cv and filmography

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films of the Khanty

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wanderers

 

 

 

World of the Khanty - Wanderers

 

 

 

The film shows the seasonal migration of a Khanty family from their summer campsite to their winter campsite. The family uses Russian to talk with strangers, such as the Nenets living in the same area, but use their Finno-Ugrian mother tongue among themselves. Small languages and dialects are disappearing at an alarming pace throughout the world. Khanty, one of the many endangered languages, is spoken in the film.

 

The Voguls and the Ostyaks – or the Mansi and Khanty as they call themselves – live in the vast watershed of the River Ob in western Siberia. The small group shown in the film lives in the northernmost area of this region. Their archaic way of life can in part be attributed to the area’s peripheral nature because they have been less affected by industrialisation and civilisation than the other groups.

 

The reindeer herds and the family tending them are constantly on the move, forced to migrate in part because the reindeer cannot feed on the sparse pastures for long, and in part because the herd migrates from the winter campsite in the south to the more northerly coast of the Arctic Ocean and Ural Mountains, where the fresh winds drive the mosquitoes away. In autumn, they begin the long trek southward, covering several hundred kilometres. Temporary campsites are established every three to six days in winter and every two days in summer. Owing to this constant migration, the form, size and weight of the sleds and implements used by the Khanty are designed with an eye to practicality, enabling them to be easily packed and unpacked. Reindeer are the basis of life on the tundra since it is virtually the only meat available there. Their hide is used for bedding, clothing and footwear, their sinews are utilised as thread, their bones and antlers for making various tools and implements. Migration too is enabled by the reindeer pulling the sleds over both snow and grass on the tundra.

 

The film offers a glimpse into the daily life of the Khanty reindeer herders, the dangerous winter migration, and their concerns. The camera becomes their friend with whom they talk and through it speak to the viewer. This intimacy enables a better understanding of their life.