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     Àññîöèèðîâàííûé ñòàòóñ ïðè Äåïàðòàìåíòå îáùåñòâåííîé èíôîðìàöèè Ñåêðåòàðèàòà ÎÎÍ
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íàðîäàõ
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· Ññûëêè
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   Ïîèñê




Bulletin 8 of the Center of Informational Support of Indigenous Peoples of Krasnoyarsky Kray

About the training course “Education in the field of human rights, rights of indigenous peoples”




09-30 October 2006 the Center of Informational Support of Indigenous Peoples of Krasnoyarsky Kray held the training course “Education in the field of human rights, rights of indigenous peoples”. During the course 7 indigenous representatives of Taimyr (Dolgano-Nenets) municipal region and 1 representative of Tofalar indigenous peoples (Irkutskaya Oblast, Nizhnedudinsky Region) were taught on: federal legislation and international standards on human and indigenous rights; mechanisms of protection of human and indigenous rights; legal and organizational basis of NGO’s activities; training of ethnical tolerance; training of team-forming; basics of project work; art of self-presentation; rhetoric; organizing voluntary work, etc. They had meetings with representatives of executive, legislative authorities, business and public organizations representatives. They visited such events as Krasnoyarsk City Forum 2006, Discussion club “Young Politician” (the theme of the discussion “National Matter: Norms of Communal Life”).
To participate in the course 8 interns were chosen on a competitive basis. The main criterion for choosing the participants was the candidate’s desire to improve the situation of indigenous peoples through implementation of the knowledge and skills received during the internship. The rate of public activity of a candidate and his/her civic attitude, recommendations of public indigenous organizations and local self-authority bodies were also taken into consideration. According to the results of the competition, the following people took part in the training course:
1. Lyudmila Sotnikova, Dolgan. “Sova” Restaurant, manager. Member of the Community of Indigenous Peoples of Taymyr “Bultchut”, member of the Youth Association of Indigenous Peoples of Taymyr.
2. Maxim Solovyev, Nenets. “Taimyrbyt “Chaika””, controller. Empowered to act for the Association of Indigenous Peoples of Taymyr.
3. Valeria Savran, Nganasan. The Center of Children’s Creative Work “Yunost”, pedagogue. Member of the Association of Indigenous Peoples of Taymyr.
4. Evgenia Sidelnikova, Nganasan. The “Taimyr” newspaper, non-staff member.
5. Darya Nabiulina, Dolgan. Tribal community “Daasi”, chairperson.
6. Arsenty Sotnikov, Dolgan. Head of the farm community. “Zapolyarye” airways, loader.
7. Alexander Kokuyev, Tof. Electrician. Member of indigenous community of Tofalars.
8. Nadezhda Batmayeva, Nganasan. Housekeeper. Member of the Association of Indigenous Peoples of Krasnoyarsky Kray.

Elena Nechushkina,
director of the Center of Informational Support
of Indigenous Peoples of Krasnoyarsky Kray



CHRONICLE OF THE INTERNSHIP

“All the meeting that took place in the training course have left unforgettable impression”




