How Do Soyots Live — Indigenous People Of The Sayan Mountains

The only small habitat of the Soyat people is the Yakinsky area in the Republic of Buryatia. The ancestors of these people lived in southern Siberia since ancient times between the Ob and the Yenisei riverheads. At the end of the first millennium, Turkic tribes arrived here from Central Asia, instilling their language and way of life. Later, in the 18th century, the Buryat Mongolians came here in search of better pastures. The Soyat people, who were far less in number than the Buryats, soon were influenced by them and over time lost their Turkic language. We consider the Buryat language to be our mother tongue. We spoke in it for over 300 years. When the two ethnic groups met, they decided to coexist amicably, and there was no other choice. The laws of nature, the laws of history dictate that a bigger ethnic group will always absorb a smaller one. It does not mean though that we forgot our roots or our traditions. The school day is drawing to a close in the village school. Sarok is considered a large town here. It's surrounded by several smaller nomadic settlements scattered all around it. The nomadic children live and study in this boarding school five days a week. Thanks for the lesson. Goodbye. See you tomorrow. Today is Friday. The long-awaited weekend is approaching and the children are going home to their parents. There is no school bus though. Here, in the remote mountain area, one has to walk most of the time. Althana Dondakova, a 10th grade school student, is going on a long journey. Her house is located 20 kilometers away from the school. The girl is in a hurry. She has to catch up to her younger brother, Alamji, who has already left for his parents' settlement on his own. It is believed that the word Sayot originates from the name of the mountain Sayan or Sayon. A sharp fang, the name which was given to those mountains by some tribes back in the day. The Sayot people are the descendants of the ancient Samoyed native population of the eastern Sayan mountains who lived here long before the arrival of the Mongolian tribes in the 14th to 16th centuries. Their long-standing way of life does not provide an opportunity for the nomads to leave their homesteads every week in order to fetch their children from school. And the children are raised to be independent and are used to going home on their own. Halfway home, Althana and Alamji are caught by bad weather. It is already May, but at an altitude of 2,000 meters above sea level, spring is only just starting. We always walk those 20 kilometers. You hardly ever see a car here, as there's hardly any road. And if someone happens to come this way, they'll always give you a lift. But we are used to this. All our ancestors roam long distance, moving from place to place. The house of Althana and her brother is located in a little place called Oro. It's the winter station for the Sayot people. They live here from October till the end of May. In summer, they leave their homes and go higher up the mountains, taking their herds to lush green pastures. My great-grandfathers lived this way for centuries, as we do. We raise cattle. It's our main source of income and food. My wife works as a postal officer in the capital of the region and comes here twice a month. And my children are here every weekend. They spend their summer vacations here, too, and help me tend the herd. Big herds of horses, cows, deer and yaks have always been an indispensable part of the local landscape. Each community had their herd, which belonged to two or three related families simultaneously. The tiny Sayot settlements are virtually isolated from the world by the chain of the eastern Sayan Mountains. This small group of people lost in the remote area only became known to the world after the collapse of the Soviet Union. In 1926 and during the entire Soviet period, the Sayot people were listed as the Buryats. The goal was straightforward. All the unique small ethnic groups were to join and merge with the unified Soviet people. If the Sayot people are not in any census, then they simply don't exist. We acquired the official status of an independent, small, indigenous ethnic group only in the year 2000, in March, when the Russian government passed the resolution to ratify the list of the indigenous minorities. Today, the Sayot population is slightly over three and a half thousand people. Most of them live in this area. The Sayots build houses, dress in modern clothes and use mobile phones. But some 50 to 70 years ago, things were very different. The Sayot families live in ursas, tents made from reindeer skin or tree bark. One ursa would house three generations. The grandmother usually sat by the cradle. A hanging cradle with a baby was unusual. It had mountings at the bottom so that it could be tied on the back of a horse during migrations. The nodules on the leather rope of the cradle signified the number of children who had slept in this cradle. The Sayots still use the utensils and household items that they used 300 years ago. A Sayot man can pack his things in 30 minutes and go to the taiga to hunt for 30 days or for two months. And he'll be fine. Long passages in remote locations do not scare them. They are born resilient. Altana and Alamji arrived home within a few hours. They are wet and tired, but there's no time to rest. They have to help their parents around the house. The weekend will fly past unnoticed, filled with work. The first thing for Alamji is to tend his favorite calves. During the week, they've grown up and forgotten the boy. That's why they are afraid and running away from him. Altana starts with a household chore straight away. She has to make lunch and feed her little sister. While her father is out in the pasture with the herd, she cooks Sayot pancakes with sour milk. My brother and I can do everything around the house. All the adults work, but we each have our own responsibilities. I cook and clean the house and Alamji, for example, chops wood for the fire. Alamji hasn't been to a hunt yet because he's too young, but he fishes. Together with his friends, he assembles some simple tackle and goes to the river. Once I caught a burbot here of about 80 centimeters. You are imagining it. It was no more than 20 to 30 centimeters. There are no big burbots here. You are right. There might be no big burbots here because it's only about two meters deep. But on the other river where we went fishing, my friend and I, we caught a fish of 50 to 60 centimeters. Nobody has ever caught such a big