Nowadays, however, the locals revert to their roots while turning their lives into new forms, such as ethnical tourism.

The Kazamkins family run a small business hosting people, who wish to feel close the wild nature, on the territory of the family.

The members of the family pass their evenings cooking, doing household chores, preparing for hunting or fishing.

Every member has its own deers in common herd.

Every family has three camps: Winter, Spring and Summer ones. They move from one to another due to weather conditions.

People who live in these places are called Khanty. They keep their religious beliefs, but are not very willing to speak about them as they are considered very personal.

Major family expenses are gas, used for electricity, light and possibility to move across the taiga.

The oil is produced near the living places of the people, which they are forced to abandon.

Deers are running easily along the snow thanks to special form of the hoofs.

Special hut on high piles, which prevents wild animals from getting inside, where meat, clothing and tackle are kept. It is considered sacred and no one is allowed to get inside in the twilight.

The people’s anatomy is fully adapted to cold, even the body temperature seem to be higher.

TV, mobile connection and radio transmitters are actively used by modern Khanty.

Hunting for this people is no amusement or the way of spending leisure time, it is the way of getting food.

Despite constant hunting, the locals care about the population of birds as in other case they won’t have food in the future.

Bringing up kids, preparing the wood, sewing the clothes are the main occupations of the women.

The family is forced to protect their herds from the bears following their path which goes exactly through the family’s territory.

Different parts of the deer fell is used for different customs purposes.

Fish is the main food here, its quantity is vital for life.

Such moss is the main deer’s food.

Life in taiga compels these people to find the way to solve any problem.

Traditional boat. This one has been used for about 100 years already and belongs to a great grandfather of the head of the family.

Cathing the deers with the help of a lasso. It has become kind of national sport already.

Khanty drink tea which helps them get warm and besides is a quick way to have a snack, as they call it.

Dwellings of the Khanty are heated with cast-iron moveable wood stoves as they are mobile, cheap and get hot quickly.

Typical local house.

Gas is expensive and people use kerosine lamps for the economy.

Bogs and marshes of taiga are no more as rich with fish and game as they used to be.

This path to an oilfield was made with a bulldozer. The ecosystem was damaged severely, the whole rivers were filled up with clay as the former had prevented the transport from moving to the oilfield. The camps, which stood on the way, were wiped out without delay.

Location: Khanty-Mansi autonomous region

via photopolygon