For me the expert’s lectures, trainings on the basis of project management and communication with Olga Suvorova were very useful. Olga Suvorova’s lectures let us to form an exact idea of such terms as grant, project, social projects, etc., about which I had just vague conception. Thanks to the studies with this clever, beautiful woman, in a short time I comprehended the basics of the project management and with inspiration started developing my own project on establishment recreation possibilities of Taimyr, which I think to implement on my return from the internship.
Not of less interest for me seemed the “round table” on the subject “Education in the field of rights of indigenous peoples”, that took place on 17/10/2006 in the framework of the meeting of the Permanent Commission on Affairs of the North and Indigenous Peoples of the Legislative Meeting of Krasnoyarsky Kray. In the “round table” participated the interns of the Center of Informational Support of Indigenous Peoples of Krasnoyarsky Kray; Vasily Nechayev, chairman of the Permanent Commission on Affairs of the North and Indigenous Peoples of the Legislative Meeting of Krasnoyarsky Kray, the deputy of Taimyr Autonomous Okrug; Ludmila Kaplina, vice-chairman of the Commission, deputy of Evenkya Autonomous Okrug; Svetlana Grinberg, assistant professor of the department of Land and Environment Law of Krasnoyarsk State Agrarian University, the expert of the Association of Siberian and Far East cities; Svetlana Belyanina, advisor of the juridical department of the Expert-Law department of the Legislative Meeting of Krasnoyarsky Kray; Sergey Bakhtin, ethno-psychologist, and other invited persons. First, the director of the Center of Informational Support of Indigenous Peoples of Krasnoyarsky Kray, Yelena Nechushkina reported on “the information about the activity of interregional public organization L’auravetl’an Information and Education Network of Indigenous Peoples and the Center of Informational Support of Indigenous Peoples of Krasnoyarsky Kray”. Further, V. Nechayev presented a report “Legislative work of the Legislative Meeting of Krasnoyarsky Kray in relation to indigenous peoples of Krasnoyarsky Kray”, after which different kinds of issues were discussed: laws in force of Krasnoyarsky Kray about guarantees, rights, communities of indigenous peoples of the North, possibilities of passing the laws “About state support of northern reindeer-breeding in Krasnoyarsky Kray”, “About territories of traditional land-use of indigenous peoples of the North of Krasnoyarsky Kray”, perspectives of development of indigenous peoples of the North of Krasnoyarsky Kray in whole. Then the interns of the center could ask questions and get qualified responses on the lines of work of their interest. D. Nabiulina asked about the possibility of creation in Khatanga village a psychological room for teenagers. Together with A. Sotnikov they were interested of supporting from the budget funds the material and technical basis of the farm and family community. V. Savran was interested in the issue of saving Nganasan culture, peculiarities of development of supplementary education on Taimyr, possibilities of establishement of the center of Nganasan culture. The interns listened to explanations on the territories of traditional land-use made by S. Grinberg. On the results of the “round table” there was made a decision about further cooperation of the Center of Informational Support of Indigenous Peoples of Krasnoyarsky Kray and the Permanent Commission on Affairs of the North and Indigenous Peoples of the Legislative Meeting of Krasnoyarsky Kray; the interned were offered to apply to the Commission with their initiatives, proposals and questions on their return to Taimyr.
Also remarkable for me was the meeting with Victor Pavlovich Krivonogov, the Doctor of History, Assistant Professor of the Department of Native History of Astafyev’s Krasnoyarsk State Pedagogical University, that took place on 22 October 2006. During the meeting Victor Pavlovich told us about the modern ethnic processes on Taimyr, about the book on the people of the North “Peoples of the 21st Century”, where the present situation of the five ethnic groups of Taimyr (Dolgans, Nganasans, Nenets, Enets, Evenks) will be described.
All the meetings held in the framework of the training course left unforgettable impression. Now I can say for sure that my people will live and I have great possibility to take part in constructing the future of my people. The subject that interests me here is the development of recreation possibilities of my beautiful land – Taimyr.

Intern L. Sotnikova, Dolgan





Legal knowledge is the basis of understanding of human and indigenous rights
During the study in the Center of Informational Support of Indigenous Peoples of Krasnoyarsky Kray, I learned the basics of international law in the field of human and indigenous rights protection. The legal unit of studies in the Center was taught to us by the students of the 4th course of Krasnoyarsk State University and Juridical Institute, Roman Chaldayev and Konstantin Ivanov. Also they familiarized us with the federal legislation on indigenous people; taught us to apply correctly to the RF Constitutional Court, European Court of Human Rights in the case of violating human rights.
On the first lessons we felt a little uncomfortable that we are taught by the students, but having listened to them, I understood, they know the law very well and surf the laws and acts skillfully. I’m sure, in the future they will be high-qualified experts of law. It’s a pity, the period of study is so short – if it were at least three months, we could get much more knowledge.