fish here. Civilization has penetrated into the lives of these people, but it hasn't changed their unique perception of this world. Every year they are happy to participate in the National Games, a fond childhood memory at the festival, which honors the sacred mountain of Buran Han. Should we try, guys? What do you think? Yes, please. I used to play it, too. They didn't let me take part in the game this winter. Who's the champion now? The winner must hit it for the longest time. One. The clothes are getting in the way. The Syats take pride in their national costume. Here, every ornament in every stitch has a meaning. Even the boots of the national costume have a special meaning. The toes are curved so that they don't disturb the soil and grass, and so it's not hurt by the sharp tips of the boot. In everyday life, the Syats used to dress more humbly in clothes made of simple and cheap materials. They wear their bright national costumes only on special occasions. Hardworking Syats don't have many celebrations, but this one is special. People from all over the area come to the foothill of the sacred Buran Han mountain to celebrate it. Only those who live in the most remote areas such as Uroh might have to miss the celebrations because they can't leave their everyday work routines. The day of Buran Han is a great day for the Syats, comparable to the meaning of Christmas for the Christians. These people's beliefs are a quaint combination of shamanism and Buddhism. The elderly of the Syat settlement say a pagan prayer by the soul cedar rock. We pray for our children, our grandchildren and all of us to live here in peace and harmony, happiness and love to everyone so that everything goes well. Vladimir Ubysheev is not a priest nor a shaman. He is the first and only Syat stone carver. The Akinsky area is rich in jade, a semi-precious stone. The self-learned craftsman carves various shapes and figures from it. Since I was a child, I dreamt of creating something. I like to draw, sculpt, but then for some reason I completely stopped doing it. After I retired, I started carving wood and didn't have any intention to work with stones. I think our ancestors used to make many things from various stones. We have a lot of different types here. For example, they used to make stone pipes, simple ones, very simple ones. The subject of his work is traditional, mostly wild and tamed animals, primarily the yaks. Yaks enjoy special treatment here. The birth of a yak is an important event for a Syat. Last night, a calf was born as white as snow. It's a good omen, according to a folk saying. Relatives and neighbors are coming to the house of Bato Dondakov to celebrate this event. There is a family of the European anthropologist Alex Eller among the guests. They've been here for a few months. People of different cultures connected easily. How do you feel here? We enjoy living here. It's beautiful. We are surrounded by beauty. But there in Europe, you have it all. Hot water, showers, everything. We have become accustomed. Fresh water comes directly from the mountain river. The Scottish anthropologist studies the relationships between man and domestic animals. Alex films and documents all the Syat's activities around the house. That's the topic of his dissertation. When I arrived here in May last year for the first time, I came as far as this valley and saw how the people lived. I decided that I would have to come and stay here to experience it, to experience the life. And then when I came back here in September, everyone was waiting for me and welcoming me. They are really very hospitable. I had a very warm welcome. And then I started living with them. To the researcher, these people are like precious treasures hidden in the depth of the Eurasian continent. Protected by mountains from the rest of the world. It's peculiar that they really tried to introduce progress into this area in the Soviet times. They brought various equipment here. So from this point of view, it seems like the past was more up to date than the present. But to me, it's developing in the right direction. People now live more naturally. They stay true to themselves. However, Bato Dondakov wants his children to follow the path of progress and feel at ease in the modern dynamic world. The head of the family admits that it's becoming increasingly difficult to provide for themselves on their homestead. And his children will have to seek other means of providing for themselves. It's become more difficult recently. We have to take Niterkusk, which is 450 kilometers away, or Ulan-Ude, which is 700 kilometers. We need to obtain a lot of certificates from the veterinarians and other experts and pay for each of them to finally sell the meat cheap. So we have to work more to survive. I want my children to get an education, to become teachers or lawyers, to live and work in the city. Meanwhile, the Sayat women decide to foretell Alex Eller's future in a traditional Sayat way, by reading river stones, which are actually the pieces of petrified clay. Every child here knows that this is a symbol, is a symbol of a girl. Her spirit is hovering over you and your family. If your wife becomes pregnant, then she'll give birth to a girl, and this girl will have a very interesting life. She'll be very talented. Possibly, she'll do some art. Here she is, look at her. We're not against that. No wonder that the great Russian scientist Vladimir Abruchev called this land a little Tibet. Everything is full of life here and holds a special meaning that does not reveal itself just to anyone. The weekend is coming to an end. The two days spent at home have flown by. Althana and Alamjee are going to leave their native land, Uroa, for five days. Alamjee, did you pack my textbooks? Yes, yes, I have them. Let's go. Bye, father. The children once again have to walk for 20 kilometers through the mud and wet snow. And by the end of the week, they'll be looking forward to the last bell and hurrying back home to their beloved animals and their hard but familiar duties in the quiet place of Uroa. Like a songbird that is flying over the mountains, the clear voice of a young storyteller rings out. Once it becomes stronger and the sound more powerful, it will be heard from far away. He will tell everyone about the intrepid and industrious Siyat people, shaggy yaks, and a nomadic lifestyle. He will tell them about a lost world where there is no fuss nor feud, filled with beauty and eternal harmony, about his fascinating native land, which is topped by the majestic and sacred Borin Han.