Beyond Siberia Book

Beyond the Tsar and the Soviet Union's notorious penal colony of Siberia lies Russia's own Far East, a vast territory stretching east to the Bering Strait and Alaska and south to the islands Russia disputes with Japan. It is a land of exiles and their outcast descendants, of scientists and would-be exploiters of its oil, gold and caviar. It is also home to various indigenous reindeer-herding peoples whose way of life was rapidly being extinguished under the steamroller of communist state education until perestroika acknowledged these ethnic peoples. Foreign travel became possible and Christina Dodwell was one of the first to explore Kamchatka, that exposed peninsular reaching a thousand kilometres south into the Pacific. Travelling during the last months of winter Christina learns to herd reindeer and drive both reindeer and dogs, and meets vulcanologists and geologists working in the geyser region of the south. Staying with these native peoples in their reindeer-skin tents gave Christina an opportunity to do what she does best: finding out about the minutiae of their daily life and listening to their stories and legends.Read More