Intern Ye. Sidelnikova, Nganasan




Cooperation with Other Projects




The interns of our Center took part in the project “The Open World of Information Technologies” (IDEA), implemented together with non-commercial corporation “Project Harmony, Inc” and Microsoft corporation in the frameworks of the program Microsoft Unlimited Potential.
19.10.2006 in IATP Center of Krasnoyarsk the interns participated in the seminar “Tactics of Creation of Efficient Presentations”. Also, 24.10.2006 in IATP Center of Krasnoyarsk there was held a seminar on making presentations in the process of writing applications for grant competition “Civil Activity of the Youth” (www.youthlinx.ru), where the interns were involved.

E. Nechushkina



“Volunteer is a necessary resource for development of local communities”

On 26 October we had an expert lecture on “Volunteer movement as an active subject of civil society”. It was read by Olga Nikolayevna Krasnodubova, the director of the Youth Center of Zheleznodorozhny Region of Krasnoyarsk, the head of “Youth Voluntary Agency”.
This theme is important for us, as we, indigenous peoples of the North, start understanding our situation and actively strengthen our power to solve our problems. Now on Taimyr the registering of the public organization “Dolgans’ Unity” is in process, which will work in all fields: health of the population, keeping and development of cultural traditions, popularization of folk tales, songs and other creative activities, holidays and rituals of Dolgan indigenous people, work with the youth, with national settlements, agricultural sector, development of tourism, etc.
Olga Nikolayevna told us how to attract and motivate people to make them active participants and helpers of the events held, of the activities of an organization in the whole. The phrase, which I remembered best was, “a volunteer is a necessary resource for development of local communities”.
We are interested to have in Taimayr many people with an active, conscious civil attitude.

