Peoples Of Yakutia Research Articles

Armenia and Yakutia Intercultural Communications: Composer Grant Grigoryan

The article is devoted to the work of the composer Grant Grigoryan (1919–1962), which is considered in the context of the intercultural communication problem. This is the first time this problem has been stated. The relevance of the problem is associated with the importance of the composer’s personality and his significant role in the musical culture of Yakutia. The features of the work of Grant Grigoryan, which were developed in the international cultural environment of the Soviet Union, are described. The article analyzes the creative activity of Grant Grigoryan in Yakutia in 1953–1962 and shows the process of his development as a composer, which took place in various regions of the country - from the Caucasus, the Far East to the Arctic. It was concluded that Grant Grigoryan, prior to his arrival in our northern republic, was an established composer with a significant creative background. Among his assets there were works written by him in various genres. Another conclusion of the study is the conclusion about the high degree of tolerance and intercultural competence of this composer, which allowed him to deeply and organically comprehend the foundations and distinctive features of Yakut music, the music of the indigenous peoples of Yakutia and make a fundamental contribution to the development of the musical culture of our Republic. He created classical works of Yakut music, which were widely recognized by the people. The work of Grant Grigoryan is an example of highly effective intercultural communication.

Recognition of Linguistic Characteristics of Bilingual Students when Teaching Japanese at North-Eastern Federal University

The article justifies the need to take into account the linguistic characteristics of bilingual students from among the indigenous inhabitants of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) when teaching the Japanese language at the North-Eastern Federal University named after M.K. Ammosov. The purpose of this study is to analyze the linguistic phenomena of the Japanese and Yakut languages for the effective development of foreign language communicative competence of students. The author of the study revealed a contradiction at the methodological level between the need to train specialists with knowledge of the Japanese language from among the indigenous peoples of Yakutia and the lack of a methodology that takes into account the linguistic characteristics of bilingual students. The research methods were theoretical and empirical methods. Due to the fact that the key feature of teaching foreign languages in the Republic is bilingualism of students, the author of the article analyzed scientific literature on the topic of bilingualism, justified the need to take into account bilingualism of students when teaching Japanese in the national Republic. Difficulties arising in the study of the Japanese language are considered. As a result of the study, the grammatical, lexical and phonetic phenomena of the Japanese language, which have similarities in the Yakut language, have been identified, it is proposed to explain these phenomena in the process of teaching the Japanese language based on the Yakut language.

Women’s Hairstyles and Head Ornamentation of the Yakuts in the 18th century

Mass Christianization of the peoples of Yakutia (Eastern Siberia) at the end of the 18th century led to the development of a demotic Christianity throughout the 19th century. There were new rules, according to which a woman was not permitted to appear in public with her head uncovered, and therefore the marking function of the hairstyles became obsolete. This could explain the absence of rituals and rules associated with women’s hair and hairstyles in the Yakut culture of the 19th–20th centuries. The aim of this study is to prove a hypothesis, according to which pendants of hair ornamentation duplicate braids, and studying the pendants of the headrest ‘nachel’nik’ allows recreation of women’s hairstyle that had been in use before the period of mass Christianization. The article is based on the analysis of written, material, and visual sources of the 18th–19th centuries. Information about the hairstyles and adornments of the Yakuts is contained within the records of travelers of the 18th–19th centuries. Among the ethnographic works on the peoples of Siberia, one can find drawings depicting maidens and women, where particular attention is given to their hair. These materials were correlated with the data of the archaeological excavations of Yakut female burials of the 18th century. The obtained results were compared with the materials from the 19th century — photographs of women in national costumes and jewelry from museum collections. According to the results of the study, it can be stated that there was a tradition of changing maiden’s hairstyle to woman’s hairstyle in the context of the wedding ritualism. New rules of conduct, social roles, especially regulations on the appearance of women, were formalized in the society in the 19th century with the mass Christianization of the peoples of Yakutia. There were new rules, according to which a woman was not permitted to appear in public with her head uncovered, and therefore the marking function of hairstyles became obsolete. This could explain the absence of rituals and rules associated with women’s hair and hairstyles in the Yakut culture of the 19th–20th centuries.

