Economic practices of peoples of the Republic of Khakassia in present-day conditions

• Published in: Historical Ethnology
• Main Author: Olga L. Lushnikova
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English; Russian; Tatar
• Published: Tatarstan Academy of Sciences, Marjani Institute of History 2024
• Subjects: ethno-economics; ethnic economy; ethnoeconomical way of life; traditional economic way of life; economic behavior; livestock; crafts; Ethnology. Social and cultural anthropology; GN301-674; Folklore; GR1-950; Human ecology. Anthropogeography; GF1-900; taiga
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.22378/he.2024-9-2.249-261; https://doaj.org/article/749fc652b15c4f31b9929062e8d4fa2f

In today’s limited conditions of the Russian rural labour market, the role of economic activity of the population as an additional or even the main means of subsistence gains an increasing importance. This problem is relevant for people who live primarily in rural areas. The specifics of the existing management of local ethnic communities are established in the culture and presented in the form of ethno-economic structures. Today, their preservation and development is considered to be an opportunity for the growth of regional economies. To what extent have peoples preserved elements of the traditional economic structure at the present stage? The given study was conducted in the Republic of Khakassia, where the Khakass (the titular ethnic group of the republic), the Shors (small-numbered indigenous people), and the Russians (the ethnic majority in the region) live. The article compares the economic practices of these ethnic communities. The results of the study showed that indigenous peoples retain their orientation towards traditional types of economic activities. Khakassians are actively involved in livestock breeding. Compared to Russians and Shors, they have a more numerous and more varied livestock farmstead. Shors are focused primarily on wild capture activities; for many, it is the main type of employment. Russians are less involved in economic activities, but in villages where the Khakass population predominates, they keep a lot of livestock. They are less inclined to consider economic activity as a significant source. Khakassians are oriented towards economic activity; they mainly associate their life strategies with the village. Shors try to preserve traditional crafts, which are the most accessible source of subsistence for them in taiga conditions. In the current conditions, it is difficult to talk about the significant influence of the ethno-economic structures of indigenous peoples on the development of the economy of Khakassia, since these ethnic groups constitute a numerical minority on the ...