Intern D. Nabiulina, Dolgan

LET ME INTRODUCE YOU TAIMYR AUTONOMOUS OKRUG

In some scientists-ethnologists’ opinion, the climatic and geographic conditions, in which this people formed, have determinant importance. In many respects they influence the way of economical activities, culture and every-day life of the people. The trait of indigenous peoples of Krasnoyarsky Kray is that all of them live in polar conditions. Almost all the interns of this training course represented indigenous peoples of Taimyr municipal region.
Taimyr (Dolgano-Nenets) Autonomous Okrug was formed in accordance with the Decree of Presidium of the All-Union Central Executive Committee “About organizing national unities in the areas of residence of indigenous peoples of the North” from 10 December 1930. First it was called Taimyr National Okrug and was included in the Vostochno-Sibirsky Kray (East-Siberian Territory). With forming Krasnoyarsky Kray on 7 December 1934, it became its part. In 1977 the National Okrug was renamed as Taimyr (Dolgano-Nenets) Autonomous Okrug. The status of independent subject of the Russian Federation, staying as a part of Krasnoyarsky Kray in administrative-territorial relation, it got in accordance with the Federal Agreement in 1992.
In result of the referendum on joining Taimyr, Evenkia and Krasnoyarsky Kray, which took place on 17 April 2005, the territories of these subjects in full, after the period of transition, will join on 1st January 2007.
From 01/01/2006 Okrug, as result of the reform of local self-governance, consists of Taimyr (Dolgano-Nenets) municipal region, where the towns of Dixon and Dudinka, rural settlements Karaul and Khatanga entered. In the settlements 24 villages are formed. On the territory of Taimyr there is located Norilsk Industrial Region subordinated to the Administration of Krasnoyarsky Kray and including the towns of Norilsk, Kayerkan, Talnakh and Snezhnogorsk.
Okrug occupies the territory of Taimyr peninsula – the furthest in the North of Asia – a range of Arctic islands and northern part of Mid-Siberian Plateau. This is the only region in Russia located in within the Polar Circle.
The area of okrug is 879.9 thousand km2, this is the largest okrug in the Russian Federation.
Taimyr is inhabited by the largest wild population of reindeer, which calculates about 350-600 thousand heads. The region also has the most northern forestland on our planet. The unique lake Taimyr with rare Baikal-lake micro-fauna, the Byrranga mountains with relict species of plants, acclimatized population of North-American musk-ox allowed to include Taimyr in “Global 200”, which embraces 200 ecoregions of the Earth.
Arctic biodiversity of the region is unique, first of all, as in the severe climatic conditions of the North on Taimyr Peninsula there are more than 500 vascular higher plants, more than 200 species of birds, more than 40 species of mammals.
The territory of okrug belongs to absolutely uncomfortable zone. The climate is close to Arctic one, with long winter, polar nights, strong frosts and winds, short cold summer. The average temperature in January is -32°Ñ, in July from +2 to +13°Ñ. The blanket of snow lies 8-9 months a year, 110-350 mm of atmospheric precipitates fall a year.
Taimyr is geologically the least studied region in Russia (only 2% of its depths). However, the resources base is evaluated as a considerable one. There are reserves of coal, oil, gas, gold, molybdenum, copper, titanium, polymetals, antimony, boron, mercury, phosphorite, iron, tantalum-columbate, etc. There are also discovered the deposits of graphite, termoanthracite and faceting chrysolite.
In 1930s there began the developing of polymetallic ore deposit in the area of Norilsk.
Dudinka town is the administrative center of Taimyr (Dolgano-Nenets) Autonomous Okrug from 10 December 1930. Dudinka is located behind the Polar Circle in latitude 69º27’ on the right bank of the Yenisey River at the mouth of the Dudinka River in 2021 km north from Krasnoyarsk. This is one of the most northern towns on our planet and one of the coldest (the temperature in winter reaches -57°Ñ).
Dudinka is also the administrative center of the municipal entity “Dudinka town and the territory within the jurisdiction of the administration of the town”. Its area is 22 345 569 hectares, where 5 big settlements are located – the villages Ust-Avam, Levinskiye Pesky, Hantaiskoye Ozero, Potapovo and Volochanka.
The number of permanent population living on the territory of the okrug is 39.4 thousand people, among them about 24% are indigenous peoples of the North: Nganasans, Nenets, Evenks, Enets.
For stimulation of reindeer-breeders and fishermen to achieve better results there are annual holidays “The Day of a Reindeer-Breeder” and “The Day of a Fisherman”.
Peculiarities of nature and climatic conditions, geographical remoteness from the economical and cultural centers of Russia influence greatly the whole system of life support of the population. The index of demands in the conditions of life support on Taimyr is twice higher than in the south of Krasnoyarsky Kray.

(Using the materials of web-site www.taimyr.ru)

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES OF TAIMYR

Modern Nganasans


Dolgan, Nenets, Evenk, Enets and Nganasan indigenous peoples of the Russian Federation live in Taimyr, keeping their traditional life style, traditional economy and crafts.
Nganasans live in Taimyr mostly in the villages of Ust-Avam, Volochanka of Dudinka Region and Novaya village of Khatanga region. Their population is 781 people. For centuries Nganasans have created their original culture, but the process of development of national culture was impeded by some events: Nganasans tried to show the civilized world the main part of their traditional culture – shamanism. The idea of shamanism is communication with spirits. But Nganasans have suffered so many cataclysms, that their beliefs in spirits were undermined. So, now they show only the imitation of shaman rituals. By the end of 20th century, Nganasan people became weakened, scattered economically and morally. Probably this is the people’s fault itself, as they don’t follow their pagan religion any more. So, Nganasans have puzzled over how to live further, how to interfere into the market economy, into the context of industrial civilization, not to become the outsiders in relation to the predominant society, and at the same time to stay hunters and fishermen, to keep up the traditions of Nganasan national culture, to love and protect their nature.
One of the ways of saving and development of traditional culture is holding festivals of folk art, which are carried out in Taimyr once in two years. All the five ethnic groups take part in the festivals: Dolgans, Nenets, Evenk, Enets, Nganasans. In our parents’ time these peoples had rich and diverse folklore: fairytales, myths, songs. The parents remembered well and observed the customs, rituals, taboos of their people.
In the 4th festival the Nganasan folklore group “Dentade” from Dudinka, took part under leadership of S. Zhovnotskaya. She felt anxious more than the participants themselves, because the group consists of the youth who know about the old customs of their ancestors only by hearsay, but the youth showed that they can do it, they know their roots. And if the young proved their knowledge of the folklore, the Nganasan folklore will live. All the performances showed on the festival were distinguished with hearty and warm atmosphere of communication. After such communication for quite a long time the soul is stayed in some special high state as if it has drank some sacred spring water, as it sounds in the poem of a Dolgan poetress Ogdo Axenova:

