Russian Nomad Stories: A day with Sami Reindeer Herders | FULL DOCUMENTARY

foreign and these are reindeer wild or barely domesticated members of the deer family symbols of the far north and of the Sami people can withstand temperatures as low as -40 degrees thanks to their thick insulating coats I have a date with a noblest of this Region's animals it is crowned by a pair of antlers which can grow up to 1.3 meters and it has been semi-domesticated by Arctic tribes still bred by a few dozen sammies reindeer also make exceptional athletes and lover zero I plan to go to the Festival of the north famous for its reindeer races but first I had to travel to the world's northernmost City mamansk and because of the condensation all the cars are smoking as if they had holes in their exhaust pipes larger power I've always wanted to come here because it is a symbol of the far north the gateway to the Arctic spasiba foreign men on the roof [Music] station with its red star there are quite a few trains in Russia but it really is quite different from back home I feel a bit isolated here people don't speak much English but it's not that easy to find your bearings the layout is quite geometric but I can't reach Cyrillic so I don't have a clue about street names yeah Remy Alexander Alexander [Music] excellent so you're here for the Festival of the north no for a documentary about reindeer lover zero oh reindeer right he's actually going to find from above how it's organized I can see that there is water and there are Towers but I can't figure out the layout of the city more dogs dogs everywhere so you're the guard here are you you're a very cuddly guard to the South lies Moscow to the east life Siberia and kamchatska and on the cola Peninsula I'm going in search of an animal that links humans with nature the reindeer right I'm off to the museum I think there are more animals to see there than in the city Remy the city's Regional Museum contains a huge display of stuffed animals a menagerie fixed in supposedly natural positions this is apparently the only place where I can see a reindeer in mamansk wow it's very big this is the melon with the big antlers yes some females have antlers too okay very impressive they are very broad Hooves these reindeer are from the forest they haven't really been domesticated and they have brown coats whereas the semi-domesticated reindeer from the tundra are more gray and white people who live in the city all year long do they have a special feeling about these pieces that is very very related to human being in this region yes of course you they are emblematic of the tundra and of the North in general there's a festival here called the Festival of the north everyone brings their reindeer and we organize races then sometimes we can see reindeer around one mosque but if I want to see more reindeers I have to go into the wild yes to the tundra where the herds are reindeer may be rare in mamansk but that is not the case for certain Birds which have adapted to the cold such as goals they gather in Cola Bay near the fishing port to find out more I have arranged to meet Anastasia who studies their sometimes overpowering populations she is going to tell me more about these birds which constitute some of the rare examples of wildlife in this city then do we see the the girls from here or this is where the gulls are most likely to nest ah but they are on the roofs okay I understand I understand okay I get it now the goals we see flying around the city actually Nest on rooftops that must be the case in lots of cities around the world and it's plain to see here if you look hard you can see that they are spread over every square meter across the rooftop every chimney and satellite dish is taken over by pairs of goals in the nesting season we attack each other if they overpass the limit how does it work s yes absolutely because some some biologists orientologists call the girls crows from the sea sea crowds they do sometimes prey on one another when they are hungry they might even steal the eggs from neighboring nests yes but that's very rare So Birds seem to be everywhere above our heads both in the air and nesting on buildings commensal species a species which profit from another species in this case the human race without harming it don't cause us any direct harm they don't attack us like in a Hitchcock movie but they live among us on our rooftops and feed off our rubbish [Music] Anastasia has something in her apartment she wants to show me hello it's here oh there's a surprise I really love birds for rescuing uh a hurted ghoul and give her like your own kitchen like it's a it's a proof of love no at first we were only going to keep it for three days then we thought it might be more like two months but then it became longer because it transpired that rehabilitating this bird before releasing it was very difficult restoring its plumage in the apartment is virtually impossible this makes me smile because the only other person I know who has a goal in his apartment is Gaston mcgaff who has a cat and a girl I just saw a beautiful white cat here too so it's like being in Gaston's apartment it's really fascinating to discover the city's hidden wildlife [Music] gets its name from the Sami word Mormon meaning edge of the Earth living on a partially frozen Fjord can't always be easy they probably owe their strength of character to the harshness of their environment which freezes over for more than eight months out of 12. their personalities reflect