Animating the Unseen: Landscape discourses as mnemonics among Kolguyev Nenets
Changes, such as the social, cultural and economic transformations of the Soviet and post-Soviet eras, evoke a need to remember and remind. Recollecting can be expressed in multiple ways, among which discourses connected with physical artefacts are a universal form, though contents and meanings vary...
| Published in: | Suomen Antropologi: Journal of the Finnish Anthropological Society |
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| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
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The Finnish Anthropological Society
2010
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| Online Access: | https://journal.fi/suomenantropologi/article/view/116656 https://doi.org/10.30676/jfas.116656 |
| Summary: | Changes, such as the social, cultural and economic transformations of the Soviet and post-Soviet eras, evoke a need to remember and remind. Recollecting can be expressed in multiple ways, among which discourses connected with physical artefacts are a universal form, though contents and meanings vary considerably. This article examines Kolguyev Nenets memories of, and discourses about, a hill named Seĭkorkha: a sacred place whose idols were destroyed in the Soviet years. Providing a backdrop to this Nenets discourse is an artistic project which aimed to protect the Kolguyev Nenets and their island. The recollections are seen both as valued speech and as a part of everyday resistance to imposed transformations. This case study, based on field work and archival materials,shows how a community that has lived through vast changes has built continuity and stability through constantly changing discourse about a place that has been undergoing modifications for centuries. Keywords: Nenets, post-Soviet, memorial, sacred places, resistance, discourse |
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