Come to our tundra to try melted water in spring,
Life to flowers, youth to the older it brings.
You will find it nowhere, but only at our place,
Come to tundra and wash with this water of grace…

Ye. Sidelnikova, Nganasan


We shouldn’t forget that ‘today’ will some time become ‘yesterday’, the past, and in its time ‘antiquity’. Probably, the generation will change – and the unique culture of the Nganasans will be lost.
The Nganasans is one of the most ancient indigenous peoples of Taimyr. For centuries the Nganasans have been creating their original culture, which has always, especially now, for the last decades, been attracting special attention of researchers.
The history of the Nganasan people is long and complicated. There is no single opinion on when and how the people was formed. Some consider that the Nganasans for thousands years led nomadic life on Taimyr, mastering its severe, unmanageable ground. Other believe, that the Nganasans’ history starts in Stone Age – mesolite, and thus the Nganasans are the oldest people of the North, who appeared in Arctic more than 5000 years ago.
Now an active work on saving the unique culture of the Nganasans is carried out on a voluntary basis. There was organized a folklore group “Dentade”, that has been existing for more than 3 years already, and I’m a member of the group. The group takes part in different activities of the town and okrug, no cultural event is held without our participation; it introduce the culture, traditions, customs of our Nganasan people. Besides, “Dentade” organizes meeting with the population, workshops for students on learning language, tailoring national and modern clothes, making souvenirs.

