The Itgel Foundation - Tsaatan Community & Visitors Center

Projects

The Tsaatan Community & Visitors’ Center (TCVC) is a facility designed to support the Tsaatan/Dukha reindeer-herding community through improved access to educational and economic opportunities and communications resources, and to facilitate successful visits to this unique community.

Located in Tsagaan Nuur soum (village) of Hovsgol aimag (province), the TCVC is situated conveniently between the Tsaatan home-ranges of East and West Taigas, and Tsagaan Nuur soum center. This allows for convenient access by Tsaatan herders and visitors to the community alike. Established in September 2006, the TCVC is a simple log structure, jointly operated by The Itgel Foundation and Tsaatan volunteers, and supported by a network of international partners. Following an initial development phase featuring training and start-up activities, the TCVC will be autonomously owned, operated, and managed by the Tsaatan community.

The TCVC offers the following goods and services for visitors and community members:

For Tsaatan Community Members:

An opportunity for herders to have a participatory role in tourism and develop tourism models that are compatible with the community's needs
Educational workshops and courses on herder-requested topics
A centralized marketplace for displaying and selling goods such as handicrafts, nuts, and berries
An outlet for offering services to visitors in exchange for sustainable cash income
Access to radio and phone communications for emergency and everyday use

For Visitors to the Community (Including travelers, NGOs, film makers, researchers, etc):

Resources for planning a culturally and environmentally sensitive visit to the Tsaatan
Services such as guides, horses, cooks, meal kits, and accommodations
Unique handicrafts and other products for purchase

The establishment of the TCVC comes as the result of several years of close collaboration and planning between The Itgel Foundation and the Tsaatan, spurred by the community’s appeal for an improved role in tourism, better access to education and information, and improved representation of their community in the public forum. Beginning as a rough idea in 2005, herders input was fielded through extensive written surveys, one-on-one interviews, and community planning sessions, all serving to inform the elements and operations featured at the TCVC. The result: an exciting one-of-a-kind project that helps to ensure the sustainable future of the Tsaatan!

Features and Elements of the TCVC:

Profit-sharing among Tsaatan herders who provide goods and services through the TCVC or support the Center through in-kind contributions
Opportunities for international volunteers to serve as consultants, course instructors, or staff at the Center.
Rotating systems of for-hire guides, cooks, and more, allowing all interested Tsaatan herders to engage in community-based tourism
Centralized economic opportunities that allow herders to benefit remotely without having to disrupt nomadic movement patterns and move to the soum center
Management by a dynamic board of Tsaatan-selected leaders from East and West Taigas and the soum center, with support from local and international NGOs
Collection of suggested donations from visitors that go towards a Tsaatan Community Fund, which supports community improvement projects such as on-site medical care, scholarships, and more.

Projects | Tsaatan Community & Visitors Center | The Reindeer Life Project | Dadsuren Traditional Music Project | Top

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