After 18 days of arctic cold

Like nearly every day we trudge by the close woods and look around for fallen down trees. The Tuwa use this winter camp already since the last three years and many trees are already hit, but it is no problem to find enough fire wood. Here lies an old trunk. We can saw it, I say. And you are sure that it is not one trunk of the Tuwa? Tanja asks. Look at the roots. It was falling unambiguously from itself. Probably from a storm put down, I answer. With the power saw I chop it up in portable pieces. Tanja suddenly discovers two dogs who wander by the wood. Do you recognize them?, I ask. This dogs are not from our camp. But to whom should the dogs belong if not to the men? There also came Tuwa from Tsagaan Nuur. Do you remember? “Yes”. They have brought, perhaps, their dogs, considers Tanja. You mean the dogs are the vanguard of the coming back reindeer nomads? I ask. Could be. Then let us go towards them! Because we have counted every day with their homecoming we have taken our cameras to the forest. to document the arrival of the men in picture and film. We leave the power saw and ax next to the trunk and sprint down the hill. Between the partly iced up trees we see movements. It is them!, shouts Tanja quietly. We take our cameras from the pockets and go on. We call “Saijn bajna uu! Saijn bajna uu!”, (good afternoon! Good afternoon) to both men joyfully and keep our thumbs upwards. Galaa smiles to us. His face is tanned by the winter sun. In the quick step his six reindeers run along us. We wonder where the other 11 men remain and walk down the hill. There is somebody, I say on a red spot interpreting gleaming by the branches. “Indeed”, believes Tanja. As we come closer we recognize Ultsans uncle Bayandalai who stretched in the snow lies. Hopefully nothing has happened to him?, I shout on which we run off. When we reach him he stands up and smiles at us. Everything okay with you?, asks Tanja anxiously. “Sain”, (“Well”) he says his thumb of the right hand upwards stretching. I rest only a little bit. My knees hurt, he explains. Where are the others? It is hopefully everything in okay with them?, we ask. Tijmee tijmee. (Yes) Some will come in a few hours. The rest reaches the camp tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, he explains. We offer him a cigarette which he thankfully accepts and immediately smokes. Then he rises and walks with us the hill upwards to the camp. In the evening other riders with their heavy loaded animals reach the camp What have they packed on the animals?, asks Tanja. I do not know. Looks like stones. Maybe they have found jade?, I suppose. Is that jade?, I ask Shagai. His face is distorted from pain. He opens the iced up ropes solves with those the coarse lumps are bound on the load saddles of the deer. “Tijmee”, (Yes) he answers wheezing. Is everything okay with you? I ask I have injured my back, he answers. After all animals are unloaded and the stones and equipment lie around wildly scatters on the snow, the freezing and hungry men go to the tepee of Saintsetseg. They are glad about the warmth of the fire and eat bread and Boortsog. Bayandalai eats bread with sugar and drinks salted milk tea. Besides, they tell about their experiences of the last 2 weeks. Six men are still with the fence. They need two more days to build the barrier ready, and will come the day after tomorrow. Since days we already have nothing to eat. Because we were longer on the move than we thought our food stocks are used. The most hungry of us came back. How does it go for my Ultsan?, asks Tsaya, because he is one of six companions who still in the wilderness have remained. He goes well, answers Shagai. It already dawns as one of the Tuwa with his reindeers leaves the camp. He brings food to his companions and gets other jade stones, explains Tsaya. The men have found a lot of jade, I think. This is not our jade. The reindeers became leased from Mongols. There outdoors where they win jade in the open mining. The way to our camp is shorter as if they would ride from there to Tsagaan Nuur. Today evening an all-wheel coach will come to transport the stones to the village.

It is only morning next day as we hear many reindeers running in the snow. As announced six Tuwa with their loaded animals ride in the camp. All inhabitants of the base come out from their tepees and help them unloading.

Tsaya overjoyed after 18 days to have her Ultsan back. Together they unload their tired animals. Each of the deer is loaded with approx. 80 kilogramms of the valuable jade stones. Breath of people and animal steams in the icy air. The thermometer stands in spite of miraculous sunshine on below 28 °C. The sight to many, mostly white reindeers, and the keenly working people, is hardly to be described and moves us into a forgotten time.

Tanja invites the men for tea and biscuits in our ger. “Tschin setgeleesee bajrlalaa”, they thank warmly. After a little while Ganaa and Sumber sit at our home and are glad about the hot drink. “Has been quite cold?”, I ask. “Oh. It was very cold. Above all at night”, answers Ganaa.
ÑIn the night it was up to below 43 ?C. Thank God you did not get frostbiteì, I continue my conversation. ÑOh, I have got frostbite on my fingers on both handsì.

It is already 8 p.m. as Tsaya and Ultsan appear in our ger. “Hello Ultsan. How are you doing?”, asks Tanja and I at the same time. “Now I have satisfied my hunger”, he answers laughing. “Was a hard trip?”, I ask. “Tijmee”, (“Yes”) he says slightly groaning. “Above all the hunger has given a hard time to us.”“Puh it is warm in your ger. I am not used to this at all anymore. „I ask how the work with the fence construction did go. “It was more work than everybody thought. To block off the valley we had to establish a barrier from a rock massif of about two kilometer.”ÑTwo kilometer? This is immense “.” We needed many branches and shrub to build up the up to two-meter-high thing. But now none of our reindeers comes out there any more.“ “Shagai has told me that the fence also holds wolves away. Is this right?” “If the wolfs do not find our animals. But it can happen that the hunters reach the valley over the rocks. There we can only hope and count on the protection of the gods. This year our heard has even increased.” “What? How does this go then? I thought the newborn children come only in April?”, I am surprised. “There are also wild reindeers. Two of them have joined our heard”, he explains laughing.