Clothing of Arctic Nomads: Traditional Technologies and Ethnodesign

The article attempts to identify and structure ethnodesign's approaches to the study of traditional clothing of nomads of the Arctic, using the example of reindeer herders of Yamal (Nenets) and Chaun-Chukotka (Chukchi). As the research shows, the material world of a nomad reindeer herder exists in the system of a “nomadic transformer”, i.e. it is defined by and subordinated to the cycles of nomadic variability in space-time rhythms and dimensions, states of statics and dynamics, and communication with other communities. Quality and properties of clothing, as one of the main elements of adaptation to a nomadic lifestyle, are fully manifested in the dynamics: it is born and transformed and it dies in motion. The practices of making, wearing and using, repairing and disposing of clothing are organically intertwined with the rhythms of nomadism. The approaches to the study of Arctic nomads' clothing presented in the article - microstructural and bio-physiological, mim-adaptive and technological, gender-ethnocultural, and mobile-transformation - focus on the natural development of traditional technologies and work in motion. In combination, they allow us to look at nomad fur clothing from different angles and with different degree of approximation - from microstructural properties of reindeer hair and options of adaptational mimicry to an analysis of constructural and technological, gender and ethno-cultural features.

Velocity and Purpose among Reindeer Herders in the Verkhoyansk Mountains

Why would anyone want to travel fast? This paper places local evaluations of velocity in the context of purpose, distinguishing between the excursion of the hunter, the perpetual annual circuit of the reindeer herder and the one-off journey. Reindeer hooves and sledge runners enhance human velocity on the ground. In its extreme reduction of friction, aviation mimics the soul-flight of shamans and compresses distance, but also creates new purposes and concepts of destination, while telecommunication abolishes distance altogether. In generating their own purposes and rhythms, reindeer, aircraft and radio each generate different kinds of personhood and ways of feeling.

The Panty Question in Yamal: Sawing, Trading, Discussing

Since 1990s the collection of panty (reindeer velvet antlers) have become one of the important part of the economy of the tundra peoples. The panty trade had formed the whole social network between reindeer herders and “merchants” — the collectors of panty connecting a reindeer herder with the global market. After the outbreak of anthrax in 2016 in the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, the discussion of the problems of overgrazing and the lack of reindeer pastures have intensified. Some of the scholars claim that the steep rise of the Yamal reindeer herds in the last decades is closely related with the so-called “panty reindeer herding” (allegedly more profitably than the meat-oriented herding but treating the pastures more extensively because of the increasing of the number of the unslaughtered animals) and such a view have provoked the huge discussion. The article presents the different views of the polemicists and analyzes them. To understand the whole mechanism of the panty business the authors during the fieldwork at Yamal in 2015–2018 have studied its various stages on the level herder — “merchant”: the choice of animals and ways of sawing antlers, the seasonal detour of reindeer herders camps by panty collectors, the practices of exchanging commodity for supplies and cash, the share of sales of panty in the structure of income of the tundra family, the transportation of panty

Prospects of applying 3-D printing to economics of remote communities

Purpose Isolated communities face a variety of inconveniences including severe remoteness, poor roads and extreme climate conditions, resulting in the lack of security of supply chains and exorbitant prices for cargo delivery. This paper aims to investigate the present advantages and prospects of applying 3-D printing to improve economics and everyday life of remote communities, reindeer herder case taken as an example. Design/methodology/approach This study covers the use of a low-cost open-source 3-D printer (RepRap) capable of fused filament fabrication to reduce operating costs for nomadic reindeer herder groups. Three case studies are provided for reindeer-specific applications to probe economic and technical viability of the technology, namely, ear-tags, electric fence components and lasso accessories. Findings 3-D printed objects feature technical characteristics similar to those of analogues available on the market while reducing the price by 63 per cent. Distributed 3-D printing reduces the cost of raw materials by 68 per cent and shipping costs by 50 because of lower trip frequency. If all reindeer herders globally were to adopt distributed manufacturing of the three aforementioned sample items only, their annual savings from such solution would amount to US$2m. The paper discovers other economic, entrepreneurial, technical and environmental opportunities offered by 3-D printing put to service the needs of remote communities. Research limitations As the paper is the first-ever study of 3-D printing potential applied to the reindeer husbandry case, it is based on a more thorough analysis of the techno-economic feasibility of the technology, while cultural and entrepreneurial factors have been discussed as preconditions only. Practical implications The paper might serve as a valuable source of information for entrepreneurs, as well as for students and academics for further case studies in this area. Originality/value In remote conditions, 3-D printing offers a more sustainable way of good manufacturing. Numerous open source designs already available for specialists, financial effectiveness, environmental benefits and vast opportunities for entrepreneurs are among the most promising advantages of the technology.

