Nenets people

Have Russia's Nenets Really Benefited From Oil Development?

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• published: 28 Aug 2007
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Oil Threatens Nenets (1996): With Russia's enormous Yamal LNG project now moving forward, take a look back at the last time a major hydrocarbons development threatened the traditional way of life of the Nenets population in northwest Russia. On the Arctic plains, the Nenet tribespeople are gathering for a unique festival. Skidding across the frozen Tundra in sleds pulled by furry reindeer, they celebrate an antique culture which Communism failed to destroy. After herding reindeer through the white daylight hours, they shelter from the Arctic freeze in leather Tee Pees, eating raw fish and drinking frozen streamwater. But as the elders crouch by their smoky fires, they talk anxiously about a multi-billion dollar pipeline project. American oil giant Amoco and the Russian Gazprom pose the biggest threat to their nomadic lifestyle since Stalin. Timofei, a Nenet leader, is despondent: 'they will take all the gas and leave all the rubbish'. Promises by the oil companies to preserve the landscape are viewed with scepticism. Gifts are treated with suspicion. But independent observers fear that financial bribes might eventually ruin the Nenets once and for all. An intimate document of Nenet culture as it faces the lure of development. ABC Australia - Ref. 224 Journeyman Pictures is your independent source for the world's most powerful films, exploring the burning issues of today. We represent stories from the world's top producers, with brand new content coming in all the time. On our channel you'll find outstanding and controversial journalism covering any global subject you can imagine wanting to know about.