"Taiga cleanses you."
Today I received an email from staff at Vice, informing me that they had posted the documentary about Agafia Lykov. I've embedded it above. For those new to this blog, or those with impaired short-term memory, the background story is here: Isolated for 40 years in the taiga. I'm currently reading the book and will probably report on that later. [reviewed here].
This is a remarkable and captivating video. The narration is modest, descriptive rather than judgmental, and consists primarily of the words of Agafia herself.
The images are awesome in terms of giving insight into a way of life that is absolutely and totally different from mine and your own, but perhaps somewhat like that of our great-grandparents.
Find the fullscreen button in the corner of the video and click it. This is well worth your time. Trust me.
Addendum: A Redditor found Agafia's house on Google Maps. Zoom out to gain some perspective on her isolation.
Reposted from 2013 to add an update on Agafia's current status:
This summer she has been bothered by a wild bear, which has sniffed around her huts in search of food.Text and image from The Siberian Times.
'I scare it by banging on an empty bucket,' she said to a group led by Vladimir Makuta, head of Tashtagol district of Kemerovo region, who flew in by helicopter to bring her essential supplies of hay, grain, and potatoes, while also cutting firewood.
In some time the bear will hibernate but this is not the only problem. 'I don't know about how will I get through the coming winter,' said Agafya, who will be 70 on 23 April next year (though some accounts say she has reached this milestone already).
'I didn't manage to finish half of the hay I need for my goats, and some of them are not giving milk. I have six goats now, and I can only milk a couple of them.
'And my logs are not ready. I really don't know.'
Stunning ~
ReplyDeleteBreathtaking ~
Wonderous ~
Thank you so much for posting this ~~~
^^^^^
ReplyDeletewhat he said
And again. I am headed to the library for the book.
ReplyDelete--gem
My gratefulness to you.
ReplyDeletegreat video! thanks for posting this "snapshot" of a person and a lifestyle that we would have never known....
ReplyDeleteThank you for linking this. Really enjoyed watching it.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this so much. Thank you. I want to read the book as well.
ReplyDeleteCaptivating indeed. Even humbling. I'm not sure, however that Agafia's existence can be compared to how most of our grandparents lived, as even for early homesteaders for whom months could go by in isolation (especially for the women), there was nearly always some sense of a community beyond. Agafia and her family were self-reliant in the most basic sense of the term.
ReplyDeleteSo sad that religion can induce one to base their whole existence on a book written 400 years ago ( 1900 years ago!)
ReplyDeleteI guess that is what it might take to live out a meager life in such a situation.
A beautiful story, but very sad indeed. Mankind deserves much better than this. A lesson again perhaps.
so sad for you to miss the entire point.
DeleteThank you. Must look for the book.
ReplyDeleteI read a brief story of this several months ago. Thank you for sharing the video, it was fascinaing. I don't think most people can even begin to comprehend what their lives were like - most seem to pity her, but if it's all you've ever known, it makes sense to me that she is the one pitying us. Aside from the religion aspect, I think she's correct in many aspects of her view of the material world. If one has a real love of nature, it could be ideal, in a much warmer place! She isn't completely alone, & someone is obviously delivering absolute necessities at least periodically. She'll obviously need more help as each year passes. Hope she gets it, it's clear she doesn't want to be anywhere else.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for this. Your first post on the Lykovs was absolutely compelling, and although I don't usually watch things of this length online (so many other things to be doing!), I was glued to my laptop all the way through this. How strange that a life so alien to us now, and so full of hardship, should be in so many ways so *attractive* at the same time - there's something in Agafia's story that's absolutely compelling to those of us living in the modern world (and it's reflected in the media interest in her). I've spent a lot of the afternoon contemplating my own work in the wicked new word of science and the media, which I do because I believe it does a lot of good to society; and what Agafia might make of it.
ReplyDeleteThe house is here (Reddit is amazing) http://np.reddit.com/r/TrueReddit/comments/17hvcp/for_40_years_this_russian_family_was_cut_off_from/c85n7bl
ReplyDeleteExcellent. I'll add that in maybe tomorrow after I get caught up on other things. Tx, anonymous person.
DeleteIf you read the book, you find that Agafia had a lot of help over the years and used the geologists and other do gooders as her errand boys. They built the whole compound she lives in and provide her with all material things. She disparages science and the outside world but is more than happy to have the helicopter deliver worldly goods to her in a science derived machine. Relatives in the city want her to live in the woods closer to the city so they can help her when she is sick, which is quite often, but she won't do it but calls in the helicopter at a cost of hundreds of thousands rubles to come to her aid when she is sick or she needs something. I had a lot of compassion in the beginning but lost most of it by the end of the book. She keeps saying God will provide, but it is actually many generous people who are providing.
ReplyDeleteI live in Canada, I have not yet seen a Christian from Russia make there way out there to fellowship with Agafia and help her out for a week or too. James 1:27 reads
DeleteReligion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. So if there is a Christian reading this who speaks her language and English respond to this and we'll start to communicate and the God of the Bible will make it happen.
Yes hello. I live in Belarus. I have a cousin who is good Christian who would go visit Agafia as you request. You must understand to get to her is only by helicopter. If you will provide US$ for transport about $4000 we will visit the widow in her affliction as James asked.
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