How Nenets Nomads Live at -50°C | Daily Life in Arctic Siberia
How do Nenets nomads live through the extreme winter of Arctic Siberia? In this documentary, we spend our final day with a Nenets family in northern Russia, experiencing their daily routines, traditional reindeer-hide clothing, food preparation, and life inside a warm chum surrounded by frozen wilderness.
The morning begins inside the family’s traditional chum as everyone wakes up and starts the day by braiding their hair. After breakfast, we step outside to watch the children playing happily in the snow. Nearby, one of the family members removes bark from wooden poles, preparing them for the construction of a new chum.
Inside the tent, daily work continues. An axe is sharpened, and snow is collected and melted in a large pot on the stove to provide water for the family. Everyone gathers around the table to share fried fish, pasta, and other homemade dishes, while the children eat, play, and even share food with the family dog.
Later, the grandmother carefully sews a traditional boot from reindeer hide, preserving an important skill passed down through generations. Meanwhile, the woman of the family prepares another meal and cuts frozen reindeer meat, while the grandmother prepares food for the dogs waiting outside.
As darkness approaches, our time with this Nenets family comes to an end. Snowmobiles arrive to take us toward the train for our return to Salekhard. The following day, our journey will continue with another nomadic family in the Russian Arctic.
This episode offers a close look at the quiet routines, family traditions, and remarkable resourcefulness of Nenets nomadic life in Siberia.
📍 LOCATIONS
Nenets Nomadic Camp — Russian Arctic
Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Russia
⏱️ CHAPTERS
00:00 – What You’ll See
00:32 – Morning Inside the Chum
04:01 – Preparing Wooden Poles for a New Chum
08:25 – Children Playing in the Arctic Snow
10:52 – Melting Snow for Water
13:24 – Family Meal Inside the Tent
19:57 – Making Traditional Reindeer-Hide Boots
24:06 – Preparing Food and Feeding the Dogs
26:24 – Leaving the Nenets Family
27:31 – Returning to Salekhard
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