[3] In 1939, at the time of the USSR, Tofalariya was part of the Tofalar National Region, a Soviet administrative division with a total surface of 29,000 km2 (11,000 sq mi) which was disbanded in 1950.

[10] Bernhard Eduardovich Petri organized an expedition to the Eastern Sayan region from 1925-1928, where he documented the lives of the Tofalar people.

Petri wrote detailed reports about the economy, living conditions, and relationships with neighboring peoples in Tofalariya.

As a result of Petri’s expedition, the Tofalars were granted member status of the Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North.

The geography of the region is made up of two main features: approximately 90% of the territory belongs to the taiga and the other 10% is classified as alpine tundra.

[18] In 2018, the Tofalaria Natural Federal Preserve constructed 14 artificial nests in the region to combat habitat loss of the local osprey.

[15] In 2022, it was reported that, for the first time ever, a couple of whooper swans stayed in the Tofalariya Natural Federal Preserve for the winter.

The investigation determined that the Agul River watershed was heavily polluted with suspended solids and petroleum products.

[24] In 2017, government investigators discovered unauthorized construction by poachers on the western border of the Tofalariya Natural Federal Preserve.

They cut down twenty-three cedar trees in order to build log cabins, where they stayed while illegally hunting in the area.

The poachers were arrested in February 2017 for illegally hunting the endangered Siberian Musk Deer in the boundaries of the federal preserve.

The company claims to have been conducting a geological survey of the area, having received a license to explore land near the boundary of the Tofalariya Natural Federal Preserve in 2020.

[26] The company has agreed to pay a fine to cover the damages incurred due to its illegal fishing operations.

[29] Traditionally, the Argamchiyri holiday had an economic function: the Tofalar people sold and purchased goods during the celebrations.

The festival opens with a shamanistic ritual, where a shaman beseeches the spirits of the taiga for good weather and happiness during the holiday celebration.

[29] Traditionally, “The Day of the Hunter and the Reindeer Herder" was held in Tofalariya in the spring following the end of the hunting season.

The event is sponsored by the Regional Center of Folk Art and Leisure and the Alygdzhersky Rural House of Culture.

Events during the celebration include the screening of films about the history of Tofalariya, round table discussions about topics relating to Tofalar culture, photo exhibitions, concerts, and masterclasses.

Changes to local schools’ curricula that have excluded reindeer herding have prompted concerns over the possible loss of the practice in the region.

In 2019, floods forced the temporary closure of the school, with water levels in parts of the building reaching up to 40 cm high.

Students would learn new words in Tofa by being shown an object and its corresponding name in Russian, English, and Tofalar through the VR headset.

[45] Due to the difficulty of traveling to Nizhneudinsk, local residents are often not able to acquire death certificates for relatives that have passed away.

Transporting a deceased person to Nizhneudinsk and back is very expensive: local residents would have to spend approximately 700,000 rubles to hire a helicopter for the purpose.

According to Vladimir Lobchenko, the head of the Alygdzher administration, as of 2019, 12 deceased Tofalars were not issued death certificates and were still registered to vote in elections.

As of 2020, 230 tons of diesel fuel was purchased by the local government every year to power the generation of electricity in Tofalariya.

The local minister of housing, energy, and transport estimated that the power station will allow the region to save up to 50 tons of diesel fuel.

[54] Locals to Tofalariya report difficulty accessing medical care due to the scarcity of flights from the region to locations with working hospitals.

[55] Currently, in several villages, such as Verkhnyaya Gutara, there only exist feldsher-midwife points (FAPs), a preventive institution that provides pre-hospital primary health care in rural areas in Russia.

[57] In 1994, local historian Mikhail Ivanovich Pugachev collected a variety of traditional Tofalar cultural objects for the founding of a museum in Alygdzher.

The center’s efforts has resulted in the founding of a folkloric ensemble “Dyyrakibiler” (Tofalar: «Дыыракибилер»), which translates as “quick-footed reindeer”.