This For All You Preppers Who Think Your Living Off The Grid

YouTube ^ | 2/2021 | Nomad Architecture

[OneVike]

This is a video of a family of reindeer herders setting up their lodging for a short stay before they have to head out again. They are on the move every four days or so, and by now they got this down to a science, and everyone works together. These families are so far off the grid they live in Siberia. I'm offer 17 screen shots from the video for those who would rather not spend the 32 minutes watching the whole video, however, your missing a treat if you don't.

I often read about preppers who are doing their best to live off the grid, but after watching this video you guys ain't got nothing on these people. They are so far off the grid, the only modern convenience they got is a snowmobile to pull their long train off sleds from one camping spot to another as they herd their reindeer. It's an amazing thing to watch, and after I finished I couldn't help to think how spoiled we are here in America. Hell, even American peppers are spoiled compared to these people. Below is some information from the producer of the video that I lifted from the youtube video, and the 16 more screen shots follow.

The Nenet reindeer herders need to move their tent every few days throughout most of the year. Every time they migrate they must pack the whole tent away, drag it across the tundra on sledges, and erect it again in a fresh place, sometimes in temperatures of minus thirty degrees. Survival depends on working together as a team.

After staying in the wooded taiga for two months they start to migrate north following the ancient paths of migrating reindeer (caribou). In four months they will travel up to 1200km and must pack and move every three to five days to keep up with their herd. They must reach their summer quarters before the snows melt and flood great rivers with icy waters too cold and deep for the calves, born along the way, to cross.

Behind the tent an invisible line extends out into the tundra. It is called the sawei line, and a woman cannot cross it. It will bring bad luck to the tent. It was hard for them to explain exactly why, it is much stronger than a superstition and is connected to the spirit pole that stands at the back of the tent. This pole is sacred and a woman cannot cross underneath it either, and only a shaman may sit in this holy place. The origins of this are a little lost, there may be practical reasons, for example the back of the tent is traditionally where the men work, often together, so they have to be able to move about freely, but there are often two families in a single tent, so maybe one day the women just agreed territories to stop tripping over each other. Maybe it has such a mundane origin, or maybe there are real spirits that come up to the tent from behind and would bring harm to any women caught in the wrong place. If several tents pitch together, their lines must not cross either, so they tend to camp in a straight line to avoid this.

In answer to the many questions - on personal hygiene, everyone washes using a bowl of soap and hot water, just like most of our grandparents did before everyone had pipes and taps. There is no toilet in the tent as some have suggested, they find a spot a few hundred metres away. They are not pitching on a lake but a small mound where the snow blows a little thinner, Gas companies have been in the area and gave away snowmobiles as part of land access negotiations. Also sometimes there are competitions with them as prizes, sometimes they sell a load of reindeer and buy one. Most families now have at least one but the reindeer are still used a lot. Yes, they use a sled to go to town, or trading posts to buy groceries.

I wanted to catch the entire process, but have edited it down a little from the 40-45 minutes it takes to get from the open snows to a warm cosy home

[ConservativeInPA]

That’s a great story. The pictures are so American. It is amazing what our forefathers did.

[OneVike]

I forgot to add, the friend of the family in the last image, was a gentleman suitor of my grandmother, Bernadine Holt. She was a school teacher, and would eventually marry my grandfather Clarence Carpenter.

My grandmother was being courted by a few men interested in her at the time, my grandfather being one of them. He was carpenter who was off in Wyoming working on remodeling the Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone Park at the time this pic was taking. He also helped build a few other historic sites around Mt Idaho and Wyoming. Back then to get work a carpenter had to be willing to travel. Many of the places he built still exist today.

Anyway, when he returned 6 months later, he got serious and proposed to my grandmother, and the rest is history. Thought about writing about the things they told me through the years, but so far they are just stories in my head.

[Hiddigeigei]

"My first thought regarding the snowmobile is what happens when the belt breaks, as they always do break."
There are ways for them to buy thing not off the grid, but I remember reading that Eskimos carved replacement parts for their outboards out of walrus ivory. Of course, they had to buy the outboard in the first place.

[cherry]

free time to do what?......bowling?.....golf?...shopping?

[BDParrish]

Eventually it will become “correct” to abandon “you’re” for “your” if the lessons learned from days of yore are any guide.

[LibertyWoman]

How interesting! Thanks for including me on your ‘sharing of it’. Have a great day!

[lee martell]

Probably so. A living language is not static, and is constantly being reshaped by dialect, by purpose
and by custom.

[LibertyWoman]

That was not the way it was worded (rolling). Check out Tucker Carlson's report from last night. One source, cannot remember where in the country, has been shut down completely. How long can ships be diverted to the U.S.? Not long...and how long will the supply of those 2 ships last? Not long. Barring some miracle and a complete reversal of policies, a catastrophic failure (shipping food, supplies, parts, flight, etc etc) is looming in this country.

[GaltAdonis]

My grandparents started a small farm in Browns Mills, NJ shortly
after the onset of the great depression.
All of the male members of the extended family pitched in to
help build the first house & buildings.

That is where and how they weathered the great depression.
They did pretty well, from what I've been told.

But when the depression subsided and prosperity returned, they
moved to Wildwood, NJ - a beach vacation town - and opened
a general store / ice cream parlor. They did very well at that.
My mom and her older sister (my aunt) helped run the store
and scoop ice cream and whatever.

My grandad said that farming was much harder than running the store -
and not nearly as much fun.

I have pictures of much of this - but don't have them handy at the moment.

[metmom]

In many ways, we have it so good compared to them, and yet, they had family and real community that we can only envy these days.

[goodnesswins]

Nice...I have some very similar pics from 1920s Montana family..but near Sidney

[OneVike]

Interesting, thanks.

Maybe we should start a thread with everyone contributing some information on their ancestors who helped build this country.

[OneVike]

That would be over near the Dakotas. Everyone is closer to Great Falls, but farther East, and doesn’t exist any more. At least from what I understand

[GaltAdonis]

"Maybe we should start a thread with everyone
contributing some information on their ancestors who
helped build this country."

.

Sounds like a great idea!
Have at it!

.

PS: That same grandfather later helped build US Navy ships at Philadelphia Navy Yard. He told me a story about how one winter the Delaware river
froze over solid during the war and he WALKED to work at the Navy yard
across the river from his home in Oaklyn, NJ.

[OneVike]

Yea, I would not want to run a farm. It can be one of the hardest and most thankless jobs on the planet.

[goodnesswins]

If you DO start a thread on family history...maybe give advance notice and people can be ready...:*)

[OneVike]

Good idea, I will. It won’t be until after the election and after my book is published. That’s when I’ll have more time to be serious about it

[mad_as_he$$]

Sorry but that is the way the EIA tracks - rolling.

https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/pet_stoc_wstk_dcu_nus_w.htm

Is it a concern? Yes. But mostly it is doom porn.

[Redcitizen]

“ free time to do what?......bowling?.....golf?...shopping?“.

Freeping of course.

[Silentgypsy]

Fascinating—thank you for the pics, too!