There are several terms within this first paragraph which deserve definition and context. Ty nich iry serves as the rough translation of May, and means “calving month”. It serves as the representation of the Nenet calendar, which follows lunar months and is associated with the herding season of reindeer. The tiumiu, nio, and si are all important elements of the Nenet tent. The tiumiu is the central hearth; the nio is the female’s side of the tent, and the si is the male’s side. The tiumiu serves as the symbolic division between sides, and the nio and si serve to identify the significance of gender in the Nenet community.

For more information on the gender roles of the Nenet community, as well as additional information on the contextual and locational background of Nenets, read chapters 1 and 2 of Siberian Survival: The Nenets and Their Stories.

Andrei V. Golonev and Gail Osherenko, Siberian Survival: The Nenets and Their Story (Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press, 1999).