Arquivo

An elderly lady from the Nenet people, an ancient community from the north of Russia, tells her story of loneliness to a blind girl called Ilne. This lady’s name is Num Syarda. Num is the supreme god worshipped by the Nenets. Syarda means tied or imprisoned. So, this was her fate: to live in the shadow of god Num. According to an old Nenet tradition, in years of misfortune – such as the death of a newborn baby or an epidemic – the community couples must offer Num a daughter of less than seven years of age to be his bride. The girl, once chosen by the tribe’s shaman, can no longer be seen or touched by another man. She is considered an intermediary between Num and the living. After a few years, if the shaman so wishes, the girl can be dismissed on the condition that she be replaced for another girl from the father’s side of the family.