Spirituality runs deep in the remote Russian Republic of Tyva. While Shamanism is the unofficial religion there, Lamaism, or Tibetan Buddhism, is the official one. But most people don’t have to choose between the two, since shamans and lamas don’t have a grudge against each other.

Tuva is located in Southern Siberia, in one of the most isolated regions of Russia. Its people’s native religion is Shamanism – a belief in spirits inhabiting everything around them.

Going to a shaman is as common for Tuvans as going to a doctor. But nowadays Tuvan shamans don’t live in woods. They drive cars, live in normal houses and even pay taxes as private entrepreneurs.