V. Savran, Nganasan





About Peculiarities of Traditional Economy in the Khatanga Settlement

Khatanga settlement is located in the north-eastern part of Taimyr municipal region. Total population of Khatanga is 7299 people according to statistics data of 01/01/2004. Permanent indigenous population is 3917, including: Dolgans – 3853 people, Nganasans – 105 people, Nents – 10, Evenks – 5, Evens – 3 people.
The center of the Khatanga settlement is the village Khatanga. Besides, the settlement includes 9 villages; the allocation of the permanent population is the following: Khatanga – 46%, Kresty – 5%, Novorybnoye – 10%, Novaya – 5%, Katyryk – 5%, Khetta – 8%, Zhdanikha – 5%, Kayak – 4%.
The basis of living of the Taimyr people is traditional economy: reindeer-breeding, hunting and fishing. In Khatanga settlement’s hunting the most important is hunting the largest in the world wild population of reindeer. The Khatanga river and lakes are rich with diversity of fish species, among which the largest are valuable species: omul, whitefish, white salmon and other.
However, these kinds of economy have many obstacles.
With coming to market relations and collective farms reorganized into hunting-fishing artels (cooperatives), the situation of indigenous peoples of Taimyr, and Khatanga settlement inclusively, got much worse. Artels were expected to provide employment for the population, but in nowadays market conditions they can hardly survive, some of them don’t operate. The high rate of unemployment contributes to lowering of living standards, quality of life. Many families do not have enough equipment and materials to fulfill traditional economy independently.
Indigenous youth are also unemployed, which leads to the lowering of the level of civil activity, growth of psychological tension, high rate of dipsomania among young people. The situation can be described as precarious: people live for a moment, don’t see any perspectives for the future, try to escape from the situation drinking alcohol.
Due to its geographical peculiarities, Khatanga settlement is a remote region, it doesn’t have convenient transport communication that affect sale of the products made (venison, white-fish, etc.) Existing artels, communities, farms sell agricultural products at low prices, venison at 30-40 rubles per kilo, to Norilsk businessmen, who carry it to Norilsk industrial region.
The costs of food and fuel in Khatanga settlement is 2-3 times higher than in the center of Okrug (Dudinka, Norilsk). For example, 1 kilo of sugar in Dudinka is 35-40 rubles, in Khatanga – 70-80 rubles, in smaller villages – more than 100 rubles; pasta in Khatanga – 100 rubles per kilo, in the villages – more than 100 rubles; fuel in Dudinka – 16 rubles per liter, in Khatanga – 35 rubles. While in Khatanga the minimum wage set is 6000 rubles.
Absence of working places, high costs of food result in low quality of living of the population. The flow of the native population, mostly of the youth, from the villages of Khatanga settlement in search of better conditions for living is growing.
A very important problem is that a great part of the population, especially the youth of Khatanga settlement and its villages, are unemployed.
We think, it is necessary to pay special attention to the existing problems, the main of which is helping to employ the population. Providing working places is possible via establishment of family communities and farms. Creating such kinds of organizations is one of necessary and acceptable ways of changing the present situation, which will allow, through employment of the population, not only to provide stable income, but to ease social tension. Moreover, development of such forms of activity contributes to keeping up traditional ways of economy (fishing, hunting, handicraft), development of original lifestyle. At the same time, creation of such an organization is not all – it is necessary to make the conditions for its activities. For this it is needed to provide the organization with material and technical basis – to buy boats, engines, snowmobile, guns, cartridges, to acquire limits and licenses for hunting and fishing. It is difficult to find funds for this to the organizer of a farm or a community, even if he doesn’t work alone. State support is needed. The funds assigned from the budget in the frames of special programs are very little and cannot solve this problem. Besides, local administrations often use the funds not for the allocated purposes. Because of the informational vacuum (in Khatanga there is no good Internet access, local newspapers cover only the information “filtered” by the administration, during the snowstorms that can continue for weeks or months there is almost no communication with the world) we often don’t know that we are assigned certain funds.
So, when we speak about saving and development of traditional kinds of economy, there is revealed a great number of problems, connected not only with this subject, but in whole with the current social-economic and political situation. We think, the picture described is characteristic of not only Khatanga settlement, but of many other territories of Taimyr, North of Krasnoyarsky Kray. The existing problems are very difficult to solve without someone’s assistance, sometimes it seems impossible.

Interns D. Nabiulina, A. Sotnikov





Access to Information = Access to Successful Development

In modern society information resource is one of the key elements of successful development. Especially when it concerns not an individual, but the future of the whole people. On the territory of Taimyr Autonomous Okrug the problem of lack of information is very sharp.
In conditions of market relations development the local indigenous population face new tasks decision of which is an essential term of further development. For example, in connection with changes of normative field there appeared the necessity to register the rights on land for legal use, but most people don’t know about it. Absence of informational support on the matter of registration, documentation and reporting on land and natural resources arouses diffidence among indigenous population.
Most indigenous people have legal questions and not only: how to register land for long-term use, where and to whom apply for settling disputes, what are the mechanisms of protection of their rights and so on.
Wide ignorance of their rights and local legislation sometimes lead to deception and mercenary using of people of tundra by newly arrived businessmen.
In Taimyr Autonomous Okrug there is only one periodical – “Taimyr” newspaper (1000 copies, 3 times a week), with the founder – Duma of Taimyr Autonomous Okrug. For this reason, in the newspaper only limited information is published. The articles there have descriptive character of the events happened. We feel a great demand of applied information, such as: the procedure of settlements of disputes, law application, competitions held on the territory, the places for free-time activities (for urban inhabitants) and other.
The internet is not widely accessible on Taimyr. Even in the capital of okrug – Dudinka – access to the internet is very limited: in the library of okrug there is a room of open access, but the speed of its work is very low, and the cost is 50 rubles per hour. For one hour with such speed you will hardly manage to check e-mail, what to say about good search of necessary information in full volume. The situation with access to the internet in most villages of Taimyr is much worse – there is no internet at all.
So, we can say that indigenous peoples of Taimyr are informationally isolated from the events of the world. However, the saddest fact is that the information directed to resolve everyday tasks of population is also inaccessible for indigenous peoples.


