Peoples of the Tundra Essays

Peoples of the Tundra Essays Peoples of the Tundra Essay Peoples of the Tundra Essay The Dolman are primarily a Turkey speaking people, mostly residing In Shortcakes Kraal, Russia. A 2002 census shows there are 7,261 Dollars living In Kraal, with 26 Dollars counted as living In the Ukraine. The Dollars are mostly reindeer breeders, hunters, and fisherman; although some gardening is also found throughout their communities. The Nanas is the northernmost tribe, residing on the Tammany peninsula close to the Arctic Ocean. There were only 834 Nanas members counted in the same census. Historically, they are nomadic hunters and fishers, although reindeer herding Is also largely popular. A variety of methods for gathering data were used In the 12 months that Keller lived amongst these groups between 1994 and 1997. A vast amount of data was collected and presented on economical, ecological, and political situations among the Dolman and Nanas. Individual interviews and direct participation in the society daily activities gave an in depth accounting of these tribes. One of the four hallmarks of anthropology is participant observation, which allowed Kier to build lasting friendships and relationships with the people, gain their trust, and deeply understand their day to day lifestyles, family needs. ND deep rooted traditions. Directly participating gave the author first hand knowledge of how to survive in this limited, and how important it is to contribute to the hunting practices. This involvement explains in great detail how drastically cold, and harsh, northern Siberia can be, and how important sharing is in order to survive. Majority of anthropologists study groups to find how their goods are made and distributed. Both Dolman and Nanas depend mostly on meat and fish as the mall component of their diet. There are several types of hunts, with 38 hunts documented in the book. Caribou hunting provides the greatest amount of meat, and this type of hunt is performed on land and water. Hunters also set up and own their own trap nines for hunting Arctic Fox. There are also various types of fishing going on, which may or may not be incorporated Into the hunt of large game. Goose hunting is also popular during spring and summer. Both groups rely on gathering of berries and mushrooms, utilizing small plastic buckets to do so. The daily labor is divided fairly and equally between family members. The men are the primary owners of the hunting equipment and trap lines. Therefore, they maintain these and do the physical labor of hunting. Older men mostly participate in fishing closely to the village, while small boys will work along side the women and arils. The women are in charge of food preparation and the distribution of the meat. They utilize the kin selection model of food sharing by deciding how much to use Walton tenet Immediate Tamely, want Is Kept or glen away, Ana to whom It Is given. They also handle the finer butchering of the meat for preparing soups, ribs, etc. Another duty handled by the women is clothing. They are the seamstresses of the families, using animal pelts and furs to piece together garments. The intricate sewing and bodywork that is done can take up to several weeks to finish even one clothing item. The Dolman and Nanas believe that sharing the meat is a requirement of the Tundra itself. Others may come around asking for food, tolerated scrounging, and they are not to be turned away if there is anything to give. They believe if they dont share, they are being selfish, and the Tundra will no longer bless them with animals and good hunts in the future. Drying and smoking of excess meats are done outside, which signals to the neighbors that there is an excess available. The Russian government began setting up bread stores in 1822 in the district providing a supply of carbohydrates in the forms of breads and grains. These goods were sold for cash, or given by way of trade for other goods. This system of bread stores only further controlled the taxation process on the products they provided. Russia continues to provide these goods, but no longer through the stores. They now transport them directly to Siberia via helicopter, which is highly expensive. Therefore, the amounts and variety of products provided has been drastically reduced. So much so, that the amounts of bread product provided is not enough for everyone. Russian colonization and control of the Siberian Tundra region was highly inefficiency to those moving into the area, but devastating to those already living there. Siberian endured suffering at the hands of Russians two major armies, The White Army and the Red Army during the Russian Civil War. Many natives were forced into service of these armies, changing their way of life, forcibly converting them into workers for the state. Goods and services were still exchanged between, but only in designated areas, and handled with great care by both parties. Exchanges were never face to face, weapons were in hand, and goods were passed through windows or tossed back and forth. Nanas had rarely slaughtered their domesticated reindeer for personal consumption, but such an act was becoming more and more common during these times. Any abundance of reindeer, as deemed by the Russians, were confiscated and moved to collective areas. The Soviets wanted more and more control of the hunting and trading practices, as a way to further tax the Siberian people, so stronger regulations were put into place. Russia clearly stated an interest in the natural resources of the Tundra, primarily graphite, and moved to gain control of such. Native congresses were established by the Soviet Union, yet Siberian leaders, such as shamans and kulaks, were not allowed to sit on these congresses. Soon they outlawed the practice of shamanism altogether, and many shamans were arrested and executed. Practicing shamanism of any kind by the people was done only in secret. Around 1929, Stalin began moving non-native peasants from the south into the Siberian Tundra, adding further stress to the natives living there. These peasants had no way of caring for themselves, and how to survive the harsh climate was not knowledge they had. Therefore, the natives had to care for the newcomers, unable to o so themselves. A movement of resistance to this acclimatization was formed by ten Kulaks, or roll peasants, wanly was quickly eater Dye Russian military Walt mass bloodshed and war tactics. Native societies began to Join forces and make demands to the government