“I'm the Son of the Oliero”

• Published in: AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples
• Main Author: Derlicki, Jaroslaw
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: SAGE Publications 2010
• Subjects: History; Anthropology; Cultural Studies; taiga; Tundra; Yukaghir; Siberia
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/117718011000600307; http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/117718011000600307

Almost every definition of “ethnic group” refers to homeland, locality or symbolic dimensions of the land. This article reflects the situation of the Yukaghir, a people of approximately 1,000 individuals in north-east Siberia. While land is particularly crucial for Yukaghir identity, the current situation of rights to land is highly dissatisfying for the Yukaghir. Traditional economic activities which are essential for their identity (hunting, fishing and/or reindeer breeding) are possible only on particular land. Taiga and tundra delimit the possibilities of what people might do for a living, their professions and careers. It also binds them to the world of their ancestors. I argue that in the Yukaghir case, culture and identity may survive only by virtue of living from the taiga and tundra.