The Study of the Northern Tungus in the Academic Project “History of Yakutia”

In this paper, it is noted that new development in the Tungus-Manchu studies has begun by the virtue of writing a three-volume work “History of Yakutia”. It was found that, as the result, a new stage of the development of the fundamental science in the field of research of the peoples of Yakutia has begun. It is emphasized that the developed concept of creating the large-volume work allowed conducting a multi-faceted investigation; new archival and other materials were drawn into research, which had not received sufficient attention previously. It is shown how, according to the concept of publishing “History of Yakutia”, in the mainstream of the history of the peoples of Yakutia, presentation of the existing material is possible not only from the point of view of the traditional ethnographic approach by each group individually and by all conventional means of subsistence of the ethnic culture. It is concluded that the development and transformation of the territory by the nomadic Tungus-Manchu Cultures was actively manifested in the expansion to the North (an example of Even-Bytantai Ulus of Yakutia can be noted) and to the East (notably, to the Far East, including the insular territory of the Russian Federation). It is noted that the Tungus-Manchu peoples of Russia fell into the category of the “northern” nations in the very course of the development of the northern territories. These nations developed a unique school of adaptation of their culture to the environmental conditions of the northern spaces. It is the vision of the Tungus histoty as a whole, and of the history of small Tungus-Manchu nations, in particular, as a powerful momentum that played an important role in the history of the development of the vast territories, that seems new and topical. There have been presented examples of the updated source base for the study of the development of the territory by Tungus ethnic minorities, which reveals the potential of a synthesis of the study of the vocabulary and folklore of the Tungus-Manchu peoples and archaeological artifacts, in comparison with archival materials (primarily, archives of Yakutia.

Anthropology of disease. In the wake of the Arctic Circle epidemics: field materials of I.S. Gurvich

The unique body of materials collected by the Soviet ethnographer and the North scholar I.S. Gurvich (1919–1992) in places of compact residence of the indigenous peoples of Yakutia (the Yukagir expedition of 1959) for the first time determined scientific interest in the problem of medical anthropology, which reflected original ideas about diseases and health as a vital unity (body and soul), as well as symbolic “charging” of medical practices. The purpose of this research is an attempt to understand the spiritual experience of the peoples of Yakutia in the context of social, epidemiological, and climatic disasters. An interpretation of the visual image of epidemics in the traditional worldview of the indigenous peoples of Yakutia is given. The main object of this research, which recon-ciles the past and present, is the traditional world of long-lasting “perception” and “experience” of mass epidemics by indigenous people of the North. The methodological innovation of the paper is the study of colonial diseases in the framework of social and cognitive anthropology. With the example of local ideas about diseases and treatment in different ethnic communities of North Asia (the Yakuts, Evens, and Yukagirs), we analyze a complex socio-cultural phenomenon that emerged in the 17th century from the historical contacts between local and foreign origin cultures. The cultural dimension of the epidemic diseases within the borders of the Arctic circle, based on the historical and ethnographic sources of the Northern expeditions of the Soviet ethnologist I.S. Gurvich, is the first attempt of the cognitive analysis, the image of the disease and symbolic strategies for its prevention. A broad semiotic analysis of the concept of disease in the indigenous peoples of the Arctic at the level of linguistic, histori-cal, mythological, folklore and ritual texts allowed us to identify the original layer of demonological representations associated with mass epidemics and symbolic strategies for their prevention. Cultural codes of the demonic char-acter-disease (space, color, object, action, ritual) are identified. Sacred practices of influencing the disease were expressed in the following ways: foresight; conciliation; gifting/redemption; deception techniques; and deliverance. Dis-eases are personified and encoded using certain characters. Obviously, the semiotic system serving the image of dis-ease in the framework of the local ethno-cultural traditions reflected the local specifics.

