Happy People: A Year in the Taiga Page #3

And you have to apply pressure smoothly

for the wood to get used to it.

See how it bends?

If you press too quickly,

it opens cracks.

So take this and lift it slowly.

Slowly, slowly, okay.

Lift some more.

The point of the ski is sharpened

after bending.

If you start bending a sharpened ski...

the tip will be here

and the ski will crack here.

That's What you'll get.

You understand?

The bend doesn't lose its shape.

You temper it, then keep it

for some more time in this frame.

And that's it. It will never unbend.

From further upriver comes driftwood

The villagers gather it'

as free firewood for the winter.

The few remaining Ket people

earn money this way.

It's one of the few menial jobs

left for them.

They ha I've largely forgotten

their traditional craftsmanship...

and most of them

have problems with alcohol

am making skis. have bent the tips.

Only don't have a jack plane.

When get one, I'll finish the job.

Only a single old Ket woman is left

who still remembers the old ways.

These mysterious dolls

are protective spirits.

During day, they sleep...

but at night they awaken

to guard the home.

That night', her son is careless

with a cigarette butt...

and their house catches fire.

Yet, another loss

is more painful for him.

It's a shame don't have my doll.

My house burned to the ground

together with the dolls.

Our old folks have all died.

And there are not many young people.

In the old days, we lived in tents

and the young learned from the old

Now you see a lot of that is forgotten.

- You see we're drunk

and we do odd jobs.

- Hey, you!

- Hey, shut up! Shut up!

- What?

The Russians are to blame!

Without the Russians,

there wouldn't have been vodka.

No, it's our own fault.

Some people live well.

If you want, you can live and work.

If not, What else can you do but drink?

As for who is to blame, don't know.

It's a tough question to answer.

Summer In Its fullest display-

swallows, boats.

Daylight lasts 20 hours.

This is the time

when big ships show up...

some of them even tourist cruisers.

It's gardening season.

Greenhouses are being fixed

and manure spread

With the days so abundantly long...

vegetables grow here

at an incredible rate.

One of the first signs that the

short summer Is coming to an end..

Is the chipmunks out

collecting pine nuts.

Humans do the same In their own way;.

There are few cones this year.

The trappers can estimate

from the number of cones...

whether ifs going to be

a good hunting year or not

as the nuts are a staple food

for the sable.

Grinding the cones

makes It easier to get the nuts...

which provide another food source

for the hunters during the winter

Pouring the grounds into the wind...

is similar to separating the wheat

from the chaff.?

Now the first rains start'.

Summer will soon be oven

So while the river is still navigable...

a strange visitor arrives with company

It' is a candidate seeking reelection.

For four years, people

In Bakhtia have not

seen a single politician

caring for them...

but, here now there is one campaingning

vigorously for their votes.

He promises transparent government

and the expunging of corruption-

a clean leadership once and for all

But' he does not fail to deliver

the goods anyway-

sacks of wheat for his constituency

and even a little snow

Only the young people

seem to be able to get into the groove.

And now the candidate

bursts out In song himself..

backed by his cheerleaders.

The voters, apparently

couldnt' care less.

Fall has arrived

It' is time to harvest...

and begin serious preparations

for the fast-approaching cold.

Days grow short',

and fishing is good now

At night, the trappers go out

onto the river.

Every type of fish has Its specific time

when it' comes close to the shore.

The only species of fresh water 000'

can be stalked now..

using almost prehistoric tools.

The light of the fire attracts the fish.

Storms from the north suddenly set In.

The clouds carry rain

that falls for weeks...

and this is important for the hunters.

The level of the river rises...

and now they can transport'

their heavy gear into the wilderness.

The most important' things, like bread

are loaded last'.

The trappers order bread In advance

from the bakery.

Half a loaf per day will do.

And now comes the moment of departure.

Good luck. Come back healthy.

Don't worry about us.

We'll be all right.

Keep your fingers crossed

that we come back.

The occasion is celebrated with vodka-

vicious as jet' fuel

I have tried all sorts of jobs

here on the collective farm...

but hunting is the best-

just the ticket.

Nobody tells me What to do.

can hunt or rest.

Am my own man.

And hunting is great fun.

Now out on their own...

the trappers become

what they essentially are- happy people.

Accompanied only by their dogs,

they live off the land.

They are completely self-reliant.

They are truly free.

No rules, no taxes, no government...

no laws, no bureaucracy

No phones, no radio.

Equipped only with their individual

values and standard of conduct.

Mikhail Tarkovsky-

from the family of the famous filmmaker-

knows what it' takes to live out here.

And the first thing is to be able

to ha navigate the river in high water

Anatoly Blume sets out on a different'

tributary of the Yenisei;...

and Gennady and his son

on their respective branch of the river.

It's tough going.

In some places, the

rapids are so strong...

that the outboard motor

cannot overcome the current.

So you have to have these long ropes.

Sometimes even the two of us

cannot drag it against the current.

It's a very hard river to run.

The rapids are so strong that you can

only cover 25 to 30 kilometers a day.

Gennady's son sets out

for his own territory further upriver.

"Every man has his own destiny;,

his own plan, his own Territory..

says Gennady In a pensive mood

You bring the main supplies to the huts

on the bank when the water is high-

grits, food for the dogs-

and you store it all safely up high.

At this time of year,

the bears are still around..

posing a threat to the

trappers' provisians.

Bears are the real enemy

of the trappers...

wreaking all kinds of ha vac

to both hut and trap.

This is a bear's work.

You often feel,

to hell with your skin or meat...

as long as you keep away from my traps.

It's attracted by the smell.

It knows it can't find any food...

but it goes in and smashes

everything all the same.

So you check the huts, fix the traps...

and you may catch

some fish or fowl as well.

Gennady rewards his dogs

with the neck and feet of the woodcock

For now the river still flows free...

but the first signs of

frost are appearing.

The trappers rush to catch

as much pike as they can...

mostly for their dogs.

Half a dozen pikes like these

for every hut is just about enough.

Mikhail has his own unorthodox

fishing techniques.

The bears are no longer around

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