Lines in the Sacred Landscape : The Entanglement of Roads, Resources, and Informal Practices in Buriatiia

This article discusses how transportation routes affect local relations with place and resources while being simultaneously shaped by the landscape. It focuses on Okinskii district (Oka) of Buriatiia in southcentral Siberia. The Mondy-Orlik road, which connected the district with the rest of Buriati...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sibirica
Main Author: Varfolomeeva, Anna
Other Authors: Department of Cultures, Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS)
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Berghahn Books 2020
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10138/323597
Description
Summary:This article discusses how transportation routes affect local relations with place and resources while being simultaneously shaped by the landscape. It focuses on Okinskii district (Oka) of Buriatiia in southcentral Siberia. The Mondy-Orlik road, which connected the district with the rest of Buriatiia, offered extended opportunities for the development of extractive businesses and tourism in the district. For many residents, the greater accessibility of Oka connotes a threat to local traditions and beliefs. The article examines the interconnectedness of economic, social, and cultural changes that the Mondy-Orlik road brought to Oka. The article demonstrates how the new road became entangled with the lines that previously existed in the landscape, the connections between human and nonhuman actors, and the patterns of informal jade extraction. Peer reviewed