The Arctic is the territory of the Arctic Ocean with the outskirts of the continents and the seas. Most of the region is covered by glaciers. The indigenous peoples of the Arctic are already accustomed to harsh polar conditions. In this article we will talk in more detail about how we developed this territory, who settled it and how the local population lives.
Territory Description
Before talking about which people are the indigenous people of the Arctic, this region needs to be described. Translated from Greek, "Arctic" means "bear." Most of the island is the Greenland ice sheet. Indigenous peoples of the Arctic have adapted to severe frosts and long winters. For example, on the Taimyr Peninsula, the temperature reaches -50 degrees Celsius. Winter can last there up to 9 months. In the summer, you can’t bask in the sun, since the maximum temperature reaches +10 degrees. Everyone knows that it is in the Arctic that polar night and polar day exist.
The territory of the Arctic is conditionally divided into three parts:
- shrub tundra;
- typical tundra (lichen-moss);
- arctic.
Development process
The formation of a network of organizations of indigenous peoples of the Arctic falls on the 20th century. However, the development process began much earlier. More than 30, 000 years ago, ancient people first set foot on these lands. Then thousands of deer and bulls roamed around the Arctic. Ancient people slowly reached the Arctic, crossing the borders of Asia, China and Mongolia.
The first signs of life of ancient people were found in the lower reaches of the Yana River. Archaeologists suggest that the first inhabitants of the harsh land lived here about 37, 000 years ago. Ancient people left cave paintings and ornaments on the surfaces of mammoth figures and stones. They depicted hunting scenes on them.
Arctic and indigenous peoples
The first inhabitants who came to this land more than 30, 000 years ago remained here. According to statistics, the indigenous inhabitants of the Arctic are representatives of 17 different nations. These social groups differ from each other in their individual mother tongue, traditions, affections, cultural and sociological institutions and values. As a rule, the indigenous peoples of the Arctic are not numerous. Their number rarely exceeds 50, 000.
The list of indigenous inhabitants of the Arctic was regulated by the state, it includes:
- Veps;
- Aleuts;
- Nenets
- chum salmon;
- get better;
- Alutorians;
- Eskimos;
- Sami
- Oroks
- Dolgans;
- enets;
- Ulchi
- Chukchi;
- Kamchadals and others.
Indigenous peoples of the Arctic exist in relatively small numbers. According to the latest census, there are about 260, 000 people.
Indigenous Lifestyle
Those indigenous to the Arctic usually have a semi-nomadic lifestyle. This is considered normal for the local population. Permanent migrations from the tundra to the forest-steppe zones are a traditional way of life. Most indigenous peoples in the Arctic are involved in:
- reindeer husbandry;
- by hunting;
- gathering;
- fishing.
This way of life gives the population of the Arctic special ethnic characteristics. The identity of the peoples is similar to other cultures of the Far East, Siberia and the Far North. A similar lifestyle is found among Pomors, Yakuts, Karelians, Old Believers and Komi, as their livelihoods are directly dependent on environmental conditions, weather, etc. According to statistics, about 1.5 million people now live in the north. A few decades ago, this figure was 10 times less. This change is directly related to the move to the north of the Russians, whose main goal is to earn extra money. Indeed, in recent years, a huge number of enterprises for the extraction, processing and transportation of raw materials have been opened here.
Climate change and local adaptation
Indigenous peoples of the Arctic have come a long way to adapt to their environment. It took centuries to get used to the conditions of the north. Thanks to this, local residents have minimal impact on nature, use its resources in a gentle manner. Only the traditional way of life helps indigenous peoples cope with such a complex process as adaptation. The main goal of people living in the Arctic is to maintain land productivity and monitor biodiversity. Only due to their attentiveness and sensitivity to the surrounding world, the indigenous people were able to adapt to the harsh conditions of existence. In this they were helped by their customs, festivities and rites, which are passed down from generation to generation.
Traditions
Any name of the indigenous people of the Arctic in itself is respected by the rest. It was they who were able to survive in such harsh conditions and still exist. It was traditional knowledge, passed down from generation to generation, that helped to do this. These include:
- Maintaining business calendars. Fishermen and hunters determined the optimal places of prey and timing. The regulations for the caught animals and fish were drawn up. Depending on the growth in numbers, northerners constituted a burden on populations of various animals.
- Preservation of domestic native breeds of animals.
- Protection of breeding sites for commercial animal species.
- Cleaning of spawning grounds, pastures, spawning rivers and animal deposits.
- The transfer of traditional knowledge about treatment and psychoenergetic techniques for influencing people. Elders and shamans possessed this information. In addition, the indigenous people from childhood mastered the technology of hardening, practiced and trained. Having reached the age of ten, children were able to perform multiple production processes.