those of the goals or see pirates from the northern Seas who have had to adapt to tough living conditions the strength of spirit in these places is undeniable I'm finally leaving mamansk to explore Wilder stretches away from the buildings and the traffic I'm heading for the tundra and the remote Village of Terra Burger tiny ports on the glacial Arctic Ocean I met Yuri thanks to various contacts and he has offered to show me around the tundra there is wildlife here that is adapted to what are extremely harsh conditions for a good part of the year the vegetation is very sparse and short because the soil is poor and there isn't much rainfall there is a dampness because there isn't much evaporation but it doesn't rain much so the tallest trees and the tundra where we are headed are only 40 centimeters tall [Music] okay okay ah okay this is reindeer lichen reindeer leaking do you think it's the only form of life of biodiversity that I can find here in the northern line of of Russia nobody come with me yeah uh I will show you okay ah here we are on the edge of the world in the far north of the cola peninsula Yuri has brought me here because he knows I like birds and in the water there are some extraordinary Ducks Arctic Ducks iders common ideas Stellas ideas long-tailed Ducks being a bird lover I've dreamed of seeing these ducks ever since I was a boy they nest even further north and come here in Winter to escape the ice flows they're all diving ducks and can spend several minutes underwater despite the fact that my fingers feet nose and ears are freezing cold I'm so excited to be here don't worry I'm here in the far north of the cola peninsula to the West lies Norway to the east Siberia to the South Moscow and to the north the Arctic Pole the climate here is one of the world's harshests despite the fact that thanks to the Gulf Stream the ocean remains free of ice sheets it feels like a ghost Port once flourishing in the time of the USSR when it had several thousand inhabitants this coastal town was abandoned at the end of the Cold War but perhaps that Exodus is what makes this place so magical it feels like the end of the Earth where boats come to die people tell me that only herds of reindeer cross this icy plain now trampling the permafrost underfoot in search of food if I am to find them I must continue on my way [Music] Yuri goes his way and I go mine Guided by the moon I hitchhike and I'm greeted by passing trains I sleep a little and then push on again in temperatures of minus 20 degrees yeah the further south I walk the colder it gets as I head for corellia I pass from the tundra to the tiger or boreal forest another mythical ecosystem covering stretches of still protected land I plan to spend two days in the Wilds of Lapland which has several large natural parks this must be it usually much nature reserves like this have a reception or information desk and that's where I'm meant to be meeting a team of scientists including one named Alexander who's going to take me into the heart of this lap Nature Reserve bonjour bonjour do you speak French Alexander that's me Alexander and this is a Natalie and search Alexander Alex okay go for your information for Northern tiger and the tundra consists of marshes Rivers Mountain Streams and lakes there are 32 species of mammals and 205 varieties of birds at least that's how many have been recorded so far I've come from a mansk from the city and I know nothing about the wildlife on the cola Peninsula he's just explaining that there is the tundra and the tiger further south there are areas where human activity has pushed back nature but he is also explaining that the harsh conditions at the far north mean that there are very few animals anyway even where there is quite a wide diversity his job is to protect it and explain it to people it's so interesting to be here in the Wilds of Russia I have a better understanding now after looking at the map warming I know I want to to see this nature let's go of course but you're not properly dressed for it it's cold here with the snow and the wind he'll be cold on the Snow Bite I want this color now take this ski suit okay he says I'm ill-equipped these guys are tough guys okay yeah right I'll just follow him traveling to a remote is from the reception at the Nature Reserve takes an hour and a half by snowbike along a frozen River Alex my guide has promised to reveal some hidden secrets about the vast forests surrounding us [Music] thank you assistant sir swans Nest you have to imagine the area as a sort of marsh where the swans have found a small island to build their nest on away from predators I'm guessing that in three or four months there will be swans eggs here with a swan sitting on them I've come here for the reindeer racing Season Winter is the best time for me to witness this activity that humans share with reindeer but the wildlife is far more elusive now than it would be in the summer I'm worried we won't see many species of wildlife but there are traces it tells me a swan is building its nest here and there are signs that a bear has been here too what's this a wolverine a wolverine was here but in Winter it is hard to spot the animals [Music] [Music] thank you it's a male a male cross Bill these birds are typical of the Boreal forest look Remy over there hoof Prince of an elk these are Fresh Tracks made by an elk these are an Elks hoof Prince you can see two Long Claws here and that's the back of the hoof amazing this is great the water oh ah what do you