A fascinating new documentary sheds light on nomadic life in the Arctic, where the main focus is the search for love.
In the short filmuploaded to YouTube by Patrushevs, two groups of reindeer herders in a remote region of Russia are followed as a young woman and a man are introduced in an arranged marriage.
The young girl is taken to her future husband on a sleigh pulled by dozens of reindeer, who will be offered to her as a dowry.
When she arrives at her new home – a yurt or cylindrical buddy – she dines quietly with her new family while wearing a formal dress and decorative headdress.
Fascinating new documentary sheds light on nomadic life in the Arctic, with the search for love as its main focus
In the short film, two groups of reindeer herders in a remote region of Russia are followed as a young woman and a man are introduced in an arranged marriage.
Other young nomads participate in an annual celebration of reindeer herders with the aim of meeting potential partners.
In one scene, an elder explains that being a nomadic wife is “really hard” with basic living conditions and extremely cold winters.
Once the festivities are over, the girl’s mother-in-law bathes her by hand in a small tub in preparation for her wedding night.
The video’s captions reveal that all the nomadic families sleep in the same shelter and that there are no walls to provide privacy.
All rooms are combined into a single space serving as bedroom, kitchen, living room and bathroom.
In the film, the bride can be seen lying down next to her husband as night falls, with a small canopy being the only thing separating them from the rest of the family.
Everyone from children to grandparents sleep on deer skins, their coats serving as blankets.
“Obviously the young couple needs to keep quiet,” the caption says.
After her marriage, the video details how the girl must prove herself to her new family by helping them with household chores, from tending the fire to melting snow for water.
The newlyweds will continue to live with the man’s family “for years” because buying or creating another yurt or buddy is expensive.
The elder reveals that relations in the Arctic are just as complicated as in the West. She says: “There is a myth that reindeer herders are puritans, that we don’t cheat… it’s all lies!”
The young girl who participates in an arranged marriage is taken to her future husband on a sleigh pulled by dozens of reindeer, who will be offered to her as a dowry.
When she arrives at her new home – a yurt or cylindrical buddy – she dines quietly with her new family while wearing a formal dress and decorative headdress.
While the young girl in the film experienced an arranged marriage arranged by her parents, the subtitles reveal that other young nomads attend an annual reindeer herders’ festival in an attempt to meet potential partners.
During the event, young men showcase their strength and skills by competing against each other.
Some of the events include tug of war, roping competitions and wrestling.
Women, looking from the sidelines, will then be looking for the “strongest and most skillful guy”.
In one scene, an elder explains that being a nomadic wife is “really hard” with basic living conditions and extremely cold winters.
As a result, a growing number of girls want to move to modern cities and abandon their nomadic traditions.
However, when it comes to relationships, the elder says they are just as complicated in the Arctic as they are in modern cities.
She explains: “There is a myth that reindeer herders are puritans and that you don’t have sex… don’t cheat… it’s all lies!”
The video’s captions reveal that nomadic families live together in the same shelter and there are no walls to protect their privacy.
Once the festivities are over, the girl’s mother-in-law bathes her by hand in a small tub in preparation for her wedding night.
In the film, the bride can be seen lying down next to her husband as night falls, with a small canopy being the only thing separating them from the rest of the family.
“We make love here, in the tundra. We make love, we have lovers, women cheat on their husbands and vice versa. We divorce, we fight like the others.
The film reveals that because nomads live together in a small space, they are quite emotionally reserved and when couples fight, other people in their space won’t know.
However, the wife will do “silent things” to punish her husband, such as not making him dinner, while the man will ignore his wife in bed.
To date, the short film has been viewed more than 11,000 times and many viewers have thanked the filmmaker for his interesting insight into another way of living.
One commenter wrote: “I can’t imagine a more awkward situation than spending my wedding night in the same space as my mother-in-law.
“I understand that this is normal for them and that no one makes a big production out of it.
“That’s why I love your videos and I always want them to be longer. I have the opportunity to see how people live in different countries and in different regions of those countries. It’s fascinating and always interesting.
Another viewer added: “Great documentary. It is vital to learn and appreciate how other cultures live, thrive and exist on planet Earth.
