Scholarly record

POST-SOVIET ETHNIC AND CULTURAL IDENTITY REPRODUCTION PRACTICING AMONG THE DOLGANS INHABITING THE ARCTIC TERRITORIES OF EASTERN SIBERIA

N. Koptseva, Y. Avdeeva, V. Kirko

Abstract

Over the period of 2010-2017, field research has been conducted in the territories of the Siberian Arctic in Eastern Siberia. The field research was conducted in different northern settlements, including the rural settlement of Khatanga inhabited by the Dolgans. The Dolgans are a small-numbered, indigenous people of the North and Siberia. The settlement of Khatanga is situated in the Taymyrsky Dolgano-Nenetsky Municipal District of the Krasnoyarsk Krai, within Russian Arctic territory. During the study, the post-Soviet ethnic and cultural identification practices were analyzed among the Dolgans. Language processes pertaining to the Dolgan language have been studied. The Dolgans, representatives of the state government bodies, local government bodies, businessmen, teachers, and representatives of cultural and social organizations pertaining to the indigenous peoples of the North and Siberia have been expertly interviewed. It has been concluded that the modern ethnic and cultural identity processes taking place among the Dolgans are not based on their traditional nomadic reindeer breeding industry. Nomadic reindeer breeders have disappeared from the settlement of Khatanga. However, municipal cultural policy is aimed toward reviving the native language and establishing new cultural practices that allow the Dolgans to reproduce their ethnic and cultural identity in the post-industrial world.

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