It Only Takes One Frost
Photographer Luke Oppenheimer’s exhibition “Ottuk” explores the magic and hardships of shepherds’ life in a small rural village of Central Kyrgyzstan.
The photographer took multiple trips to the Tien Shan mountains of Central Kyrgyzstan, living with shepherds for months at a time. Attracted to their lifestyle because of his own background, linked to farming and hunting, he became interested in the rural community’s tight relationship to the landscape and the wildlife, and how their fates are deeply interconnected.
A shepherd brings in his flock at the end of the day. Tien Shan Mountains, Naryn Region, Central Kyrgyzstan.
Emir. Ottuk, Kyrgyzstan
Naruzbai's hand-made saddle and home-made rifle are at least 100 years old. Ottuk, Kyrgyzstan
Ottuk, Kyrgyzstan
“Beshbarmak”, which translates as "five fingers” is served at Ruslan's house. Kyrgyzstan’s national dish, the meal consists of noodles with yak or horse meat. It is traditionally eaten out of a communal bowl, with bare hands. Ottuk, Kyrgyzstan
Naruzbai scans the surrounding landscape for wolves that recently ate one of his horses. Tien Shan Mountains, Naryn Region, Kyrgyzstan
Everyone living in Ottuk is a subsistence shepherd, and every year wolves eat up to 100 horses and many more sheep. This pushed some of the shepherds to hunt the wolves, trying to mitigate their losses. Another danger comes from the climate. Temperatures can swiftly drop to -35° C (-31°F), and sheep can freeze to death if they’re left outside overnight. When Kyrgyz shepherds use the common expression “it only takes one frost”, what they mean is: “to lose everything”.
Ottuk, Kyrgyzstan
Tien Shan Mountains, Naryn Region, Central Kyrgyzstan
The conclusion of a twelve-hour-long wolf hunt. Tien Shan Mountains, Naryn Region, Central Kyrgyzstan
Tokush, who is 92 years-old, remembers when wolves entered her home and destroyed it, before a local hunter scared them off. Instances like this gave birth to several legends about wolves in the area. Ottuk, Kyrgyzstan
Amir and Baitur. Ottuk, Kyrgyzstan
Every resident of Ottuk is a subsistence shepherd. There is no other industry. Their flocks are their livelihoods. Tien Shan Mountains, Kyrgyzstan
Ishinbek used to be a village head. He passed away in 2023 from a liver disease. Ottuk, Kyrgyzstan
The “jailoo”, or "summer pasture" is the mid-alpine intermediate pasture used by shepherds in the early summer. Myths and legends take place during this time of livestock fattening, central to Kyrgyz culture for millennia. Naryn Region, Kyrgyzstan
The exhibition “Ottuk” is opening at PICTO New York on May 31st and it will be on view until June 30th.
