The chum is the living space and is made of reindeer skins that are laid over a skeleton of long wooden poles, many of which have a special position in the structure and are not interchangeable. Usually there will be one family per chum and the number of chums will depend on the size of the brigade or camp. During migrations chums are moved every other day among the most mobile herders and the chum sites are chosen based on pasture, relief and ground quality - having a water source nearby is also important, for brewing the number one Nenets beverage, Sri Lanka black tea. After checking the vegetation on a chum site the Brigadier thrusts his reindeer driving stick (called khorei) into the ground exactly where he wants the centre of the chum to be.