A camel and a tame bear in 20th century Siberia.
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Archive photo
These photographs were taken in the Siberian Yeniseysk Governorate in the early 20th century. They remain in the archive of the city of Krasnoyarsk’s local museum.
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This is visual history, depicting local residents’ livelihoods, deer-herding activity, and dwellings.
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In 1822, the Russian territory of Siberia was divided into east and west. The Yeniseysk Governorate, a territorial unit formed of five districts, was created as part of Eastern Siberia.
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A girl ready to milk a mare. Mare milk is used in food. It can be drunk, but more often is used to make kumis — a traditional fermented dairy product. The drink remains important to the Huno-Bulgar, Turkic and Mongol peoples of the Central Asian steppe.
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A cow in front of a yurt. Only 10 percent of the population lived in cities. The rest lived in settlements or wandered from place to place, since they were primarily deer-herders.
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A rare photo of a Beluga whale on the shore. The photo could have been taken in the far north of Siberia on the shore of the Kara Sea.
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Along with common livestock, the inhabitants of Siberia kept domestic reindeer. They used to hunt them in the Siberian forests, but then realized it would be easier to rear their own small herds. Reindeer skin, meat and tendons were indispensable to household farming in the Far North.
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The skin from reindeer legs was used to fur skis. Pictured: Reindeer with an injured hoof.
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In the 19th-20th centuries, camels were used to carry goods in Siberia. Camels are accustomed to a harsh continental climate and severe frost.
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A small tame bear. There was no domestic reason to keep bears. When a small bear grows up with people it can be not a threat. But a grown-up 300 kg brown bear is dangerous and aggressive.
