This photo essay, based on archival images from the National Archive of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) (NARS), documents the practices and ideology of Soviet fur farming. Focusing on the Pokrovskaia fur farm, one of the largest in Yakutia during the Soviet period, it traces the industrial logics behind the management of animal life and labor, particularly in the breeding and selection of silver foxes.
This article examines some cultural codes in the epic tradition of the Evens and Sakha based on the Even epic nimkan "Emcheni" [eMzI3HH] and the Sakha heroic epic olonkho "Djuluruyar Nyurgun Bootur" (Nurgun Botur the Swift) by Platon Alekseevich Oyunskii. The zoomorphic-in particular, ornithomorphic-cultural code inherent in the Even epic nimkan and the Sakha heroic epic olonkho are revealed. In the course of the study, some concepts en coded in the images of animals were identified; mythological paral lels inherent in these cultural traditions were established, and differ ences in ornithomorphic codes were determined. It was established that epic symbolism in the mythology of the Evens and Sakha is associated with relics of magic and developed shamanic ideas, with various rituals and cult beliefs.
Abstract This study presents a comprehensive account of British nurse Kate Marsden's 1891–1892 expedition to visit people affected by leprosy in Siberia, as well as the consequences that followed her journey. In search of a plant believed to cure leprosy, Marsden traveled a long route from Moscow to Vilyuisk. Despite the courage and endurance demonstrated in her travels, Marsden's reputation in her homeland, Great Britain, became highly controversial. The purpose of this research is to reconstruct the fuller story of Marsden's experiences by drawing on a range of historical sources, including British accounts and oral testimonies from Vilyui Sakha elders. A critical discourse analysis reveals that the oral histories of the Vilyui Sakha challenge the dominant narrative.
Abstract This article examines gendered representations of women in the Sakha heroic epic olonkho through the figures concepts of kuo and kyys , arguing that these archetypes function not merely as descriptive character types but as a normative system that actively produces and regulates femininity. Rather than treating olonkho as a repository of mythological images, the article conceptualizes epic narrative as a site of gender governance, where acceptable forms of female subjectivity are articulated, policed, and hierarchized. The study demonstrates that the warrior woman's autonomy and martial power are structurally dependent on, and ultimately subordinated to, a patriarchal epic order that privileges beauty, reproductive value, and domestic conformity. The article contributes to Siberian and Indigenous gender studies by showing how epic traditions operate as enduring mechanisms of gender regulation and contestation rather than as static cultural heritage.
This article explores human–brown bear encounters in the Magadan region (Kolyma), Russia, through the lens of mediatization. While brown bear ceremonialism and hunting are well-established topics in Siberian anthropology, the experiences of urban settlers have received little attention. I examine how the growing presence of cameras in daily life has shaped the eventfulness of bear encounters in the former Soviet industrial frontier. Analyzing media reports, I trace shifts in how these encounters have been framed over time. I argue that historical changes in the media ecology have transformed how brown bears are seen and represented, as well as the broader wildlife expertise and politics in Russia, by introducing a punctuated, presentist, and moment-oriented logic. I conclude by reflecting on the recent prominence of “encounter” in human–animal anthropological research.
The article considers the characteristics of spatial development processes in the northeast of Russia together with issues of the preservation of native languages in this region, in order to investigate the research hypothesis that processes of spatial change are followed by multidirectional processes in native language use. The article describes spatial shrinking and processes of polarization and regionalization via examination of statistical data and satellite images. This allows the authors to compare—for the first time—the processes of spatial changes and native language usage by Luoravetlan in Chukotka.
Despite cold weather, few direct flights, and low popularity in China, Siberian universities successfully attract self-funded Chinese students. Due to low tuition and living costs, these regional universities enable Chinese and other international students from humbler economic backgrounds to receive education abroad. Our ethnography examines the adaptation strategies of Chinese students who study in Tomsk, a higher education hub in Siberia. To many, studying in Siberia is a short-term transition stage in their future professional trajectory. Students rarely familiarize themselves with study requirements or opportunities to diversify their social life. The predisposition not to adapt and limited socialization with the local community are connected with students’ temporariness. Chinese students’ self-understandings in Siberia show us that (non-)adaptation strategies and vocabularies get perpetuated discursively within the Chinese student community.
