Incorporating stone mining into Indigenous and local notions of cultural heritage and sustainability

• Published in: Études mongoles et sibériennes, centrasiatiques et tibétaines
• Main Author: Varfolomeeva, Anna
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Centre d'Etudes Mongoles & Sibériennes / École Pratique des Hautes Études 2023
• Subjects: patrimoine; autochtones; mines; culture; durabilité; Vepse; heritage; indigenous; sustainability; Veps; karelia*; karelian; Nord-ouest de la Russie; Northwest Russia; Republic of Karelia
• Online Access: https://journals.openedition.org/emscat/6200

This article focuses on Indigenous and local practices of decorative stone extraction as a part of traditional economic activities. It analyses how historical continuity of mining contributes to the visions of sustainability and heritage existing in the community. The article focuses on the case study of the Veps Indigenous minority in the Republic of Karelia, northwest Russia. Since the 18th-19th centuries, Karelian Veps have been extracting rare ornamental stones – gabbro-diabase and raspberry quartzite. Currently, most residents of Veps villages are still employed in stone quarries. Karelian Veps largely embrace stoneworking (Veps. kivirad) as a part of their Indigenous identity. Stone mining is promoted as an element of Veps cultural heritage through state institutions, such as the Veps ethnographic museum, as well as local state-funded initiatives, such as Veps ethnic theme parks. Many residents of Veps villages refer to stoneworking as a tradition with a rich history and the possibility of a long future. At the same time, current practices of stone extraction and the environmental impact of mining are a common source of worries and disappointment as Veps feel alienated from the post-Soviet mining industry. Through the analysis of the Veps example, the article discusses the importance of incorporating Indigenous and local visions of industry and sustainability in dominant state narratives. The paper is based on participant observation and interviews conducted in Veps villages of Karelia from 2015 to 2021. Cet article s’intéresse aux pratiques autochtones et locales d’extraction de pierres décoratives comme activité économique traditionnelle. L’auteure étudie la manière dont la continuité historique de l’exploitation des pierres contribue aux perceptions de durabilité et de patrimoine au sein des communautés. L’analyse se concentre sur le cas d’étude de la minorité autochtone des Veps dans la République de Carélie, au Nord Ouest de la Russie. Depuis les xviiie et xixe siècles, les Veps de Carélie extraient ...