Nomads of Yamal will receive a present – the Nenets calendar

The Nenets calendar “Northern Muse” was published in Yamalskiy district. It includes information about meaning of months in Nenets culture and traditional activity. The calendar will be given to families of nomads during the celebration of the Reindeer Herder’s Day in the settlement Yar-Salye on the 1st and the 2nd of April, as the press-service of the governor of Yamal informs.

For example, May (in Nenets – ty”nits’iry) is a month of mass calving of reindeer. In the calendar this time is described as very difficult for reindeer herders. The whole nomadic camp prepares to the forthcoming grazing of she-reindeers during the mass calving, rendering help to them in protecting and nursing of calves. There is much work. Men complete all important kinds of work, repair narty (northern sledge), remove shavings from a khorey – a long pole for driving a reindeer team and from a plank layer in a choum (a dwelling of reindeer herders; similar to a tepee). Women prepare covers of choums and clothes for summer and future winter.
August (pilyu” iry) is a month of gadflies. Gadflies and gnats replace mosquitoes in the air. There are last long and light days in a year. The time comes to put tags in ears of young calves, to accustom he-reindeers to a corral and a harness. At the same time indigenous northerners collect berries: cloudberries, bilberries and blueberries. Fish can be caught well in numerous lakes of Yamal. The end of August is the time for slaughter of reindeer, their pelts are used for “malitsa” and “yagushka” (clothes for a man and a woman, like fur coats).
In addition to describing of months, the calendar contains information about key indexes of socioeconomic development of Yamalskiy district during the latest 5 years.
The project was fulfilled by the administration of the district and the public movement of indigenous ethnic minorities of the North “Yamal”.