The article discusses the activity of extracting mammoth tusks in the Arctic regions in the context of the cultural and ethnic characteristics of the Indigenous people of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). It identifies factors affecting the contemporary activity around collecting mammoth fauna. Findings of surveys carried out among the population of Yakutia yield a profile of contemporary mammoth collectors and reasons why some members of the population have a fear of obtaining mammoth remains. In addition, the article describes specific features of the attitude of the local population towards the collection of mammoth tusks, such as their reluctance to disturb the peace of nature, as well as their perception of mammoth tusks as a source of additional income.
This article focuses on the revitalization of the Koryak lan guage, one of the seven Indigenous languages in Kamchatka, Russia. It begins by framing the ethnolinguistic situation in Kamchatka in the context of demographic and statistical data, and continues with an overview of efforts to preserve and develop endangered Indige nous languages in the region. It then introduces the uptake of digital technology for Koryak language learning. To support technology in clusion with remote communities, a mobile language learning appli cation called "KoryakTuyu"has been developed to facilitate the study of Koryak as a supplemental tool through both home based individ ual learning and classroom learning. The article provides a descrip tion of the language application and a discussion of the application's features and components.
The expansion of state capacity as a prerogative for increased penal practices in the first quarter of the nineteenth century forced the Russian Empire to renegotiate its relationship with the Siberian Cossack Hosts, and most notably, their inorodets troops.This article will explore the consolidation of Turkic "ethno-estates" across the West Siberian Plain in the early nineteenth century, focusing on the empire's courtship of Tatar and Kazakh service elites as a response to its growing policing needs within the ever-expanding exile system. Although the material condition of most Siberian inorodtsy continued to decline during this period, a closer analysis of the reforms leading up to Speransky's Statute of 1822 demonstrates that the empire's chronic shortage of able-bodied men placed the service Tatars and Kazakhs in a relatively fortuitous position.
Despite cold weather, few direct flights, and low popularity in China, Siberian universities successfully attract self-funded Chinese students. Due to low tuition and living costs, these regional universities enable Chinese and other international students from humbler economic backgrounds to receive education abroad. Our ethnography examines the adaptation strategies of Chinese students who study in Tomsk, a higher education hub in Siberia. To many, studying in Siberia is a short-term transition stage in their future professional trajectory. Students rarely familiarize themselves with study requirements or opportunities to diversify their social life. The predisposition not to adapt and limited socialization with the local community are connected with students' temporariness. Chinese students' self-understandings in Siberia show us that (non-)adaptation strategies and vocabularies get perpetuated discursively within the Chinese student community.
This article explores human-brown bear encounters in the Magadan region (Kolyma), Russia, through the lens of mediatization. While brown bear ceremonialism and hunting are well-established topics in Siberian anthropology, the experiences of urban settlers have received little attention. I examine how the growing presence of cameras in daily life has shaped the eventfulness of bear encounters in the former Soviet industrial frontier. Analyzing media reports, I trace shifts in how these encounters have been framed over time. I argue that historical changes in the media ecology have transformed how brown bears are seen and represented, as well as the broader wildlife expertise and politics in Russia, by introducing a punctuated, presentist, and moment-oriented logic. I conclude by reflecting on the recent prominence of "encounter"in human-animal anthropological research.
The article considers the characteristics of spatial development processes in the northeast of Russia together with issues of the preservation of native languages in this region, in order to investigate the research hypothesis that processes of spatial change are followed by multidirectional processes in native language use. The article describes spatial shrinking and processes of polarization and regionalization via examination of statistical data and satellite images. This allows the authors to compare-for the first time-the processes of spatial changes and native language usage by Luoravetlan in Chukotka.
This article focuses on the revitalization of the Koryak language, one of the seven Indigenous languages in Kamchatka, Russia. It begins by framing the ethnolinguistic situation in Kamchatka in the context of demographic and statistical data, and continues with an overview of efforts to preserve and develop endangered Indigenous languages in the region. It then introduces the uptake of digital technology for Koryak language learning. To support technology inclusion with remote communities, a mobile language learning application called “Koryak Tuyu” has been developed to facilitate the study of Koryak as a supplemental tool through both home-based individual learning and classroom learning. The article provides a description of the language application and a discussion of the application's features and components.