M. Solovyev, Nenets





Rebirth of the Folk Art





The unique conventionalized beadwork for me is a valuable ethnographic activity, original art of indigenous peoples of Taimyr.
I started working in this creative art at school yet, although I couldn’t sew then, and nobody taught me. In my childhood I could only watch the women working. It’s a very minute work done with two needles. The national traditional beadwork demands effort. The accuracy of design is the main thing for a good master.
My work with bead became serious after I entered Taimyr College, the Department of Folk Art and Craft. Our course was the first on this department of the college. Woth my works I participated in different competitions of Taimyr. I plan to create collection design handbags. My handbags are very popular both with tourists and with masters of beadwork.
Regarding the beadwork itself, very important are the composition, color, proportion of ornament, everything.
The techniques of beadwork used have been transferred from generation to generation for centuries.
Masterly beadwork is the folk art. It shows the national talent of indigenous peoples of Taimyr.

L. Sotnikova, Dolgan

MY PEOPLE

About Dolgans


I’m Arsenty Sotnikov. I’m a representative of an amazing people of Dolgans. My people is very young. Actually we appeared at the beginning of the last century. From ancient times my forefathers were busy with reindeerbreeding, hunting and fishing. My people live on Taimyr and a little bit in Yakutia. By the way, most of us came from there, that’s why we are often mistaken with Yakuts. We are cognate peoples. We have much common, especially the language. But I consider myself a Dolgan!
I live in Khatanga Region of Taimyr, in Khatanga village. In this region a large population of Dolgans live. I can’t say the exact figure, but approximately about 4000 people. My people suffer the same problems as other small indigenous people of the North. This is, first of all, unemployment. Not all representatives of my people could find job for themselves after collapse of collective farms. That’s why there are a lot of poor. People, without seeing the prospects of the future happy life, start drinking. We have a lot of poachers. They often kill deer, polar fox and other animals without license and allowance to hunt on the land of my ancestors. My people, having their land for hunting and fishing, can’t sell the products at good price.
My people are very naïve and trust different charlatans. Many visiting people, especially foreigners, buy almost for nothing the products of folk art. Sometimes just for a bottle of vodka silver belts, works of mammoth tusk or bead go away.
But not everything is so bad. There are some bright moments in our life. They are our holidays. Annually we celebrate the Day of Reindeer-Breeder, where we organize reindeer races. We celebrate the coming of spring. Everybody put on their national dresses, sing national songs, lay holiday table with national cuisine.
We also celebrate in August the Day of Indigenous Population. This holiday helps us not only to remember the culture of our people, but to know about the people living on the native land and in other places of the world.

A. Sotnikov, Dolgan

About Nenets

My name is Maxim Solovyev. My people are Nenets. We are very ancient people. I heard from my grandfather that we moved to Taimyr from Yamal Peninsular. There is the native place of living of my people. On Taimyr Nenets settled the banks of the great Yenisey River. As before, my people are engaged in reindeerbreeding. Without reindeer, many people don’t see the sense of life. Now over thousand of people on Taimyr breed reindeer. Although I’m urban man, sometimes I’m lucky to be in a herd. These are unforgettable impressions. I feel at home there. I can’t be torn off the nomadic food. Fish-soup cooked in choom can never be replaced with the one I cook at home on the stove. And where in a city you can drink fresh deer blood.
On the training course in Krasnoyarsk I talked with representatives of other small indigenous peoples living in Taimyr and a representative of a people I hadn’t known before – a Tofalar. Like we, they have the same problems. They are unemployment and dipsomania. The only difference is that my people have saved their native culture better. Many people in herds don’t know the Russian language speaking only Nenets. In this fact I see a prospect for further cultural development, as without native language we won’t be real Nenets.

