Siberia: The People of Village S…

February 20, 2006 | 12:02 AM

When the Soviets took control of Russia, millions of people were relocated. Asian Siberians moved west, European Russians moved east. Distinctive people groups were assimiliated into large groups of multi-ethnic families. The Soviets did this to eliminate ethic unity and to broaden the Soviet identity throughout the Union. Many of the 1000 people in Village S can trace their heritage back thousands of years. They are full-blooded Buryats. Others are multi-racial- being of both Russian and Asian heritage. They are beautiful and wonderful people. They are proud of their heritage.

We often read or see the stereotype of the drunk Russian in the movies. Sadly, this is reality. There were nights when the local men would gather in the bed of a truck, pull up next to the school in an open field, and drink vodka while listening to loud music. (Let me explain- next to the school is a big blue building- it used to be a discothecque. The discotheque was actually built where the old Russian Orthodox church used to be. Sometime in the 50s it burned down, and they just built the disco on top of it. Now even that building is empty, and the cows that roam the town now congregate on its porch. [This led to my rendition of “Disco Cow” on several occasions.] Now back to the story.) Certainly not all adult men were alcoholics, but a good many were. As expected, there are cases of abuse. We heard that one of the kids who came to our English camp had been chained around his neck like a dog and kept in the yard. He had been beaten. I forget whether it was his father or his uncle who did it- in either case he was only six or seven, and he was one of the more violent kids we had. He stuck to himself most of the time, but when he did have interaction with the others, it usually involved violence.

Most of the families had gardens. We saw one man “mowing” his lawn with a scythe, and the land directly behind the school had already been planted. There were a lot of cows, and I was told that the large aluminum building at the edge of town used to be a dairy processing plant. I can’t say for sure. It also wasn’t unusual to see men on horses trotting through town, or horses grazing in fields.

One day we met a man who played guitar. He sang in his native Buryat language about spirits in the mountains. He praised the creator of the river and the mountains, but he did not know the Creator. I’ve said it before, but the majority of the people in Village S are Shamanists. When we were there in 2004, there were fewer than five Christians in the entire village, and that may not even be right- it could be fewer. Remember- the Russian Orthodox Church burned down during the Soviet era, and was never rebuilt. Jesus isn’t exactly on the radar.

I don’t want to paint this town as a horrible place to be, though. It’s got a lot of absolutely wonderful people, and some of the most beautiful views I’ve ever seen. They live differently than us. They don’t know Jesus and they have some vodka issues, but overall they live as Americans did around 1900. There were a lot of kids and they ran around a lot. Oh, and a week or so after we left Village S, the Buryat people held their version of Olympics- the Buryat games. Buryats from villages all over the region came together and competed against each other. One older teenager, Sasha, actually competed in the games, and my American friend went to see the games and capture it on video. [I wish I had a copy of that too, but I’m still waiting for my regular DVD. You know who you are, buddy- send that sucka.]

I do want to tell you about another man. Above is a picture of an older man standing on a hill, with a cane. He told us he was a descendant of the Cossacks- great horsemen who came from Siberia to the Causacus over the last couple thousand years. They were known as guards of czars, the greatest warriors in the Russian Empire. This particular man had broken his arm, but still shoveled all the dung out the back of his barn every day.

Again, don’t forget to click the image above to see a photoset of over 400 pictures from my week in Village S and the 13 day adventure. This was part two of the Siberia Series, and more will follow.
1. Siberia: The Final Frontier…
2. Siberia: The People of Village S…
3. Siberia: Why We Went…