TSAATANS

Tsaatan are nomadic reindeer herders living in northwestern Mongolia in the Khövsgöl region.

Following shamanistic principles, there are only about three hundred who preserve this ancestral and exciting way of life, which is now under threat. The new generation is more and more attracted by the city and its comfort. On the other hand, the Mongolian government has banned hunting in the taiga in order to protect nature, and thus provides financial support to the herders, which is sometimes insufficient and obliges them to sacrifice one of their reindeers. Climate change is also affecting the region, as temperatures are increasing, forcing the nomadic people to move more frequently.