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A reindeer herd browses near a Koryak camp in northern Kamchatka.
The reindeer are semi-domesticated, and a couple of Koryaks can keep
the herd under control with whistles and gestures. They do the work
of cowboys, but all from on foot. The small camp that shadows the
herd usually consists of two or three related families with their
tents and a few horses, which shoulder the heavier gear when their
owners must move camp. The Koryaks get their food, clothing, tent
materials, and most everything else they need from the reindeer.
This symbiotic relationship has been going on largely unchanged for
thousands of years. Note the yearling with just-developing antlers
standing in front of the white reindeer in this photo.
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