
Galina Varlamova, Evenki knowledge holder who passed in 2019 was one of the co-researchers for the paper.
A new peer-reviewed science paper has been released that brings forth the situation of the Evenki of Iyengra in Southern Siberia. Evenki co-researched with Snowchange teams between 2005-2020 both social and environmental change and its meanings.
More specifically, this article studies the Evenki experiences and memories bound to past and present changes in their modes of living in Sakha-Yakutia. An endemic understanding of the community reflections on de-placing, or lived displacement, is advanced, both theoretically and empirically.
The empirical part starts with a description of the Evenki traditions sustained in everyday life today. This is followed by a threefold reading of the Evenki reflections of displacement, focusing on
- (1) routines of brigades and obchinas
- (2) transitions of traditions and place names
- (3) disturbances due to industrial land-use regime.
The analysis is based on Evenki interviews in Iyengra between 2005–2020 and related empirical material gathered for the Evenki Atlas. A major result of the study is an in-depth Evenki view on the phases of displacement. In addition, the article demonstrates the value of endemic ethnography that favours research commitments that are both sensitive to epistemic differentiation and help in identifying the actual costs of forced and unruly de-placing.
Article is available here.