think about relation between Russian people population and this is beautiful and very rich nature Russians love nature Factory workers and soldiers Go off into nature really whenever they get the chance green tourism has really been developed here recently spending time in nature is a great escape people don't hunt or fish or do activities but just observe nature and that's great [Music] a Russians Going Back To Nature then Alex assures me that they are that may be the case but nature doesn't offer up her riches to order we have spent the whole day looking for animals but we have drawn a blank night is already falling and we find consolation in the Northern Lights formed by particles of solar wind we must persevere let us hope that tomorrow some wild reindeer will finally decide to reveal themselves [Music] I can see amazing they don't see us and it's important to be under the wind like yeah the wind's in the right direction can't smell us they can't smell us or hear us the the elk and the reindeer they they meet each other sometimes Into the Wild they do Elks spend winter in the pine forests where there's less snow so they can still find food since reindeer feed off lichen they share the same territory and they never fight between each other no it's rewarding going in search of animals in the far north you can't walk through the snow here I hadn't realized that a few days ago I was still in France and now I'm here in the Wilds of the Arctic without Alex I would never have seen the wild Elks here I'm blessed thank you for this gift [Music] what reindeer remained hidden in the depths of the Tiger but seeing wild Elks their giant cousin was a real treat the males can weigh up to 700 kilograms and are the largest members of the deer family they are mainly adapted to the marshes strewn across the Tiger in summer so they struggle with the snow that's why you don't find them any further north than the Kola Peninsula [Music] on the shores of the White Sea in candelacia another treasure awaits me it's it's fish which produces Black Gold caviar and the Caspian Sea much further south the birthplace of caviar production wild sturgeons have become so rare due to overfishing but they are now protected certain species are now farmed in captivity in Italy France and China and since relatively recently Russia these iron tanks are vast look at the trolleys passing by thank you right they're full of fish to feed the sturgeons [Music] they're enormous gigantic these ones weigh up to 500 Kilograms but sturgeons can be much heavier than that so did they have heads like sharks and yet they are bony fish see the Bony plates on their skin they look like dinosaurs they really are impressive creatures at which age you kill them to get the eggs we don't kill them we have a method which allows us to remove the caviar without killing the fish this is uh this is sustainable method it's actually a surgical operation you can harvest the females eggs without killing her I didn't realize you could do that I have only ever seen people fishing for sturgeons in Iran Russia and even where I live in the southwest of France in the girond there they kill the females and so the males were killed too for no reason because you have to open up the fish to find out the sex they don't kill the fish here they're reared in captivity and the female spawn several times how many times they can get pregnant to have eggs and then you get these eggs how many times in their lives with this technique we can harvest the eggs a minimum of four or five times but they don't spawn every year you have to wait two or three years between each pregnancy at what age they start to produce eggs in captivity we hope to harvest the first eggs when there are eight but in the wild it's more like 12. my first sturgeon it's amazing it really is bony and this protective film covering them is strange okay it's so slippery I mustn't keep it out of the water for long I just wanted to show you its morphology and what do they eat okay they eat bentos or benthic fauna are the invertebrates found in the silts and the sand on the riverbed sturgeons are carnivorous but they eat microorganisms time to Let It Go there so beautiful they have a nice color a bit blue bluish weighing up to 200 kilograms and measuring about three meters in the wild Siberian sturgeons are reared in Fish Farms to save the wild ones from being killed in these tanks the fish are often less than 1.5 meters long and the adults weigh about 65 kilograms white sea which flows into the Arctic Ocean is a Haven for species from the pole cetaceans seals and birds the ice melts here in Spring but there is still time for me to cross it in search of Wildlife [Music] in shupa on the shores of the White Sea I get the opportunity to go diving with a beluga whale named Vara the Latin name for this species is delfonatus meaning dolphin without fins because they have no Dorsal fins some scientists think this makes it easier for them to swim under the ice Vara has been isolated for the purposes of research in the spring she will be joined by them and allowed to develop in more agreeable surroundings and eventually I hope be released back into the sea Maria you know for me it's a bit surprising to find the Beluga in captivity is it unique because I never saw that she's not the only one beluga whales adapt extremely well to living in captivity and they live a long time they are the friendliest most peaceful and slowest of dolphins um that is why they are so great with divers some