Taiga Nomads III, The School and the Village

A film series in three parts, about three generations of Evenki nomadic reindeer herders and hunters who have adjusted to life in harsh conditions and for whom the taiga is home.

Nikolai, Sasha, Svetlana, Pasha, Galya... Different branches of the Armchemku family live in the heartland of Siberia, on the eastern side of the Yenisey river, in the midst of the endless taiga. They are Evenki (Tungus), nomadic reindeer herders and hunters. Following the different seasons of the year they roam the taiga with their reindeer, through the long, bitter winter and the short hot summer. Their way of life is still traditional, even though the number of Evenki speaking people is diminishing the whole time and the old clan organization is vanishing. There is conflict between the Evenki way of life, a culture in close contact with nature, and the ways of the rest of society. The dominant culture does not always leave enough scope for alternative ways of life.

Nikolai, Sasha, Svetlana, Pasha, Galya... Different branches of the Armchemku family live in the heartland of Siberia, on the eastern side of the Yenisey river, in the midst of the endless taiga. Following the different seasons of the year they roam the taiga with their reindeer, through the long, bitter winter and the short, hot summer. Their way of life is still traditional, even though the number of Evenki speaking people is diminishing and the old clan organization is vanishing. There is conflict between the Evenki way of life, a culture in close contact with nature, and the ways of the rest of society. The dominant culture does not always leave enough scope for alternative ways of life.

The third and last part, "The School and the Village", is devoted to the Evenki children, who, in order to attend the Russian schools, are obliged to live far from their families and homes from September to May.