“The Last Reindeer Herders Of China”,
New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/10/learning/the-runners-up-of-our-where-we-are-photo-essay-contest.html

The Reindeer Tribe represents China’s only reindeer herding tribe, and is situated in the Inner Mongolia region of China. Today, this specific branch of Ewenkis, an ethnic group Indigenous to sub-Arctic Asia, only has a couple hundred members remaining. Maliya Suo, the last female chieftain of the tribe, passed away two years ago. In 2003, the government confiscated their rifles, compelling the tribe to relocate to settlements below the mountains. As they moved out of the mountains, their language, culture and people slowly faded into the mists.

Nevertheless, Budongxia Bu and her husband, Xiaoliangku Xiao, were among the few who opted to stay in the deep forest in their commitment to preserving their nomadic lifestyle. As such, Budongxia stands as one of the final guardians of their ethnic culture. Their only son went to the city for university and has long since been unable to adapt to life in the mountains. Budongxia remains the sole family member fluent in the Ewenki language.

Their generation grapples with the delicate balance between heritage preservation and the encroaching influence of modern society. The balance of the past, the present and the future is the greatest challenge. In this delicate dance, a photographer’s lens captured their essence, freezing moments of resilience amid minus-45-Fahrenheit winds.

Budongxia, wearing traditional Ewenki clothing, herded the reindeer into the deep forest to feast on lichen. “Due to the deteriorating environment, our reindeer are becoming smaller and fewer in number, compelling us to venture deeper into the forest in search of lichen,” she explained.

The couple prefer their primitive tents over the modern ones. After the government confiscated their rifles, they made scarecrows out of bearskins to scare the wolves away. “People think this is the Ewenki way,” Xiaoliangku said, “but the real way is long gone and only exists in our memories.”

Budongxia and Xiaoliangku are among the last of the Ewenki people who still embrace a nomadic lifestyle. Periodically relocating, their tents afford them the efficiency needed for this way of life.

All reindeer wear bells around their necks to enable their herders to identify their location. Some reindeer have special bells that produce unique sounds, aiding in their identification.

Every part of a reindeer is useful to the Ewenki people. Parts such as the antlers are sold, and the meat is used for food. “The reindeer are our life,” Budongxia said. “Without them, we are nothing. But the modern world is leaving us behind.”