Among Khanty reindeer herders
2005

As guests of a local expedition, four Hungarians visited the most traditional groups of the Northern Khanty living along river Synya, a Western tributary of Ob: Márta Csepregi, Erika Asztalos, Zsófia Kováts (Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest) and Mária Sipos (Research Institute for Linguistics, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest).
The starting point of our journey was the centre of Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District, Salekhard. Our helicopter departed from the airport of the city and took us back to Europe, i.e. the Western slopes of Ural as reindeer herders from the Upper Synya spend the summers with their animals there, in the mountainous areas. The reindeer herders and their families live in traditional tents. The summer cover of the tents is not birchbark any longer but canvas, otherwise the furnishings of them are arranged according to an ancient order. The reindeer herders preserve the most important elements of the material culture and spiritual heritage of the Northern Khanty, e.i. women wear dresses sewn according to the typical Khanty pattern, embroided and decorated by themselves. As for men, the traditional elements of clothing can be seen mainly in winter, although the men’s loosely fitting coats tightened with belts richly decorated with bone figures, bear teeth etc. with the obligatory knife in case, are important parts of masculine appearance in these Khanty groups in every season. Women have braids and switches of the traditional kind: the braids are tightly lapped round and lengthened with many-coloured cotton threads.
Khanty men are excellent in the practice of reindeer herding. They know all the traditional ins and outs of driving animals,  and use the achievements of modern veterinary science at the same time. The herd shown in the photos was said to consist of some 2 ,000 animals, and they are guarded by 2-4 men with the help of a dog. Teenage boys join in driving the animals with pleasure, small children often play with young calves. The Khanty eat reindeer meat boiled, dried, smoked, frozen  and,  raw as well. Fresh raw liver dipped in warm blood is delicacy for the Khanty. We were lucky to watch how a wooden sledge was being made with the old methods: using fire and steam as well as ropes to bend and fit together the wooden elements.
Children of reindeer herder families under school-age do speak Khanty, however their parents are bilingual.
The second part of the photos shows the trip back to Siberia through the larch woods of Ural. The path was well known to our experienced leaders, who have driven herds from the Synya basin to the Western side of Ural and vice versa several times.  Later, when we arrived at the upper reaches of Synya we travelled by boats and visited the uppermost villages of the river. These settlements are suprisingly tiny. With the high grass they look abandoned at the first glance because the inhabitants regularly move to Ob for summer fishing. The houses and the typical pantries resting on four pillars are made of wood. The water of Synya is incredibly clear and rich in fish here.
At the end of our selection,  as a farewell to the traditional reindeer herding, fishing and hunting culture, two photos show Ovgort, the centre of this region. This is a Russian-speaking settlement where the inhabitants of Khanty origin rarely use their mother tongue, but they are, depending on age,  Russian-dominant bilinguals or Russian monolinguals. Otherwise different remnants of the Khanty material culture as well as religion, and mythology can be observed here.
Mária Sipos
Zsófia Kováts