Diseases of the Indigenous Peoples of Yakutia in Photo Projects of the Late XIX ‒ First Third of the XX Centuries

Disease theme of indigenous population of the Northern national outskirts of Russia, as well as the study of special knowledge in the field of traditional medicine and healing practices, for a long time belonged to the taboo part of knowledge. However, at the beginning of the twentieth century, there was a turning point in the visual culture of region, when the picture of diseases was expressed through the camera and became public. There are works of photographers documenting the course of the most dangerous diseases, such as leprosy and external manifestations of mental disorders. The aim of this study is to study external factors that influenced the genesis of the “medical” series of visual images of the population of Northeast Asia. The research methodology is based on a cultural and historical analysis of the events that preceded its appearance and subsequent application in medical practice in order to document the course of diseases in the Soviet period. This article presents the results of a brief review of the prehistory of the “medical” direction in ethnographic photography of the Yakut region. The circle of photographers of the Yakut region is defined, where stories illustrating the diseases that the local population suffered from are reflected. At the beginning of the twentieth century, footage of medical practices and shamanistic rituals for healing were presented in the photo projects by I. V. Popov and A. P. Kurochkin. In the 1920s-1930s. the genre of “medical photography” is represented by the works of the doctor-epidemiologist T. A. Kolpakova, military surgeon E. A. Dubrovin, unknown with the initial “D”, who worked in the medical detachment of the Commission for the Study the Productive Forces of the Yakut Republic (CYR) The Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union and the People’s Committee the Health of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. The experience of studying this topic serves as a clear illustration of the specifics of the region and in some way confirms the conclusions made by the participants of numerous expeditions that studied the foreign population of the Yakut region and predicted the inevitable extinction in the future. Keywords: medical anthropology, anthropology of disease, visual research, indigenous people, visual text, visual sources

Products from mammoth Tusk in Yakutia in the 18th century (based on the materials of funerary monuments)

The article is devoted to the study of products made from mammoth Tusk in Yakut burials of the 18th century. The work is based on literary and archival as well as on the collections of the museums. Analysis of products made from mammoth Tusk showed that they were not widely distributed among the Yakuts. This could be due to the fact that in the religious beliefs of the peoples of Yakutia the mammoth had a negative colour. Two movements of carving from a mammoth Tusk in the 18th century were revealed. The first movement was based on the traditions and techniques of local carving, and the second one was based on imitation of the Northern Russian school.

On demographic consequences of the Great Patriotic War for the peoples of Yakutia

On demographic consequences of the Great Patriotic War for the peoples of Yakutia

Features of Fixing the Folklore of Peoples of Yakutia (1930-1970): the Method of Selecting Informants according to G. U. Ergis

Methods and approaches in the selection of informants for fixing folklore works of Russians, Evens, Yakuts, who have inhabited the North-East of Yakutia since ancient times, are considered. The authors dwell on such issues as ways of finding informants; clarification of the status (narrator, singer and performer); concretization of the performer’s personality and his repertoire. The novelty of the research is seen in the fact that at the present stage, methods of selecting informants are being studied; the approaches to the selection of performers of song folklore, used by M.N.Zhirkov, are specified; the change in the status of the storytellers of Russian folklore is traced; the main features of the performance of the Even epic by the narrators are analyzed. The relevance of the research is due to the fact that the history of the study of the epic and song heritage of personalities-performers of the song-prose epic of the Russians Ustye, Evens and Yakuts by the staff of the Institute of Language and Culture is examined. Methods and approaches of M. N. Zhirkov in the selection of performers, as well as their repertoire to be fixed, are revealed. The importance of summarizing the already achieved results and setting new tasks in collecting and fixing folklore and musical material in the context of the extinction of folklore tradition and a reduction in the number of experts of traditional culture is affirmed.

To the question on the origins of regional cultural policy of Yakutia (XVIII – early XX centuries)

This article is firs to discuss an early stage of origination of the regional cultural policy of Yakutia in the Russian Empire of the XVIII – early XX centuries. Emphasis is made on the regional community: the representatives of traditional cultures – peoples of Yakutia and representatives of Russian culture (service class, government officials, taxed estates). The subject of this research is the historical prerequisites of such policy in the region, as well as the government structures that realized its key trends. The research is carried out in the all-Russian context, namely the context of transformations that took place during the Governorate Reform of 1775, as well as further evolution of the local administrative authorities that carried out cultural policy in the region. The questions is raised on the dynamic development of cultural processes in this suburb of the Empire, where the traditional cultures influencing the representatives of Russian provincial community, simultaneously became familiarized with the cultural trends from Russia. Despite the previous perceptions on the cultural backwardness of Yakutia as an imperial suburb, the conclusion is made on the relatively successful actions of imperial authorities in this field.