publicly. Primarily they wanted no more factorization of the kulaks, who were essentially the elders of the communities. They asked for freedom from trapping, taxes, and freight transport as well. In response to these demands, more agents were sent to the Tundra to ensure reindeer purchasing and fur production were intact. Kulaks were also ordered to continue their orders or be brought to court. Many kulaks were arrested and killed during this time. It was widely known for Russian military to open fire on native meetings at any point. The biggest losses and changes to befall the Dolman and Nanas from around the sass to the sass was their loss of reindeer. The reindeer was mostly used for transportation, and now had either been purchased or confiscated by the government for use by the state. Shamans and kulaks were frequently executed, and their reindeer surrendered to the Soviet government. Collective farms were established, and the natives were moved into these areas and assigned housing. This forced acclimatization of the natives drastically changed their nomadic lifestyle, which brought about a widespread depression. Self-medication of this depression by use of alcohol was also becoming more common, as alcohol was more available. People had been moved and settled into marked communities and villages, had lost majority of their personal reindeer, and were mostly employed by state-run agencies. These were huge differences to their previous way of life. There was, however, more access to medical care now which had decreased the death rates f children and infants. The increasing access to alcohol has increased the death rates of working age adults. There is less and less hunting taking place to fulfill the government hunting plans, which provides more and more free time to the people in the communities. Dollars have more members in their group than the Gnashing, yet the death rate is higher due to alcohol abuse in the Nanas tribe. Nanas death rate in females is as high as it is in males, which is directly linked to the low birth rate. There are less females of age to have children, and this is showing in the constant decline in births every year. The adjustments the people were forced to make during the rise, and fall, of the socialist state brought about a great emotional depression, which led to alcohol abuse, and in turn, more depression. People were overlooking spending their money on purchasing necessities in order to buy alcohol. This puts a person, and their families, in a very tight position. The Dolman and Nanas tribes both have a vast history rich in shamanistic traditions. The definition of shaman is to know in an ecstatic manner. (pig 106) Shamans commonly practice contacting the deceased for answers to their questions ND guidance. The Soviet Union outlawed the practice of shamanism in the sass, although the traditions were still passed down in secret. Shamanism changed after the passing of the head of the family in 1996, although it still shapes much of the beliefs of people in this region. The Nanas use wooden statues, or idols, called kaka, to represent their ancestors. Although the Dolman are primarily Russian Orthodox, they also practice shamanism, Ana nave sass called sanitary . It Is Deliver Tanat Dye Tyler ten sanitary would bind the family together. Bad luck could come to the members of the family if Haitian wasnt cared for, and upon the death of a family member, only a shaman could unbind the assistant. Doctrines exist outlining these beliefs, and the taboos practiced. There are many stories about coexisting with nature and how to deal with things like fire. Fire is of utmost importance to the survival in this region. But people believe they must also care for the fire, in order to maintain the relationship. It is believed when a fire is crackling, or making noises, it is actually communicating. It could be delivering messages of good or bad, too much noise usually means bad, and would necessitate shamans interpretation to fully grasp the message. Women primarily care for the fire; therefore they are not to walk on ash under any circumstances. This would be considered highly disrespectful to fire, and could hinder their ability to reproduce. Bears are of high importance in both Dolman and Nanas teachings. They are believed to be relatives, or ancestral souls, and arent to be hunted or killed unless absolutely necessary. Even if a bear has to be killed for safety, or in self defense, the meat and fur is not used, and the bear is given a burial like another person of the family. Many of these taboos are referred to as sins. It is a sin not to cooperate, or share, in which the spirits of the ancestors could punish someone over committing one of these sins. If someone spoke badly of someone else, for example, it is believed something bad could happen to a member of that persons family, such as death or illness. By not sharing meat, the tundra could punish by not providing any more animals. The Soviets had taken control of many aspects of the lives of people in the Tundra for a great many years, primarily control of the hunting grounds. After the fall of the Russian soviet state, families continued use of the state controlled hunting grounds. In 1992, Boris Yielding attempted to protect and maintain Dolman and Nanas way of life, yet keeping control, by allowing families to own property through family/clan holdings. If the head off family chose to apply for this status, there would be no rent or property taxes, but taxes on any profits made would still be collected. Natives must have minimum five years hunting experience to lay claim on land, and non- natives must have ten years experience. If a family claimed hunting grounds, policies and procedures set for the by the state had to be followed. It almost becomes more f an expense to not only file the formal paperwork, but the expense to buy gas and equipment necessary to access and maintain deeper regions of the grounds. Almost a dozen forms have to be file, which can be overwhelming. The reality of the situation in Just Beam is that majority of families cant afford to hold a claim. The paperwork, plus the cost of traveling to Dunedin to file them, is too much for most. Some arent even sure if the concept of land claims is a good one, while others stay fairly busy hunting and arent interested in spending the time to work through the process of a claim. The hunting grounds directly around the collective settlements were considered common use grounds, as anyone was allowed to hunt there.