book chapter

A Russian province of the north

Archibald Constable and CompanyWestminster • Published In 1899 • Pages:

By: Engelhardt, Aleksandr Platonovich, Cooke, Henry.

Abstract
The author was the Governor of the Province of Archangel when he made his journey in 1894 through the province to ascertain its economic and industrial situation and to arrange for further development of the resources of this region. It is to be expected that his information would be based chiefly on the economic status of the tribes whom he encountered, and the researcher will discover this to be true of the information which has been processed here for the Samoyed file. The Samoyeds with whom the author deals are those on Novaya Zemlya and in the Pechora District, constituting that tribal division known as the Yurak Samoyeds or Nenets. Emphasis is placed upon the attempts of the Russians to populate the islands of Novaya Zemlya, and an account is given of the Samoyed colonists who were transplanted from the tundras to their new island home. Chapter 6 of the source deals with the acculturation of these Novaya Zemlya Samoyeds and the Russian missionary influence on these people. The economic condition of the Samoyed tribe, in comparison with that of the Russians and Zyrians of the same region, their dependence on the reindeer, their desire for a nomadic type of existence, and their inability to advance themselves financially are analyzed, and the author concerns himself with the problem of the “grandfatherly” legislation, which has protected the tundras for the roving Samoyeds, in connection with the general economic instability of this group of people. Criticizing this situation severely, he places the blame upon the Samoyeds themselves and offers for a solution to the problem the further acculturation of these people and the opening up of the tundras to other peoples. Although there is some good information on the religion and beliefs of the Samoyed, the emphasis is on their nomadic way of life and their economic condition. A number of photographs have been included in the pages processed for this source.
Subjects
Price and value
External relations
Saving and investment
Missions
Animal transport
Pastoral activities
Annual cycle
Cultural identity and pride
Hunting and trapping
Fishing
culture
Nenets
HRAF PubDate
2012
Region
Asia
Sub Region
North Asia
Document Type
book chapter
Evaluation
Creator Type
Government Official
Document Rating
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
Ruth Heffner ; John Beierle ; 1952, 1966, Teferi A. Adem; 2011
Field Date
1894
Coverage Date
1887-1899
Coverage Place
Archangel Province, Russian North, Russia
Notes
Alexander Platonovich Engelhardt; Translated from the Russian by Henry Cooke
Only pages 170-215, 226-236, 249-298, and the maps have been processed for this file
LCCN
03027250
LCSH
Nentsy