PH OTO FOC U S
Changing Cultural Landscapes
Everyday Life of the Chukchi Turvaurgin
AUTHOR TERO MUSTONEN
PHOTO TERO MUSTONEN
T
he nomadic camps of the indigenous
Chukchi
Turvaurgin
community are a mix of traditional and modern ages. Located in one
of the harshest climates in the world, in
the Kolyma watershed, Yakutia, Siberia,
Forager 2 Fall 2015
the nomads have partnered with the
Snowchange Co-op to install solar
panels, establish nomadic schools, and
advance the preservation of nomadic
lifestyles in the period of rapid cultural
and climate change. As the permafrost
melts in the region, the herders adopt
measured elements of modern tools,
such as snow machines, while choosing
to maintain and renew their life on
the land. They survive, because they
remember the essentials.
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