The Reindeer life

I love... the idea of being able to survive without all our modern conveniences, learning about different cultures, and watching TV (unless it's Drake and Josh, Suite Life of Zack and Cody, or High School Musical relate). That's why, when I hear the theme song for the show, Going Tribal, my mind starts to drool (Pavlov's dogs don't have anything on this) from all the nourishment that it's about to receive. The concept of the show is simple and straight forward. A guy, Bruce Parry, goes around the globe to live with remote tribes for 4 to 6wks at a time, and the whole thing is filmed for our viewing enjoyment.

This particular episode he goes to live with the Nenet who are nomadic reindeer herders on the northern Siberian tundra...burrr! These people live reindeer. Their clothes are made from reindeer hides, their tents are made from reindeer hides, they eat reindeer meat (not solely), and sell reindeer to buy the supplies needed to live the life of herding reindeer.

The Nenet move with the reindeer on their winter migration south...are the Nenet leading the reindeer or are the reindeer leading the Nenet... it's hard to tell? Wherever you find one, you find the other. At the end of their trek they arrive in a town where they sell off some of the reindeer, and then go to homes that the tribe owns in the town. The show "host", Bruce, comments on how surreal it seems to see these people, that he lived with in tents, sat on the floor with, and saw cooking over open fires, now sitting in chairs and watching TV, while a woman stands at a gas stove cooking. While talking to Bruce one of the Nenet elders says that the life in town is easier and more comfortable, but he would be miserable there. His life is with the reindeer, out there, and that is where he must be.

There is no separation between who they are and what they do for the Nenet. They don't work and try to squeeze in a little "reindeer time" here or there. They don't stay in warm and cozy comfort and then, when the conditions are just right, get their "reindeer time". They live to herd reindeer...they herd reindeer to live. It occurred to me that this concept may have other applications...that there may be some way to apply it to my life...that there might be a way you can apply it to your life? Hmmm...I don't know? It's just a thought.