Peoples Of The Tundra Summary

John Ziker’s, Peoples of the Tundra, provides a detailed accounting of the lives of the Dolgan and Nganasan tribes living in the northern region of Russia. His purpose is to study the changing economic systems and the reactions to such changes, primarily after the fall of the Soviet state. Further study was focused into the continuing isolation of the Dolgan and Nganasan communities by soviet control, taxation on property and goods, control of how and when these goods were exchanged, and how the families provide and share food with each other. The Dolgan are primarily a Turkic speaking people, mostly residing in Krashoyarsk Krai, Russia. A 2002 census shows there are 7,261 Dolgans living in Krai, with 26 Dolgans counted as living in the
Primarily they wanted no more victimization of the kulaks, who were essentially the elders of the communities. They asked for freedom from trapping, taxes, and freight transport as well. In response to these demands, more agents were sent to the Tundra to ensure reindeer purchasing and fur production were intact. Kulaks were also ordered to continue their orders or be brought to court. Many kulaks were arrested and killed during this time. It was widely known for Russian military to open fire on native meetings at any point. The biggest losses and changes to befall the Dolgan and Nganasan from around the 1930s to the 1950s was their loss of reindeer. The reindeer was mostly used for transportation, and now had either been purchased or confiscated by the government for use by the state. Shamans and kulaks were frequently executed, and their reindeer surrendered to the Soviet government. Collective farms were established, and the natives were moved into these areas and assigned
Self-medication of this depression by use of alcohol was also becoming more common, as alcohol was more available. People had been moved and settled into marked communities and villages, had lost majority of their personal reindeer, and were mostly employed by state-run agencies. These were huge differences to their previous way of life. There was, however, more access to medical care now which had decreased the death rates of children and infants. The increasing access to alcohol has increased the death rates of working age adults. There is less and less hunting taking place to fulfill the government hunting plans, which provides more and more free time to the people in the communities. Dolgans have more members in their group than the Ngnanasan, yet the death rate is higher due to alcohol abuse in the Nganasan tribe. Nganasan death rate in females is as high as it is in males, which is directly linked to the low birth rate. There are less females of age to have children, and this is showing in the constant decline in births every year. The adjustments the people were forced to make during the rise, and fall, of the socialist state brought about a great emotional depression, which led to alcohol abuse, and in turn, more depression. People were overlooking spending their money on purchasing necessities in order to buy alcohol. This