for their sledges. This is an utterly spectacular event, with thousands of reindeer galloping around the camp and the men lassoing them.
Another interesting thing about summer is that the Nenets have a habit of capturing young birds and bringing them up in the chum as pets. These can be hawks, buzzards, gulls, owls or any other birds. Some say that when the birds grow up, they can fly off before a migration, then find their chum and fly back to it after a migration.
Likewise, there are usually several reindeer living in the chums in summer. These are calves whose parents died while they were too young to fend for themselves. The Nenets bring them up in their chum almost like a family member, feeding them human food such as bread and fish soup. For the rest of their lives, these reindeer will move freely between the herd and the camp and never lose their taste for food that reindeer do not usually eat. They are known as hand-raised reindeer. Every Nenets at the camp, even small children, knows the names of all these reindeer. They are the only ones that will never be killed. Even sacred reindeer, which are dedicated to Nenets gods, are slaughtered when they are too old to migrate. A similar-looking reindeer is found, has the blood of the old sacred reindeer wiped on its face and becomes the new sacred reindeer. However, when the hand-raised reindeer become too old to migrate, they are given as a present to another family, who will slaughter them. In return, that family will give one of its own hand-raised reindeer that are too old to migrate.
Chums feel very different in summer from in spring or winter. The floorboards and stove have been left behind so there is no floor and just an open fire in the middle.
Among the Yar-Sale and Panaevsk Nenets, most people wear traditional clothing every day in summer. This is usually an old fur coat that has lost most of the hairs on the reindeer skin, making it less warm than a winter one. They do not, however, wear fur boots, as the tundra is too wet and swampy. On extremely hot days they may take off their fur coats too, wearing just jeans and a T-shirt.
Please note that the above is true for the Yar-Sale, Panaevsk and Seyakha Nenets only. Nenets herders closer to Salekhard, and almost all Komi and Khanty herders, no longer wear traditional clothing in summer. In addition, while the Yar-Sale and Panaevsk herders use reindeer sledges in summer, Komi, Khanty and Nenets nearer to Salekhard have started using quad bikes instead.
One blight of summer trips can be mosquitoes and midges. Mosquitoes come out in July and midges in August. Anyone who has been to northern Russia will know that they can be a real problem. Around Salekhard and in the forest they can be almost unbearable. However, in the northern Yamal Peninsula it is colder and windier. This is, after all, one of the reasons that reindeer naturally spend winter in the forest tundra and the summer further north in cooler regions with fewer mosquitoes. In addition, the Nenets always choose a slightly raised bit of land to set up their chums so that the wind keeps mosquitoes away. Still, on windless days the mosquitoes can still come out in full force and guests need to be prepared for this.
June: Most of the snow has melted. If anyone still had their snowmobile with them, this is the time they leave it behind at a spot in the tundra to be picked up on the way south in autumn. This isolates most nomad camps from one another. During winter, it is very easy for nomads to visit their neighbours, but in summer this happens rarely if ever.
The goose hunt continues, but in general this can be a bit of a tough time as far as food is concerned. When temperatures are below zero, meat and fish can be preserved by simply leaving it outside on a sledge. When temperatures go above zero, however, it is much harder to preserve. In July and August, when the upper layer of permafrost has melted, they can dig a small hole and keep meat and fish next to the permafrost. However, in early June when the ground is still frozen, this is not possible. Most nomads are therefore reluctant to slaughter reindeer at this stage, as much of the meat would go to waste.
Bread has to be sun-dried at this time to stop it spoiling. From now until November, the Nenets eat only rock-hard bread, which they dip in tea to soften it a bit. Any remaining butter they brought from the village shop in April will be rancid by now. They start using reindeer fat to replace it.
Reindeer herders begin cutting their own earmarks into the ears of new-born calves at this time. Each herder has his own earmark that identifies his reindeer. When he divides his reindeer up among his children, he creates a new earmark for each of them by making a slight alteration to his own. Everyone knows the earmarks of everyone else who migrates in the same area as them. However, disputes over reindeer ownership rarely reach the level where an earmark has to be checked. This is because every herder knows every one of his own reindeer by its face and fur patterns, even if he has thousands. Most people in one encampment will also be able to recognise which reindeer belong to who and even what the relationships are between the reindeer.
Migrations continue at the rate of 2 – 3 times a week. However, temperatures can by now be hitting +15°C. The permafrost is melting and the ground is becoming very swampy, making it harder for people and reindeer alike.
In late June, antler traders start arriving at Nenets camps. This is one of the few ways that most herders have access to fairly large sums of money. The traders collect antlers, dry them and eventually sell them to the Chinese, who make an aphrodisiac out of them.
July: The Nenets name for this month is neniang iry – “the mosquito month”. The watch duty, which they have been performing since April and which involves at least one herder staying with the animals 24/7, suddenly becomes much harder. The reindeer herd is prone to scatter in their attempts to escape the mosquitoes. One defence the reindeer have against the insects is to begin circling. This is a truly spectacular event in a herd of 11,000 reindeer. They form an enormous circle and start rotating. A huge amount of heat builds up in the centre of the circle, which keeps mosquitoes away. There is constant movement of overheating reindeer from the centre to the edge of the circle. Likewise there is constant movement of reindeer who want to escape the mosquitoes from the edge of the circle to the centre.
August: If July is the mosquito month, August is piliu iry – the warble fly month. Warble flies are insects that both irritate the reindeer and lay their eggs under their fur. The egg then grows to an enormous size and leaves a hole in the fur, making it useless for clothing or chum covers.
This is also the time when mushrooms appear, creating another reason for the herd to break up. Two herders are usually required for the 24-hour watch duty at this time, or three in very big herds.
The tundra takes on an array of beautiful colours in the second half of August as autumn approaches. The reds, golds and yellows can make this a very beautiful time of year for photography.
Many calves are slaughtered in August. This is because the soft calf fur is considered the best for making winter clothing. They are slaughtered in August because the hairs on the fur are shorter than in winter and are therefore more stable. They do not fall out as quickly as the hairs in a fur from a reindeer slaughtered in winter.
At this time most Yar-Sale nomad camps reach the northernmost extension of their migration route, spend a few days there then turn back south.
Nighttime temperatures can already hit -5°C and the sun is no longer visible 24/7.