dolphins are more reticent when they come into contact with humans but beluga whales don't hold back they are much more communicative than some other dolphins and their rhythms suit those of humans [Music] thank you [Music] Vara is a three-year-old beluga whale beluga whales are born gray and then they grow lighter with age the young females become adults between the ages of five and seven and for the males between six and nine they turn completely white when they reach sexual maturity as adults they can weigh up to one and a half tons historical relationship between men and Beluga in the Arctic Russian Arctic Russia is mainly populated by indigenous people such as the chuchis or yakuts a beluga whale would feed a whole village [Music] could we say that is the reindeer of the sea no oga whales are not really like a reindeer because reindeer are semi-domesticated humans and reindeer have a symbiotic relationship because humans help reindeer and reindeer feed humans beluga whales are wild independent animals who have no need of humans I never imagined that a citation would be so eager to approach a human being of course they are naturally gregarious sociable creatures because they live in groups this one has been living in isolation for several months now so she's probably a bit lonely she's waiting for some other beluga whales to join her as part of a scientific research program it's quite touching seeing her look at me call to me and invite me into her world thank you [Music] I'm back on the reindeer Trail and I'm just entering Sami territory these indigenous people have always placed reindeer at the center of their culture there's nothing like a bit of hitchhiking to help me reach these laplanders still living in the heart of the peninsula because there is the reindeer race you know racing [Music] maybe he help you okay he uh yes I was doing racing with the reindeer yes okay that's good news here I am in reindeer country At Last I even have the number of a sleigh driver in love at zero but first a more modest encounter on the edge of a remote Forest wow I can see the track down there I'm not equipped like a Reindeer reindeer hooves are like snowshoes so they don't sink into the snow I can see the smoke rising over there that must be where they're waiting for me I'll never get there okay good okay I can see something over there this is great [Music] is this it uh-huh reindeer Farmers Boris and Juliana welcome me into their home there are reindeer everywhere which is great because I can't wait to finally get close to them this is a crazy world there are people still carving out a life for themselves in the tundra it's still possible Russian hat Brigade we're off to see reindeer this is great [Music] when it's too there's get out I'll drive down on my own and you can follow nice [Music] amazing [Music] foreign it's funny how close they come they're almost like pets but reindeer are not completely domesticated talk about reindeer being domesticated but actually they soon re-acclimatize into the wild if we set these reindeer free within a few days they'd return to the forest the females keep their antlers long into the season the males lose theirs in the winter and the females keep theirs until June so they can protect their young front Predators Juliana and Boris actually lost some reindeer forms they were rearing to stray dogs and bears the females can weigh less than 100 kilograms they're small members of the deer family but they are adapted to the tundra what do they give to them as a food this is reindeer like him it's funny because it grows in France too you find it in Brittany in the peat bogs but it's called reindeer lichen it's not a plant it's a cross between a fungus and a plant that's a major part of their diets here in the tundra the tundra has been stripped of part of its grassland and the ground underneath is permanently Frozen it's known as permafrost this is the only food stuff they will find under the snow it tastes a moss outwardly reserved my hosts are the perfect inhabitants of the far north behind their Reserve lies a big heart and a real love of reindeer in nature and they live a simple abstemious life you have a relationship with your reindeers a bit like parents and children milk from a bottle Molly coddled them so much that I can't leave them sometimes passes by see fawns sleeping in our bed the reindeer sleeping here they can't believe it in our bed this is partly why I'm doing this and why I come on these trips I wanted to meet animal Farmers the world over to explore the relationship between humans and nature through animals these emotions are exactly the same as I experienced thousands of kilometers away here we are having a coffee together sharing a few photos and talking about our emotions which are the same frustration in the face of death pleasure in bringing new life into the world and contributing to it and are sometimes indescribably close relationships with animals I find it fascinating how every farmer I meet tells me the same stories I've experienced in different circumstances rearing animals doesn't mean owning them it means taking care of them observing them and accepting them these people have been so welcoming to a stranger like me whose weird animals which are completely different to theirs people who live with animals and grow to love and respect them will always understand one another I've been picked up by zhenya and her friend Alexis who are both reindeer Keepers they round out the reindeer and sort