11.12.2025

In the Rhythm of the Tundra: RSUH’s Interactive Atlas Tells the Story of the Annual Cycle of Chaun Reindeer Herders

A project of RSUH, The Interactive Atlas of Indigenous Small-Numbered Peoples of the North, Siberia, and the Far East, presents a new video dedicated to the annual cycle of reindeer herders in the Chaun Tundra in Chukotka.

The video shows the contrasts of reindeer-herding life. Winter is a time of endurance and steady labor: repairing sleds in freezing temperatures, harvesting firewood, migrating across snowy wastelands, where contact with the outside world is maintained via radio. Summer is a period of intensive work and quick decisions: corralling reindeer, branding, and slaughter, which becomes the economic culmination of the year. The Atlas, curated by RSUH together with the Association of Indigenous Small-Numbered Peoples of the North, Siberia, and the Far East, continues to create a digital space for preserving unique ways of life—an integral part of Russia’s cultural heritage.

Watch the video about the annual cycle of reindeer herders in the Atlas media library.
You can learn more about the Chukchi via the link.