Agafia's Taiga Life

Agafia's Taiga Life

2013, Nature  -   42 Comments
8.57
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Ratings: 8.57/10 from 296 users.

In 1936, a family of Russian Old Believers journeyed deep into Siberia's vast taiga to escape persecution and protect their way of life. The Lykovs eventually settled in the Sayan Mountains.

Two children were born during the isolation. They ended up in a dwelling in the taiga, in the Abakan river basin (Khakassia), 250 kilometres from any settlement.

In 1978 their location was discovered by a helicopter pilot, who was flying a geological group into the region. The geologists got in contact with the family, but the Lykovs decided not to leave the place.

Karp's wife Akulina died of hunger in 1961. Three of his children died in 1981. Karp died in 1988. He is survived by his daughter Agafia Lykova who continues to live in isolation in her Abakan fastness.

Today, she is the last surviving Lykov, remaining steadfast in her seclusion. VICE crew travels to Agafia to learn about her taiga lifestyle and the encroaching influence of the outside world.

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Radoslav
Radoslav
3 years ago

This movie is an escape when I watch it. Excellent. The moments in the helicopter leading to Agafia's nook of the taiga makes me feel the vastness, chaos, beauty, and silence within the trees and snow.

Dan
Dan
4 years ago

Amazing woman....hard,hard work in even tougher conditions...perfect simple life where nature provides all(most) things that you need to live/survive,at her age tho now she definitely doesn't need to be grafting hard for 2 peoples firewood/water/all the housing maintenance that needs doing yearly...."if your listening up there god to Agafias prayers ,I think its time you repaid her faith..." I wish you all the best Agafia...youve definitely humbled me for best...

Jack
Jack
4 years ago

They were escaping the Boshevik Jews who killed "Millions " of Christians in Russia !

Jason
Jason
4 years ago

As if life wasn't hard enough for this beautiful old lady, without some one-legged geezer turning up uninvited, moving hiimself in, making unwanted advances and living off her generosity and the doublinig of her work.

She will be rewarded in the afterlife.

QueuedOut
QueuedOut
5 years ago

Of all the docus on this website, this one along with a few others, for some reason has a very short queue, whilst others have a very loooong to no queue. Why is that?

John
John
6 years ago

Can this documentary be purchased?

Galen
Galen
6 years ago

It would have been interesting to know how she procured food. I think I saw potatoes in the root cellar. Where did the grain come from? What did she use for illumination? Did they hunt animals for meat? Bears? There were glass windows. Where did the glass come from? Surely they didn't carry it in with them in 1936. Since then Yerofey Sedov died in 1915, but she is still going strong as of 2017.

Paul
Paul
6 years ago

Humbling. I think a lot of people here may be missing the lesson of the man with the missing leg though. The lesson, according to Agafia, was that she did what was right according to her bible and because of this, what her attacker threatened her with ironically befell him. He fell into the trap he made—which is also a teaching from that book. I think if we properly understand this principle, we will all be asking each other and God for forgiveness of the bad things we’ve done. Not demonizing someone else for what they’ve done. Much less a crippled old man who has clearly already been punished for his sins. The other lesson here everybody seems to want to miss (which I can understand) is she helps this guy daily. How many of you here would have the heart of Agafia and help the very one who wronged you daily? You can’t even bring yourself to have mercy on him from your desk chair and he didn’t wrong you. She is following the Bible and blessing her enemies. That’s the clear lesson to take from this. The lesson is not that men or women are categorically evil. I will not defend this man’s evil, except to say that I doubt anyone in this forum is more virtuous than him. Humble out and seek God’s mercy for yourself and others.

raikko umacob
raikko umacob
7 years ago

she live behind what other people do..but the style of life she had was really amazing.....the good story of her was an eye opener of all....i salute for her braveness for facing the life everyday.......................

jen
jen
7 years ago

great doc. I've been waiting for Rebecca Marshall's doc on Agafia (Forest in me) I am wondering about the goat and rooster. Were they just for a few meals? With no knowledge of science does she know that a goat must be pregnant and give birth (continually) to make milk . I saw no other goat -only a sheep. I didn't see any hens for the rooster. Maybe they just weren't shown. Admirable that she's survived such hardship and had the inner awareness and fortitude to block further sexual pestering after the initial unwanted encounters. I can't help but think how terribly different it would have been had he been able-bodied.

