Mariia Berel’tueva (Tepkegir) tells a story about the origin of bags made of animal skin

00:00 – 01:58

The story explains the origin of the large transport bags used by the Evenk. They are said to have been made from the skins of seals. After some bad people killed many seals and left their skins behind, a good man collected the skins and processed them. Using threads made from tendons, he made large and small bags from the skins. The larger ones were later used to transport meat and fish on the backs of reindeer across the mountains. They were particularly durable and could hold heavy loads.
(Subtitles: cc)

Self-recorded by Mariia Berel’tueva, Ulan-Ude, Republic of Buryatia, December 2025.
Translation: Mariia Berel’tueva.
Transliteration: Mariia Berel’tueva, Daniil Nikitenko.
Editing: Nadezhda Mamontova.