HAPPY PEOPLE : A YEAR IN THE TAIGA

In 2010, Werner Herzog and Dmitry Vasyukov directed the documentary Happy People: A Year in the Taiga, set in the heart of the Siberian Taiga, Russia. The acclaimed filmmaker follows the lives of a handful of fur trappers from the small and remote village of Bakhtia on the river Yenisei.  Access to this community, a population of approximately 300 people, is by helicopter or boat only.

Throughout the four seasons, the film depicts a culture of people virtually untouched by modernity (two of the very few modern tools they employ include chainsaws and snowmobiles).  These trappers and their families are self reliant; they live off the land and are in tune with the cycle of life in the wilderness. They must prepare with care and skill for each season as the work done in spring will determine their success in winter.   Herzog, who narrates the film, states romantically that they are truly free: "no taxes, law, rules, radio or phones."  They are, he says, "equipped only with their individual vales and standard of conduct."

The knowledge, wisdom and skill used in the trapping trade is inspirational. To watch the trappers wield a hatchet with the ease of a butter knife, build boats, tools, traps and collect the bounty from their environment is to see masters at work. Without the modern amenities of electricity and running water, the daily routines of these people are similar to those of trappers hundreds of years ago. They possess an ease in the wilderness that most will never know. Despite the obvious challenges and hardships of this way of life, we agree with Herzog's thesis: these are happy people.

If you haven't yet seen this film, it's on Netflix.