I ASIA

YÖRÜK - Turkey, 1999
The Yörük are a group of nomadic shepherds. In the winter, they live in the low valleys along the coast of Southern Turkey. In the spring, most families move with their goats and sheep to the Yayla (higher planes) in the Bolkar Mountains. The nomadic life of the Yörük is under considerable pressure from Turkey. Property developers are buying up traditional grazing areas and young people are increasingly moving to the cities.

KYRGYZ - Kyrgyzstan, 2000
The forefathers of the Kyrgyz were Turkish nomads. They migrated about a thousand years ago from North East Siberia and Mongolia, moving southwards to the Tien Shan Mountains in Central Asia. Ulak Tariysh is an old tradition in Central Asia. It is a competition between two teams of six to ten horse riders. The very skilled horsemen are able to grab a carcass of a goat weighing twenty kilos off the ground. The team that first throws the carcass into their opponents’ goal is the winner.

KAZAKH - Russia, 2006
The Kazenov family live in the south of Siberia on the border with China and Mongolia. They are Kazakh nomads and keep sheep, yaks, horses and cows. During the summer, when the temperature is mild, they live in tents in the Altai Mountains. During the long Siberian winters, they live in simple houses on the tundra.