Mary E Isenberg
Mary E Isenberg
7 years ago

I literally could not take my eyes off this beautiful soul.
I feel driven to visit her.

Robert
Robert
7 years ago

What a beautiful soul. It shows you what is really important: the beauty of nature and a pure, simple, honest lifestyle.

Mohammed
Mohammed
8 years ago

Iron woman amazing

jonathan
jonathan
9 years ago

this Gody lady Agafia is precious because of her perfect character & faith in Christ despite several family tragedies that happened in her life!

jaidip koodali
jaidip koodali
10 years ago

..In the era of the photoshopped plastic surgeoned super made up human being...what joy to see a truly beautiful face.In her eyes do sparkle a truth we no longer recognize simply because it has vanished from our midst.Quite a startling documentary.Thank you.

manamghulamali
manamghulamali
11 years ago

was a great doc n she really deserved bleesing of god but i think govt should take her out in real world as she beard hardship now its time for rest if she dislike city she can get in some village but ii think being human she deservs all those benifits which we r having comfort peace n rest etc evn if she dont want still we should protect her as she has big knowledge how to survive or at least we can provide her some technical support each month by visiting providing food n gasoline n easy thing invention made life easy

rocketmahn
rocketmahn
11 years ago

Fascinating. I stopped what I was doing so that I would not miss a frame of it!

bringmeredwine
bringmeredwine
11 years ago

Utterly fascinating doc!
At the beginning,The filmmaker rides in a helicopter along with a goat and a rooster to the taigas in Siberia.
The footage takes the viewer into into the great unknown; a frozen world dripping with harsh beauty and isolated magnificence, where we meet an incredibly hardy and humble woman named Agafia.
She exudes a zest for life, despite the loss of her entire family, and her endless toil to survive on her own..
I was so engrossed watching how Agafia lives that I was disapointed when the story ended.
Agafia must have incredible genes. Contact with the outside world each time made her ill, but didn't kill her. Her siblings all died because of it. She also lived through starvation..
I'm guessing her unwavering faith,always keeping busy, and the love for her animals, keeps her sane.
I was amazed that she hadn't murdered her predatory neighbor.(I would have). Must be her strong religious beliefs and kind nature that stopped her.

Kathy
Kathy
11 years ago

I'm impressed - this 70 something woman lifting tree trunks and carrying them around, sawing her own firewood, smiling through it all? wow lady, hats off!!

Elf87
Elf87
11 years ago

Are you sure Siberia is in the southern Russia? Check out a map or goole it first before you make a documentary maybe?

oldfox
oldfox
11 years ago

Fascinating. I'll pray for this lady and hope to meet her in Heaven. Praise the Lord!

thinkagainagain
thinkagainagain
11 years ago

I am a bit amused at the doc slipping in the sponsor's logo (The North Face) here and there. Just shows that Agafia has her icons and we have ours.

tomregit
tomregit
11 years ago

There are a number of documentaries from Vice that I don't care for, but I really enjoyed this one. A great story about a beautiful lady.

Pysmythe
Pysmythe
11 years ago

A hard, solitary life of nothing but the fundamentals in a very beautiful environment, surrounded by cats and bears, and one horny old peg-legged geologist. Even out there, the sweet, honorable woman couldn't altogether get away from a man chasing her, poor thing. I just loved listening to her talk...That language has always sounded so rich and beautiful to me, like a lush feast with a lot of sauces. There was something a little hypnotic about the whole thing, too, like listening to a clock tick in an empty house.

oQ
oQ
11 years ago

the titles for the music are Nature and Get Free, well chosen.
1i

wald0
wald0
11 years ago

Amazing woman.

disqus_DckmtFvCrE
disqus_DckmtFvCrE
11 years ago

What a strong woman!

TheDanishViking
TheDanishViking
11 years ago

Good documentary. Thanks!