them out apparently they have a surprise for me here the only way to cross the tundra in winter is on a snow bike the trip is going to take several hours so I need to wrap up warm hoping we'll see some wildlife [Music] that's a tarmigan otherwise known as a snow Partridge it's a member of the chicken family the Latin name is lagapus meaning hair's foot this time against feet are covered in feathers it's beautiful and in summer it is brown its feathers change color [Music] please nice to meet you those are our winter clothes so the people here dress in reindeer skins from head to toe it's lined with leather you you made it no the women in the village made it it's like a second skin for them the reindeer Keeper's House is amazing it's lovely how they live in such close contact with the reindeer they love them and protect them but they use them too they have no qualms about skinning them and using their skins and their meat and their milk there is a symbiotic relationship between humans and animals it's beautiful and becoming quite rare in this world it's not common to see people living that close to anymore there's nothing extraordinary about it it's a way of life and a job for me I've worked here for 25 years and I've got no complaints very courageous why courageous okay there's nothing to be afraid of here the bears hibernate and there are no wolves they're asleep now they won't wake up until April there have been more than these past few years and they're much more cunning than they used to be it's funny because here I am in Lapland in Russia and the stories I'm hearing remind me of the stories from my ancestors in the Pyrenees several centuries ago life in the mountains and in remote areas of France resembled life here today there are lots of bears here and bears are dangerous they say they are getting ever craftier making off with their baby reindeer which are their livelihood humans live off reindeer here they say the Bears are a curse and that they have to fight them and yet they live among them do you think we can go to see the reindeer yeah yeah we're going to leave the isba pick up jenya and go to see the reindeer okay okay [Music] you can see their hoof prince in the snow and their antler prints from where they bent down to reach the lichens reindeer yes they call them and they come here is the first one now the leader they have brought treats for them the reindeer man [Music] [Music] [Music] thousands of reindeer this is my Holy Grail amazing [Applause] [Music] these are real Tundra reindeer it's incredible wait okay foreign and yet they want to come over credible you know white reindeer are shorter and a bit fatter Brown reindeer are definitely closer to the phenotype of the first wild reindeer which were Brown this one is less than a year old reindeer fawns aren't born with speckled coats like roe deer when they are born they are the color of the tundra half cream and half dark gray and brown you can see the antlers starting to push through on the animal Which is less than a year old amazing and those feet which are so well adapted to the terrain with their broad hooves adapting to the cold makes reindeer stockier and more short-legged it stops them losing Heat they used to be reindeer in France they were painted on Cave Walls by prehistoric men there was even an age of the reindeer that had nothing to do with Sammy culture it was the magdalenian reindeer was so Central to human civilization back then that the period was named after them as with the samis today reindeer played a huge role in the culture of our French ancestors when the climate was so much colder then reindeer are sociable creatures and are often found in large groups which allows them to confront predators and migrate in the event of harsh weather conditions like a silvery Brown wave following its Instinct watching The Herd Ripple and swirl is enough to make your head spin [Music] Vladimir it's deep here what is that what did you see here not this my first lesson in lassoing I can in Sami it Smiles away I'm getting closer you didn't throw it right that's it yeah no not like that it's funny these guys aren't 15 anymore but they're loving this not bad wait no they love being in contact with the reindeer feeling their strength yes okay do you think that you know I don't know in 30 years the the culture of the reindeer Will Survive how do you see this this future I think the culture Will Survive here we keep Traditions alive and all no memories however I know that in Finland and Norway they no longer use reindeer for transport so they've asked us to teach them how to make slays and tame reindeer there's nothing to beat reindeer on snow they can go where cars and slow bikes can't they can swim and cross any Terrain [Music] for laplanders it seems reindeer will always rule whatever is going on elsewhere in the world they will not change but kindliness Reigns a wooden cube in the tundra makes the perfect Den for men women and reindeer to share foreign [Music] one of the last Sami shamans is in a frenzy I meet her between the snow and the Flames what does this Sammy Soul have to say about what links humans to the nature surrounding them was it what you call conversation with spirits of the of the first yes it's a dialogue with several types of spirit Spirit of nature or the spirit of fire with the spirit of the forest with your spirit with the spirit of the universe with all these spirits do you feel that what nature enriches you and feeds yourself in some way no it's not