Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The reindeer pulled the sleigh, just as Li Du had seen in Christmas postcards.
The Nganasan traditionally lived by fishing at sea. They hunted and consumed the meat, traded in furs and herded reindeer. Their livelihood depended on those activities.
They were strongly dependent on the reindeer and were skilled in training these animals. Under the hands of the Nganasan, the tall and big reindeers were as tame as cows and other farm animals.
As the whip cracked, the reindeer started to run swiftly. Their hooves made a crisp galloping sound as they struck the ice. It was a unique sort of beauty.
There was a leader reindeer in front of the pack of each sleigh. Just like leader sleigh dogs, the leader reindeer had a bell tied around its neck. The ringing was as clear and loud as the sound of their hooves.
Ah Ow and the other animals, too, wanted to get on the sleigh. However, the reindeers were afraid of them. Whenever the animals neared, the reindeers would congregate fearfully.
As a result, Li Du made them get off and let them follow their course by running at a distance.
Ah Meng and Crispy Noodles stared blankly. We are not trained to run, they seemed to say.
Li Du did not care. In any case, the reindeers were slow and the animals would be able to keep up.
Again, Ah Bai jumped onto Ah Ow’s back. The latter was already attuned to such an arrangement. With a shake of her head, she started to pick up the pace too, with Ah Bai riding her back.
The area where the Nganasan were situated was not far from the shore. It was at a patch of grassy area.
The place was named Little Grassy Land not because its surface was small but because the grass that grew there was short and wiry. It looked similar to moss and a bunch of reindeers bent their heads to the ground, looking for food.
“Seems like the Arctic does have some life after all. There’s even a bit of grass here,” Madman said in surprise.
Sissy flipped him the middle finger and said, “Don’t be a country bumpkin. There are even volcanoes and hot springs here.”
The settlement was not big, consisting of no more than fifty or sixty people.
Big Ivan looked at the tents and smiled. “Boss, we are in luck to have bumped into the Nganasan. They are rarer than polar bears.”
Amongst the inhabitants, there were children, teenagers, and adults. However, there were few elderly people.
Living in a rough place like the Arctic, most people did not lead a long life. One was considered lucky to live to be sixty years old.
The women were preparing the food. They stirred a few big pots and the aroma filled the air.
The men came to welcome Li Du and the rest. They were extremely friendly. Obviously, Soutar Nasang had already told them about the gifts from Li Du.
Li Du looked around him curiously, marveling at the unexpected piece of greenery among all the ice.
Just as the desert tribes would search for oases of greens, the Nganasan were the same. They led a nomadic life and when the seasons changed, they would follow along where the reindeer migrated.
Unfortunately, because international corporations were discovering the resources of the Arctic such the natural gas and coal, the migration paths were becoming destroyed or polluted. Hence, the environment where the Nganasan lived in became poorer and poorer.
The weather was gloomy and the temperature dropped quickly, but it was still mild compared to the harshness of the winter season.
That meal that the tribe women had prepared consisted of steamed fish, deer meat and other types of cooked meat. In any case, the Nganasan made a sumptuous meal for Li Du and his people.
The Nganasan were also aware of the importance of consuming vegetables. In every bowl of meat stew, they would add in some greens. The green looked even brighter as the boiling soup was poured over it.
Li Du checked out the greens and realized that they looked just like the wild grass growing on the shore.
He asked Big Ivan, “The vegetables that these people consume – do they eat whatever plant they see?”
Big Ivan shrugged.”Living in such a place, do they have a choice?”
Li Du shrugged as well. In any case, it was good enough to have something fresh and warm to eat.
The deer meat was pretty good. The other sorts of meat did not taste very special. Some of them did not have much fat and were tough and stringy.
Li Du asked, “What kind of meat is this?”
The answer was that it was wolf meat. It was a dish that the Nganasan would prepare for their distinguished guests. As Arctic wolves were rare, they were only able to capture a few each year.
A Nganasan man came over with his bowl and made an inquiry. Big Ivan said, “He’s asking if you’re not used to the food. Some people do not like to eat wolf meat.”
Li Du said, “Help me convey my thanks for his concern. I’m fine with it.”
Sophie looked at the fatty meat in her bowl and said with a distressed look, “But I’m not. Come, honey, you can have this.”
“What meat is this?”
“Might be seal or herring. The fat content is very high. This is the favorite for all Nganasan women. That’s because they need to replenish their fat stores,” Big Ivan said.
Sophie shook her head. “They are too kind. I don’t need to replenish any fat stores.”
Other than sprinkling some salt, the Nganasan did not use other condiments. Due to the lack of seasoning, the taste of food depended solely on the ingredients themselves.
For example, the taste of the wolf meat was fine and had some gamey aroma. Seal meat was a different matter. After cooking, those gave off a fishy, oily scent and did not taste good.
Living in such extreme conditions, the Nganasan, other than eating and resting, spent the rest of the time working. The women would tend to the households look after the reindeer while the men took the older children to hunt.
The weather had not changed for the better. In fact, the wind started to blow strongly and hence, Li Du and his people were unable to set off. Therefore, they decided to stay temporarily in the campsite of the Nganasan.
They did not have anything to do and hence when they saw the Nganasan gathering to go hunting, they followed.
Big Ivan communicated with the men and returned. He said, “They are going to fish and hunt for seals. Are we going too?”
Li Du said, “There’s nothing else to do. It’s better to join them and just spend some time doing something.”
Again, they took the reindeer sleighs. The group changed their route and headed for the seaside.
As the cold wind blew, the sea turned rough. One wave after another slapped onto the ice with a mighty roar.
Along the coastline, at a distance, the first of the sleighs came to a stop. A big man collected his tools and got down. Then he started to chat with his companion.
Big Ivan translated, “There are a bunch of ringed seals ahead. They are planning to hunt down a few of them to bring back.”
The men started to collect their tools. Soutar Nasang walked over and gave them some warnings. He said that the seals were no easy targets and that they should not provoke them.
Li Du agreed and checked out the surroundings. He saw that there were some greyish-white seals lounging on the icebergs and reefs by the sea. Those would be their prey.
The waves on the sea were huge. The seals started to get onshore. The Nganasan gathered to watch. They were not anxious and waited patiently for the seals to get closer.
One strong wave after another slapped on the reefs. The seals felt uncomfortable and cold and continued to climb further onto the shore. They wanted to avoid the cold and the waves.
Seeing that, the Nganasan started to get into action.
They had brought along chisels and some daggers. When the seals began to approach, they went to use the chisels to break apart some of the ice layers. They stuck their daggers and chisels in between the shards.
Then, they poured seawater into the ice holes. At the moment, the temperature was far below freezing point. It did not take long for the water to turn into ice. The daggers then looked like sharp icebergs that protruded from the ground.
