Description
Book SynopsisA hair-raising tale of idealism, political corruption, shamanism, and survival in the Siberian wilderness
Trade Review"Driven by a courageous humanitarian vision and a thirst for scientific knowledge, Rane Willerslev endures starvation, bears, arrest warrants, and the curse of an angry lover. This beautifully written account of hardship, determination, and discovery is a testament to the author’s honesty and humanity, and gives a fascinating insight into the work of a leading anthropologist." —Piers Vitebsky, author of The Reindeer People: Living with Animals and Spirits in Siberia
"[Willerslev’s] account is a fascinating study of this remote pocket of ethnic Yakuts, who adhere tenaciously to an ancient language and livelihood despite the existential challenges." —Kirkus Reviews
Table of ContentsContents
Preface and Acknowledgments
Glossary of Non-English Words
Gallery of Characters
One Last, Feeble Attempt
The Fur Project
1. Shalugin, Leader of the Yukaghirs
2. A Post-Soviet Nightmare
3. Sable Furs for Sale
On the Run in the Wilderness
4. Out of Range
5. Soft Gold
6. Starvation and Desperation
7. In the Yukaghirs’ Camp
8. A Long-Awaited Friend
Back to the Village
9. The Curse
10. Land of Shadows
11. Screwed
12. The Way Back
A Leap in Time
Appendixes: Surviving in Siberia
A. Using the Leghold Trap
B. Yukaghir Idols
C. Netting Fish in Siberia
D. Finding Your Way in the Taiga
E. How to Track and Shoot a Moose
Notes
List of Photographs
