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Erdenebat Chuluu, a nomadic herder, has lived all his life in the centuries-old tradition of his Dukha ancestors, renowned for their reindeer-herding and hunter-gathering skills in the forests of the rugged Sayan Mountains straddling the Russian border. But the Dukha fear they are losing their identity in the face of a conservation order by the government that bans unlicensed hunting on most of their traditional land. Reindeer outdo horses in this steep and snowy terrain and have allowed the Dukha to evade many of the upheavals that have historically afflicted people in the lowlands, from Genghis Khan to Communism. Chuluu's people, around 280 of them, are spread out across 59 households, about a day's ride from the village of Tsagaannuur. “It's our will to maintain the tradition of herding the reindeer in the same way as our ancestors did”, Chuluu said. In 2012, Mongolia's government designated the majority of the Dukha's traditional herding grounds as part of a national park in an attempt to protect an ecosystem ravaged in the preceding couple of decades. Here: An aerial picture shows the camp of Dukha reindeer herder Erdenebat Chuluu and his daughter Tsetse riding a reindeer in a forest near the village of Tsagaannuur, Khovsgol aimag, Mongolia, April 21, 2018. The tepee-style tent of the Dukha has a conical frame made of wooden poles and canvas and serves as a family home all year around. The pole structure is left behind when they move to a new camp to be re-used the following year. (Photo by Natalie Thomas/Reuters)
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