Photo © Katerina Shmidtke
People - NOMINEE: Katerina Shmidtke
People of Taiga
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This is a project about life in the solitude of taiga - tenacious of life, hardworking, hand in hand people who live in villages far away along Pinega river, being almost cut off from the rest of the world.
The development of the timber industry started in Arhangelsk region in the 30s of the last century. In order to supply the necessary workforce the government settled a few thousand people in Verhnetoymsky district - untill 1960s subjected to repressions inhabitants of the territory of modern Ukraine, Belarus, and some other regions of USSR, as well as Poland. Several thousand “recruited” people came to work on their own volition. It was planned to leave the area after 50 years, so no infrastructure ever started to develop. It has been longer than 80 years – the houses are still used, the forests are still being fallen, and people are still living. This is a story about those who stayed behind.
The development of the timber industry started in Arhangelsk region in the 30s of the last century. In order to supply the necessary workforce the government settled a few thousand people in Verhnetoymsky district - untill 1960s subjected to repressions inhabitants of the territory of modern Ukraine, Belarus, and some other regions of USSR, as well as Poland. Several thousand “recruited” people came to work on their own volition. It was planned to leave the area after 50 years, so no infrastructure ever started to develop. It has been longer than 80 years – the houses are still used, the forests are still being fallen, and people are still living. This is a story about those who stayed behind.