Inside The Arctic Boarding School Where Children Dream Of The Tundra

Nenets are a small ethnic minority in the north-east of Siberia. They live as nomads, herding deer and living in chums — small tents made of deer skins. Life in the tundra can be brutal, with the temperatures going below -40°C, and not much food. In this situation, the parents send their children to a boarding school in Vorkuta, a small Siberian town. There, they learn both Russian and Nenets languages, as well as other school subjects.Ikuru Kuwajima, a Japanese photographer, went inside this school and took pictures of the children and parents visiting them (you can see their deer sleds parked at the gate). They wear both modern and traditional clothes and build miniature chums.I am always happy to share stories like this one because they are not only beautifully shot, but also stand as a reminder of how diverse Russia is.