Downtime in the Teepee

We accept the hospitality of Otgon. She has 6 children, the oldest is 21 years old. But now only a couple live with her. She sits on the right side of the teepee with Sagalma, a young daughter. The social rules of the ger apply here. We sit on the left and drink tea.

Tsaatan herd reindeer and make products from its milk

M. told me this morning that no shaman are living here at the moment. They have already moved on. So will we look for them? It looks like we will spend the day here relaxing.

I ask E how many grams of noodles he is cooking for breakfast. 400 grams? He replies, I know, I know. One of his staple phrases. I get the feeling he wants to establish himself above me in the group hierarchy.

Five girls suddenly appear in the teepee. But they quickly disappear. E tells us they will return with their handicraft and that we must buy something, no matter how small. Reindeer products, I reckon. I need a "buus," or sash for my deel.

Otgon and her family tend about 50 reindeer. I did not see them last night when we arrived. This morning Sagalma let the calves loose to feed. Like our horses, they spend the night tethered, but on lines so short they cannot roam at all.

It is nearly noon, and downtime in the teepee. If these tents have corners, Otgon is lying in one, and is hiding her face with a wall hanging.

I go for a walk. Across the river one teepee has shed its shell, so that only the wooden framework of about 30 wooden poles as thick as your calf remain. I look down to gain sure footing crossing the river and when I glance back up, the framework, too, has disappeared. Now, on this side of the wider river, another family has packed up its teepee and is heading westward.

Otgon told us that the wooden poles are left behind at each camp. I go to see what this family has left behind, and sure enough, lying in a stack are the poles.

The latrine is a group of rocks some 100 meters distant from the teepee. Have you ever seen a dog eat your morning dump? Otgon's dog downed it before I had my pants buckled.