Tsaatan Reindeer Herders

Among the World's Last Reindeer-Herding Communities

Deep in the taiga forests of northern Khuvsgul Province, close to the Russian border, live the Tsaatan — also known by their own ethnonym, the Dukha — one of the smallest ethnic groups in Mongolia and among the last reindeer-herding peoples left on Earth. Numbering only a few hundred people across roughly 80 to 90 households split between the East and West Taiga, their entire way of life remains built around the animal that gives them their Mongolian name: “those who have reindeer.”

Descendants of Tuvan Herders

The Tsaatan trace their origins to Tuvan reindeer herders who crossed into Mongolia from what is now Russia’s Tuva Republic, settling in the Darhad region after Mongolia and Tuva both gained independence in 1921. They speak Dukhan, a Turkic language distinct from Mongolian, alongside Mongolian itself.

Life Built Around the Reindeer

Reindeer provide the Tsaatan with milk, transport and, occasionally, meat, with a single animal producing up to 100 litres of rich milk in a season. Families live in conical ortz tents, similar in shape to a teepee, traditionally covered in hide but now more often canvas, and reindeer are ridden from early childhood as the primary means of moving through dense taiga.

Shamanism in Daily Life

The Tsaatan practise shamanism as a lived, everyday spiritual tradition rather than a historical curiosity, with rituals honouring the spirits of forest, mountain and river conducted beside sacred fires, often with reindeer present. Visits to observe genuine ceremonies are only appropriate on dates that align with the shaman’s own calendar, not staged for tourism.

Gallery

• Meet Tsaatan families in the East or West Taiga
• Learn how reindeer milk, transport and daily life connect
• See traditional ortz dwellings and reindeer-hide craftsmanship
• Understand shamanism as it is genuinely practised today