The Political Struggle for Evenkia's “Special Status” Within Krasnoyarsk Krai (Central Siberia)

Abstract

The article discusses the postcolonial (i.e. post‐Soviet) transformations that have occurred among Central Siberia's indigenous groups. Ethnic identification processes among the Central Siberian Evenks, in particular, were on the rise during the Soviet period. The ethnic communities of Evenkia are now undergoing active stratification, with the emergence of a political elite known as “professional aborigines.” This political elite is more likely to include people with mixed backgrounds residing in urbanized settlements rather than pure Evenks living a nomadic lifestyle. “Professional aborigines” have clearly identifiable economic interests characteristic of the post‐Soviet market economy, including high corruption rates identified with so‐called “state capture.”