Director of the RAS Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography after Peter the Great Andrei Golovnyov was awarded the State Prize of the Russian Federation for many years of research on the culture of the nomadic peoples of the Arctic, for the creation of the “anthropology of movement” scientific concept and for the “northern identity” of Russia concept development. This was announced in the Science and Higher Education Ministry.
An expert in the field of anthropology and ethnology of the Arctic, recognized in Russia and abroad, believes that the cultural heritage of the indigenous peoples of the Arctic consists primarily of specific technologies, high adaptability and mobility as a system of control over space and resources. And the use of the Arctic cultures potential will contribute to the overall success of the next stage in the Russian Arctic development.
“The nomadic technologies of the northern peoples should not be perceived as archaic, on the contrary, they can be a useful tool for “correct behavior in the Arctic” for modern large corporations operating in the polar latitudes. And this is especially important for Russia today, when the country is actively engaged in a new development of the Arctic”, emphasized Andrei Golovnyov.
For forty years, the scientist has been carrying out fundamental research in the Yamal, Taimyr, Gydan, the Polar Urals, Chukotka, Ugra, Yakutia, as well as in Scandinavia, Alaska and other areas of the Arctic and Subarctic.
In the 90s, the author’s work on the principles of sustainability and effectiveness of Arctic cultures, Nenets reindeer herders in particular, seemed “untimely”. After two decades, the conclusions about the high ethnocultural potential of the Arctic natives were recognized and disseminated in world science.
According to the scientist, to define the peoples of the North as small is true, but not enough for their adequate positioning. It is more correct to define them as cultures of large spaces, and to see our country as a whole through the prism of the “northernness” concept of Russia, which after the collapse of the USSR was designated on the map as the largest northern state with a geographical center on the Arctic Circle in the lower Yenisei.
Recall that five indigenous ethnic groups live in Taimyr: the Nenets, Dolgans, Evenks, Enets, and Nganasans. At the same time, the Nganasans are the most ancient northern people of Eurasia.
