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Perevalova E., Kisser T. The Kanin Nenets: Renewal of Nomadic Life

E. Perevalova
Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera) of the Russian Academy of Sciences
St. Petersburg, Russian Federation
ORCID: 0000-0002-9480-715X
E-mail: Elena_Perevalova@mail.ru 

T. Kisser
Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera) of the Russian Academy of Sciences
St. Petersburg, Russian Federation
ORCID: 0000-0001-9246-2787
E-mail: tkisser@bk.ru

 

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ABSTRACT. The article deals with the peculiarities of the reindeer husbandry of the Kanin Nenets, including their use of new materials and changes in nomadic technologies. In the post-Soviet period, reindeer husbandry at the Kanin Peninsula has concentrated in the agricultural cooperatives of the Nenets Kanin and the Voskhod communities. Nomadism maintains its meridional direction, but the length of the routes and the number of brigades have noticeably decreased compared to the Soviet period. Personal and community reindeer graze together on pastures under long-term lease by cooperatives. There are no oil and gas companies in the Kanin tundra. The reindeer capacity of the pastures limits the expansion of the herd. In contrast to neighboring tundras, the reindeer herders of the Kanin tundra roam with their families, and there is no shortage of herders. Although the ethnic composition of the brigades is diverse and includes Nenets, Komi-Nenets, and Komis, the Kanin reindeer herders form a single community, speaking the same (Russian) language and practicing a common system of reindeer husbandry, where Nenets and Izhemsk traditions are intertwined. In the 1960s, a new type of dwelling appeared in the mobile module of the Kanin nomads: a tarpaulin tent with a birch stove, which replaced the Nenets chum. This type of family tent preserves the essential characteristics of the traditional nomadic dwelling (renewability, mobility, minimalism). Compared with the chum, it is easier to install, operate, and transport; its manufacture is less labor-intensive and expensive. Moreover, the tent retains principles of space organization and resources for material turnover of the chum. Arctic nomads have widely used plastic and other synthetic materials to manufacture harnesses, sled garniture, and sled parts. Kanin reindeer herders actively use new materials not only because of their excellent performance characteristics (easy processing, resistance to moisture, and low temperatures) but also because of their availability: the sea brings in abundance not only plastic but also nylon, burlap, and packing materials, which have found wide application in the nomadic economy. This substitution of traditional materials (bone, leather, wood, sinewy thread) with plastic and nylon dictates a new understanding of beauty.

 

KEYWORDS: the Kanin Peninsula, Nenets, reindeer herding, nomadic technologies, innovations, traditions

 

DOI 10.31250/2618-8600-2023-4(22)-39-70
УДК 397.4 (98)

 

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