The Traveler: Kenneth B. Johnson of St. Paul
Near Amguema, on the Chukchi Peninsula in Russia's Far East, a woman uses wooden and stone tools to soften a reindeer hide in a photo taken in August 1991. The nomadic Chukchi people herd reindeer, living on the tundra in summer and moving with the animals to the forests in winter. "The yarangas dot the landscape in shapes that echo the surrounding hills," wrote Johnson, referring to the domed tent-like structures draped in reindeer hides in which the people live. From the bleak port city of Provideniya, Johnson and his group headed north into the Arctic Circle to visit the Chukchi village. When they arrived, the men were on the tundra tending the animals. They visited with the women and children and left Frisbees as gifts. He wrote, "From the back of the troop carrier-type truck driving us away from the village, I could see the neon-colored Frisbees sailing through the air amongst the yarangas."
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