Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
There are more than 190 ethnic groups living in Russia, let’s get to know one of them from Siberia – the Tuvans. The Tuvans are an indigenous people with a nomadic heritage. Their culture is deeply connected to nature and spirituality, especially shamanism and Tibetan Buddhism. One of the most unique aspects of the Tuvan culture is throat singing, known as Khoomei. Throat singing is more than music—it’s a way for Tuvans to connect with nature and express their spiritual worldview.
Traditionally, throat singing in Central Asia was practiced almost exclusively by men. Cultural beliefs held that women shouldn’t perform it due to spiritual taboos and the idea that it could be harmful to them. However, this began to change in the late 20th century as female throat-singers started to revive and redefine the tradition. Today Tuva is one of the few places in the world where women are actively reclaiming and performing this tradition on a global stage. There are female ensembles like Tyva Kyzy, dedicated entirely to women performing traditional Tuvan music, including throat singing.
📍 More videos:
youtu.be/sCUnYR_Nnrs - Real Life in Tuva | Russia's Most Criminal Republic
youtu.be/4o9XyskdSiY - First Impressions of MONGOLIA : From Soviet Era to Nomadic Life
youtu.be/KS8rzTGAAkQ - The TRANS-SIBERIAN RAILWAY : 10,465 km that changed my life
📌https://elibakunova.su/ - more about my projects & partnerships
✉️ travel.elina07@gmail.com - email for partnerships
🤍 patreon.com/elifromrussia - you can find more content, get early access to my videos and support my channel through Patreon
🔸What can you find on my channel?
👉🏻life in different republics and regions of Russia
👉🏻discovering ethnic groups of Russia
👉🏻Russian culture explained! (facts that you won't find on google) youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeQTCVW4juG8wDADr0OqmPLnv1mfnoYkr
👉🏻off-the-beaten-path places and raw adventures in Russia, ex-Soviet countries & elsewhere
___
📸instagram.com/elibakunova?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= - more content about Russia, traveling, and my daily life
___
Time codes:
00:00 Preparation for meeting the New Year (Shagaa)
03:50 Witnessing men throat singing during Sansalyr ceremony
07:03 I met women throat singing group!
There are more than 190 ethnic groups living in Russia, let’s get to know one of them from Siberia – the Tuvans. The Tuvans are an indigenous people with a nomadic heritage. Their culture is deeply connected to nature and spirituality, especially shamanism and Tibetan Buddhism. One of the most unique aspects of the Tuvan culture is throat singing, known as Khoomei. Throat singing is more than music—it’s a way for Tuvans to connect with nature and express their spiritual worldview.
Traditionally, throat singing in Central Asia was practiced almost exclusively by men. Cultural beliefs held that women shouldn’t perform it due to spiritual taboos and the idea that it could be harmful to them. However, this began to change in the late 20th century as female throat-singers started to revive and redefine the tradition. Today Tuva is one of the few places in the world where women are actively reclaiming and performing this tradition on a global stage. There are female ensembles like Tyva Kyzy, dedicated entirely to women performing traditional Tuvan music, including throat singing.
📍 More videos:
youtu.be/sCUnYR_Nnrs - Real Life in Tuva | Russia's Most Criminal Republic
youtu.be/4o9XyskdSiY - First Impressions of MONGOLIA : From Soviet Era to Nomadic Life
youtu.be/KS8rzTGAAkQ - The TRANS-SIBERIAN RAILWAY : 10,465 km that changed my life
📌https://elibakunova.su/ - more about my projects & partnerships
✉️ travel.elina07@gmail.com - email for partnerships
🤍 patreon.com/elifromrussia - you can find more content, get early access to my videos and support my channel through Patreon
🔸What can you find on my channel?
👉🏻life in different republics and regions of Russia
👉🏻discovering ethnic groups of Russia
👉🏻Russian culture explained! (facts that you won't find on google) youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeQTCVW4juG8wDADr0OqmPLnv1mfnoYkr
👉🏻off-the-beaten-path places and raw adventures in Russia, ex-Soviet countries & elsewhere
___
📸instagram.com/elibakunova?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= - more content about Russia, traveling, and my daily life
___
Time codes:
00:00 Preparation for meeting the New Year (Shagaa)
03:50 Witnessing men throat singing during Sansalyr ceremony
07:03 I met women throat singing group!
