Paper short abstract:

At least 3 kinds of traditional reindeer husbandry in Siberia should be included in the ICH UNESCO list. A methodology of contextualization has been used to evaluate the sustainability of 5 endangered herders’ communities. ICH protection mechanism may contribute to the development of reindeer husbandry in the cultural and political contexts.

Paper long abstract:

At least 3 kinds of traditional reindeer husbandry in Siberia should be included in the Intangible cultural heritage (ICH) UNESCO list: the Nenets in Yamal tundra, the Chukchies in Central Chukotka area and the Tungus in Eastern Siberian taiga. Only the first one is actually sustainable, while the others should be considered as endangered, especially taiga reindeer husbandry. Its formerly continuous area has fallen into separate loci and the number of reindeer stock has decreased dramatically. While this has been viewed as a crisis, this paper discusses how reindeer herders are adjusting their traditional herding strategies to modern conditions. A methodology of contextualization is used to evaluate the sustainability of 5 endangered reindeer herders’ communities living in different regions of Eastern Siberia. Changes in Siberian reindeer herding are analyzed according to three main types of contexts differing as to the period of their formation: a) traditional contexts that pre-existed the Soviet system, b) contexts formed in the Soviet time; and c) contexts created by post-Soviet reforms. In addition, the mathematical simulation is used to better understand the climate impact on reindeer livestock trends in different areas. Under modern conditions reindeer stock reduction is important in the economic context, but the role of traditional reindeer husbandry in the cultural and political contexts is increasing. The use of ICH protection mechanism may contribute to the development of traditional reindeer husbandry in the cultural and political contexts and make herders’ communities more sustainable.