M. Solovyev, Nenets


About Tofalars

My name is Alexander Kokuyev, I’m an intern of the Center and study in the course “Education in the Field of Human Rights, Rights of Indigenous Peoples”. On the course I’ve learned a lot of new thing for myself. This knowledge I suggest to use in resolving the problems of the Tofalars – a people, which I represent here. Actually, the use of the ending -lar in the name of my people and its individuals is not quite correct, as it is a part of a word adopted from the Turkic language indicating plural form. We call ourselves Tof (for a male), Tofa (for a female), Tofy (for plural).
I live in the village Verkhnaya Gutara, Tofalaria, Nizhneudinsky Region. Tofs also live in the neighboring villages of Alygdger and Nerkha. These villages can only relatively be called neighboring, as you can reach them only by plane/helicopter or walking on foot for about a week in taiga. Tofalaria is not a separate administrative entity and is subordinated by Nezhneudinskaya Administration. Here comes a number of difficulties connected with incomprehension of problems of Tofs by the administration, and sometimes there intentional unwillingness to help indigenous peoples.
The number of Tofs in Tofalaria is approximately 662 people.
In Soviet times a great number of tourists came on the territory of Tofalaria, attracted by primeval clearness of our nature, lots of mountains, rivers, lakes, untouched taiga. With changes to market relations the number of tourists significantly decreased (the cost of air-ticket from Nizhneudinsk to Tofalaria is about 2500 rubles), although some ecotourists come to our place now. Unfortunately, some of them find in Tofalaria their last shelter, as being careless or by fatal flaw they become hostages of our natural conditions: either a raftsman won’t pass the rapid of a quick mountain river, or a bear will tear someone during hunting. I don’t want to scare anyone, but it shows that the nature here is really wild, it has a lot to see and to wonder, but you should never forget about security. To get from Nizhneudinsk to V. Gutary is possible only by plane or helicopter, in winter – by ice. By ice also the main goods necessary for life are brought: manufactured goods and foodstuffs. Absence of other transport communication, on one hand, leaves Tofalaria untouched by civilization, on the other hand – it makes the costs stay high (in comparison with the regional center) for all goods, and complicates coming-out of the products obtained by traditional ways of economy. Many arrived businessmen use this fact – they buy from the hunters all the bagged by hunting for bottles of vodka or at very low price. Thus the families of these hunters are left without money, meat and furs.
So far the main type of economic activity is hunting (Manchurian deer, musk-deer, sable). Our ancestors were nomads, they had great herds of domestic deer. In 1930s all Tofs were forced to settled life, began to work as regular herdsmen and hunters in collective farms. After perestroika, the rights on deer as the property of collective farms were transferred to private persons as discharge of debts. A great part of deer was killed. Although for Tof deer is the only means of transport, on which he can get to his territory of hunting (we call them “Taigi” with the stress on the first syllable).
For last years the number of Tofs began to rise, but this doesn’t say about successful keeping up and development of the ethnic group. The number of mixed marriages increased, and their children are registered as Tofs, as the government gives benefits and allowances to indigenous representatives. So, it happens that the number of Tofs grows, but the ethnic culture gradually dies. Now only the old speak the native – Tofalar – language, some young people can understand their native language, but cannot speak it or write. They consider Russian as their mother tongue already.
Regarding relations between ethnic groups, in whole we don’t have conflicts connected with national matter. There is some friction between Russians and Tofs, but they are more likely caused by social-political situation and distribution of preferences. The matter is the most part of positions in local administrations are taken not by Tof representatives, but other ethnic groups, predominantly by Russian. Thus they have more access to distribution of benefits and help their relatives, friends and so on. Indigenous representatives are put aside in this situation. For this reason some misunderstanding has place, but it is not connected, in my opinion, with national problems. The problem is: why Tof representatives don’t take part themselves in coordination of their affairs. This problem is very wide and includes several elements at once: the problem of preparation of national specialists, of overcoming the remains of dependent position, etc. As the directions to resolving the problems we see forming conditions by the state and making efforts by Tofs themselves.

A.Kokuyev, Tofalar









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