Reindeers are always mentioned when Christmas time comes
around but for the Nenets, an indigenous group of Russia, reindeer is an
integral part of their lives. They live
a nomadic lifestyle herding reindeer and inhabit the Yamal Peninsula that is
above the Arctic Circle. Reindeer provide the Nenet people a cultural identity
and it provides them with shelter, clothing and food. Reindeer is also their
livelihood since their meat is exported to different countries and the antlers are
also sold as a male potency drug. Among the more traditional Nenets, each
herder has a sacred reindeer that is not to be harnessed or killed until it is
incapable of walking. Since the Nenet’s live in districts of rich oil and gas
supplies their way of life is being endangered by energy companies that are
building pipelines and drilling sites.
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