that it enriches me we live in harmony with nature samis don't seek to be enriched our lives are dedicated to knowledge we seek to acquire Superior knowledge you know me I I came here in your country in your place in order to discover the link between uh men and nature true the animal and in particularly the reindeer which advice would you give me to reach my objective you need to make sure it is reciprocal and in exchange you cannot keep taking without giving anything back otherwise nature will destroy you thank you I have taken note of Nadia's advice and I'm going to leave her to her incantations which will I hope bring good luck to the sleigh drivers and reindeer competing in the Festival of the north It's the final day of my trip and I've come to the suburbs of lover zero to meet Andre the sleigh driver competing in the reindeer race who was recommended to me quite a few reindeer Farmers must live here foreign yeah whoa breakfast I get to sample a Nordic breakfast meanwhile Andre it has to be said it's not in the chattiest of moods he's probably preoccupied with today's events do you think the weather is okay for today for the race to happen the weather is fine today there's no snow or wind it's just cold okay it's time to go okay let's go okay thank you very good salmon in the morning [Music] it's quite bumpy Andre is going to fetch his reindeer they've spent the night here before today's race we're about to see how they spend the nights we're finally going to see some racing reindeer [Music] so apparently this is where reindeer spent the night it's funny these are gregarious animals who roam in herds by day but at night they split up staying in sight of one another but taking a tree each in this Forest on the edge of the plane Andre tells me that reindeer only suffer from the cold at -40. anything above that and they're fine why don't you use gloves because me I am very cold you don't feel the cold it's not easy with gloves on and no I'm not cold of course Sammy's don't feel the cold they were born here they are children of the tundra they make everything by hand leather decorations slays they are outstanding Craftsmen animals are decorated in many different cultures whether it's elephants in Southeast Asia camels deromedaries horses or reindeer here we love decorating animals we put nice colors on our dogs and braids and our horses tails and here the reindeers wear colorful harnesses collars and Beads I can see lots of little beads this is all part of reindeer culture and he's off he's off he's up he's up I can't ride alongside Andrea the reindeer will get tired so I'm going to take a snow bike and meet him in the village [Music] back in town I leave Andre and his reindeer to get into the right frame of mind for the race I take the opportunity to wander around the market a stone's throw away from the racetrack [Music] this is incredible it's as if everyone is here to celebrate reindeer there are reindeer toys reindeer skins and all sorts of reindeer kebabs for sale there's even tinned reindeer so there must be a Reindeer Farm here in lover zero they have every style of reindeer antlers here isn't that incredible crazy they have so much reindeer memorabilia there are Lucky Charms and pendants this one is a slice of reindeer antler edged with reindeer skin with the lap flag on it foreign [Music] it's been marinated The Taste is somewhere between pork and mutton reindeer races are sacred for Sammy's they spend the whole day having fun and watching the races start usually with their families and is it is it normal that people doesn't shout that much it's to not disturb the reindeer or it's not like disturb the pilots reindeer are not like cars with a car you remain in control reindeer are wild animals so they are unpredictable driving them is always a challenge because they can break away at any moment during the race and just run off this is it the start of the race has been announced the reindeer are on tender hooks their eyes shining their skin trembling and their muscles contracted it's as if a whole herd Was preparing to suddenly Gallop off into the tundra [Music] [Applause] [Music] foreign [Music] I'm going to see how he did in his race they don't all start at once but they're up against the clock all trying to beat the record he's off Andre I'm going to see where Andre came in the race because I can see he's looking a bit crestfully she's about to announce his time Andre number eight finished his race in two minutes 42 seconds he came second I think he'll be a bit disappointed with that but there you go that's the rule the fastest wins Andre second place isn't bad oh he's disappointed no wonder [Applause] they came here to win after all last year he came first he got all the honors In some cultures it's all just folklore and the attitude is it's all about the taking part we're keeping Traditions alive here it's not like that you take part to win you want your reindeer to be the best the Festival of the north well done Andre [Music] the Sami people are like winter in Lapland cold initially sometimes even Frosty like snow to the touch but fascinating and warm once you spend a bit of time by their Frosty sides like their reindeer they are semi-wild but once they come out of their shells they are as tame as anything I think I ended up being adopted by these Northerners foreign [Music]

Channel: SLICE Full Doc

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Id: nz-RX-LE3kE

Length: 51min 4sec (3064 seconds)

Published: Wed May 17 2023