Mongolia – a Tsaatan Winter (Documentary)
Summary:
In the breathtaking landscapes of Mongolia, a delicious immersion among the Tsaatan, one of the last nomadic peoples whose ancestral way of life is threatened.
In the far north of Mongolia, in an immense virgin and icy territory, live astonishing nomads: the Tsaatan, nicknamed “the people of the reindeer”. Living in simple tepees in often extreme conditions, surrounded by their deer with superb antlers, the Tsaatan, who number only two hundred, represent one of the last communities in the taiga scattered into small family clans.
These breeders travel with their herds in search of the precious lichen without which the animals could not survive. But today their ancestral way of life, punctuated by the practice of shamanism, is threatened. For several years, the government has required that all children be in school from the age of 6.
For Magsar and his family, as for others, this is an upheaval likely to accelerate the end of their nomadic life. Because if she wants to follow the law, the family must separate: while Magsar keeps the reindeer, his wife and children must go and live near the only school in the region, a days’ walk from the camp. So what to do? Disobey and continue tradition? Or give children a better future?
When the edges of the world shift
Sharing the intimacy of a Tsaatan family, Pierre Da Silva films the complex dilemma of these nomads who are both attracted by the modern world and worried about seeing their world gradually disappear. In this wild Mongolia of breathtaking beauty, he captures the tipping point of a freedom-loving people, who live in harmony with nature.
Director: Pierre Da Silva
This video was published on Oct 20, 2023
~ 52 min
Content Source/Owner: imineo Documentaires