Autobiographie d’un autochtone de la taïga de Sibérie occidentale : Iouri Vella et la projection dans l’avenir

International audience Yuri Vella (1948-2013) was a Forest Nenets reindeer herder, poet and activist in Western Siberia. Several times, he has spoken about himself and written, at some key moments in his life, is autobiography. In this article, I intend to analyse these texts, not only the explicit autobiographies, but also his literary texts, in which autobiographic elements appear: the closest we get to his last texts, the more autobiographic they are. I interpret these texts in order to emphasize the message Yuri Vella intends to transmit through them. Iouri Vella (1948-2013) était un éleveur de rennes, poète et militant nenets des forêts en Sibérie occidentale. À plusieurs reprises, il lui est arrivé de parler de lui, voire d’écrire, à des moments clés de son existence, son autobiographie.Dans cette étude, j’entends analyser l’ensemble de ces textes : autobiographies, mais aussi les éléments autobiographiques émergeant dans ses oeuvres littéraires, sachant que plus on avance dans le temps, plus ceux-ci deviennent dominants.J’interprète ces textes pour faire ressortir le message que Iouri Vella entend ainsi faire passer. Юрий Вэлла (1948-2013) был лесной ненец, оленевод, поэт и общественный деятель Западной Сибири. Неоднократно ему доводилосьговорить или даже писать о ключевых моментах своей биографии. В данной работе я проанализирую его автобиографические тексты, а также элементы автобиографии, используемые в его литературных произведениях, учитывая, что со временем, их влияние становится все более доминирующим. Интерпретируя тексты Юрия Вэллы, я попробую расшифровать посыл, который автор хотел донести через призму своих произведений.

Community-Based Entrepreneurship in Norway

Until the middle of the twentieth century, a self-employed Sámi reindeer herder in Norway could subsist on 250 reindeer. These were owned individually but cared for collectively by means of flexible entrepreneurial networks. Human existence reflected the needs of herds, and rather than manage their reindeer, herders read their cues and followed the herds. Flexibility was the key to success. Non-breeding male reindeer were useful in that they helped females find food in winter. When an animal was slaughtered, care was taken to minimize pain and avoid waste; every part of a reindeer was used. Today, snowmobiles, GPS technology, helicopters and increased regulation are transforming the sector. Reindeer herders, interviewed for this article, have been adapting successfully to technological, regulatory and other changes. Yet they are concerned that, if herding is reduced to an element of the food industry, the essence and efficiency of their community-based, symbiotic entrepreneurship will be undermined. The reindeer remain a symbol for the Sámi. However, while reindeer herders are attracted or pulled towards traditional community entrepreneurship, many are forced or pushed into secondary money-driven enterprises, less close to their tradition.

The reindeer in the prehistoric art of Siberia

The relatively naturalistic representation of animals of thecervidaefamily has long been recognized as dominating much of the prehistoric art of Siberia. These animals are found in the petroglyphs which date from the Neolithic, but are, perhaps, better known in the bronze items that have been so much sought after in the last 1OO years. I t is my purpose here to examine these artistic products in an attempt to identify the species of animals the artists were intending to represent. In the analytical literature dealing with this subject one finds a noticeable lack of unanimity among the critics, who might be forgiven some biological imprecision, were they not frequently very confident in the ascriptions that they make. Identification of the species ofcervidaewill enable us better to understand the cultural background of the artists, and may lead to a greater understanding of the purpose underlying their creative activity. I can claim only one special qualification for this task, namely that I have spent almost two years of my life as a reindeer herder during anthropological fieldwork. This experience may, perhaps, better enable me to recognize the species of deer intended by the artist than can other scholars, whose acquaintance with the animal has been restricted to the museum.