Association of IL-6 gene polymorphism with arterial hypertension and its risk factors in indigenous peoples of Yakutia

Association of IL-6 gene polymorphism with arterial hypertension and its risk factors in indigenous peoples of Yakutia

Особенности рецепции Вилюйской экспедиции в фиксации фольклора народов Якутии (30—70– е годы XX века)

Особенности рецепции Вилюйской экспедиции в фиксации фольклора народов Якутии (30—70– е годы XX века)

Damage Compensation Towards Indigenous Small-Numbered Peoples of Yakutia for Land Industrialization

Damage Compensation Towards Indigenous Small-Numbered Peoples of Yakutia for Land Industrialization

Этнический активизм и гендерные стратегии: женщины в общественном движении коренных малочисленных народов Севера в Якутии в конце ХХ века

The role of women in the activities of socio-political associations of indigenous peoples of Yakutia in the late 20 th century is considered. It is pointed out that the relatively high position of women in traditional societies in the North predetermined their high role in social processes. Particular attention is paid to the conditions in which the Northern aborigines found themselves during the period of industrial development of the territories of their traditional residence. The author notes that the modernization of the socio-economic way of life of the peoples of the North with the intervention of the state is marked by negative trends towards the loss of their way of life and ethno-cultural heritage. Placed in an unequal position with the non-indigenous population, representatives of aboriginal ethnic groups were forced to adapt to changing living standards. At the same time, the greatest adaptability was demonstrated by women, whose commitment to education and higher social activity and mobility predetermined their predominant role in public life. This phenomenon became most noticeable at the end of the 20 th century, when the collapse of the Soviet political system made it possible to defend their rights through ethno-cultural movements and associations. The article was prepared by the order of the Union of women’s organizations of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) within the project “Women of the North: Realization of Social Potential in Yakutia”.

Образы русских в преданиях и современных рассказах коренных народов Якутии

The reflection of the image of the Russian in aboriginal legends and stories on the territory of Yakutia for a long period is considered. Data on the composition of ethnic groups are given in the percentage to the entire population of the Northern regions, where indigenous peoples live (Chukchi, Evenks, Yukagirs), as evidenced by the 2010 census. The research urgency is caused by the fact that the image of the Russian in the oral prose of the indigenous peoples of the North was not considered in the dynamics. Text records made in the region during expeditions are used. Comparison with the texts of the prose works fixed from other folklore tellers - indigenous peoples of border lands. The novelty of the study is to compare records of different years: both early legends and family stories of the Chukchi, Evenks, Evens, Yukagirs and Yakuts, which were recorded in the first years of fixing folklore, and texts recorded relatively recently. The author proves that the image of the Russian in non-fairy-tale prose of the peoples of Yakutia was changing - from the mythological image of the alien to the modern character of the autobiographical stories of the beginning of the 21 st century, intermarried with the Yakuts or being a steward of natural resources.

Chapter 5.3 How are Indigenous peoples and communities in northern Yakutia affected by industrial development?

Today, the Indigenous peoples of the Russian Federation are called in Russian legislation: “the peoples living in areas of traditional settlement of their ancestors, preserving the traditional way of life, economy and trading, numbering in the Russian Federation at least 50 thousand people and considering themselves as independent ethnic communities”. Currently, in 28 Russian regions there live 41 peoples of the North. According to the census of 2002, the total number of Indigenous peoples of the North is 244,000 people, while the population of individual nations ranged from 41,500 people (Nenets) to 22 people (Kerek). According to the 2002 census, 33,133 of them lived in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), about 65 percent of them living in rural areas – traditional territories. Those are 81 localities in the 21 districts. Five peoples of Yakutia are recognized as Indigenous: Dolgans (1,272 out of 7,330 in Russia, that is, 17%), Chukchi (602 out of 15,827, 4%), Evenki (18,232 from 35,377, 52%), Evens (11,657 from 19,242, 61%) and Yukaghirs (1,097 of 1,529, 72%).