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Golovnev A., Kukanov D. Transformer in the Technologies of Arctic Nomads

A. Golovnev
Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera) of the Russian Academy of Sciences
St. Petersburg, Russian Federation
ORCID: 0000-0002-5716-655X
E-mail: Andrei_golovnev@bk.ru 

D. Kukanov
Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera) of the Russian Academy of Sciences
St. Petersburg, Russian Federation
ORCID: 0000-0002-7219-4145
E-mail: kukanov-d@yandex.ru

 

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ABSTRACT. The study of transitive (transformable) forms draws on the Nenets’ and Chukchi’s nomadic traditions in their situational (ethnocultural, historical, local) variations in Yamal and Chukotka. It introduces the concept of “transformer,” understood as a property of dynamic phenomena and multi-purpose structures. In sociocultural reality, a transformer ensures the ability and readiness to respond adequately to external challenges. It involves regular transformations according to scenarios that make up the transformer’s repertoire. The concept of “transformer” echoes the concept of “rhizome” as both imply interweaving, transformability, and mobility. In our research, we supplement the methods of nomadology, based on an analytical approach, with observations and reflections of nomadography based on the practices and traditional knowledge of the nomads themselves. The life of the Nenets is a constant alternation of trips and camps. The Nenets transform a winter caravan into a summer one by changing sleds and equipment. The Nenets tent exemplifies a transformer because it is a folding and portable dwelling and because it quickly turns from a bedroom into a dining room and a workshop. The Nenets nomadic tradition is based on the principle of dynamic cooperation, which involves the joining and parting of families. The mobility and transformability of the Chukchi social organization at one time ensured the resilience of the Chukchi nomads in the hundred-year war with the imperial troops. Today, the social organization of Chukchi reindeer herders remains mobile and changeable, including the “tundra–village” rotation. The Chukchi are slower than the Nenets in migration and move less often from place to place. The Nenets version of the transformer follows the “pasturing–camp” rhythm, whereas the Chukchi version is more of a “camp–pasturing” type.

 

KEYWORDS: transformer, technology, nomadography, nomads, Nenets, Chukchi

 

DOI 10.31250/2618-8600-2023-4(22)-6-38
УДК 397.4 (98)

 

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