The expansion of state capacity as a prerogative for increased penal practices in the first quarter of the nineteenth century forced the Russian Empire to renegotiate its relationship with the Siberian Cossack Hosts, and most notably, their inorodets troops. This article will explore the consolidation of Turkic “ethno-estates” across the West Siberian Plain in the early nineteenth century, focusing on the empire's courtship of Tatar and Kazakh service elites as a response to its growing policing needs within the ever-expanding exile system. Although the material condition of most Siberian inorodtsy continued to decline during this period, a closer analysis of the reforms leading up to Speransky's Statute of 1822 demonstrates that the empire's chronic shortage of able-bodied men placed the service Tatars and Kazakhs in a relatively fortuitous position.
The article discusses the activity of extracting mammoth tusks in the Arctic regions in the context of the cultural and ethnic characteristics of the Indigenous people of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). It identifies factors affecting the contemporary activity around collecting mammoth fauna. Findings of surveys carried out among the population of Yakutia yield a profile of contemporary mammoth collectors and reasons why some members of the population have a fear of obtaining mammoth remains. In addition, the article describes specific features of the attitude of the local population towards the collection of mammoth tusks, such as their reluctance to disturb the peace of nature, as well as their perception of mammoth tusks as a source of additional income.
Solon, a Northern Tungusic language spoken in Hulunbuir, China, is currently the most viable Tungusic language, with approximately 20,000 speakers. This article presents a sociolinguistic survey based on two months of fieldwork in the Ewenke Autonomous Banner, a key Solon-speaking area with 10,000 speakers. The data was gathered through observation, interviews, and questionnaires across different age groups, focusing on language proficiency, language use, intermarriage of the Solon community, and language attitudes. Although Solon retains certain language vitality, it faces severe danger due to declining language assessments among younger generations (aged 13–25). The endangerment level of the Solon language is rapidly approaching the “definitely endangered” status, underscoring the urgency of preservation efforts.
Taking the practices of reindeer ear- and fur-marking in northern European Russia and Western Siberia as its primary focus, this article analyses modifications of informal "traditional" practices as a part of their appropriation by state institutions and highly bureaucratized state-owned enterprises. The practice of making and reading ear- and fur-marks is highly situated and workable only when embedded in a wider web of social communication. Analyzing three cases of the practice in formal institutions, we show that the modifications represent attempts to eliminate the situatedness and embeddedness of the practice. Some modifications can be explained by the attempt to extend the scope of the practice to the level of individuals, but this has made the practice unworkable without reference to special databases and is useless for reindeer herders.
This article focuses on informal road networks in remote Siberian communities: their connectivity and the relations between road owners and road users. These informal roads serve both as conduits and hindrances for local connectivities. Data was collected in the villages Vershina Khandy and Tokma of the Irkutsk region, and the study describes the variety of informal roads in the region: subsistence trails and tracks, inter-settlement roads, forest roads, and oil and gas service roads. Different actors participate in the expansion of the informal road network; our research demonstrates that communities accommodate new infrastructures and negotiate their mobility and connectivity informally according to their needs and desires under uneven power hierarchies. In conclusion, we discuss the possibilities and constraints that different groups of roads users experience because of the informal character of roads.
the young Polish anthropologist Stanis & lstrok;aw Poniatowski undertook fieldwork in the Russian Far East in summer 1914. He collected almost five hundred various artifacts (objects, photographs, anthropometric measurement forms, etc.) and linguistic ma terial from the local Nanai and Udege communities along the Amur River. The outbreak of World War I changed Poniatowski's plans and caused the separation (fragmentation) of his original collections, now housed at the Polish Ethnological Society in Wroc & lstrok;aw, Poland and at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC in the US. The article describes a new multistep effort to digitally "reunite" Poniatowski's collections and convert them into a cultural resource for researchers, museum specialists, and Indigenous communities for heritage and language preservation.
