HUNGER AMONG THE NORTHERN SELKUPS
DOI: 10.23951/2307-6119-2020-4-128-137
The article examines one of the frequent phenomena of the past of the northern Selkups — famine; the frequency of hunger strikes is examined, the groups of the Selkup society most susceptible to regular malnutrition are identified, and the causes of hunger are revealed. As a result of the research, the author comes to the following conclusions. The Selkups experienced famine annually, in the winter-spring period, then all the reserves made for the winter were consumed. In summer and autumn, the Selkups stored food in insufficient quantities. This is due to the Selkup national character, which was not characterized by such qualities as thrifty and prudent. The Selkups also did not make a large number of procurements because of the nomadic way of life. The seasonal famine ended with the arrival of spring migratory birds. After a collective hunt for them, a holiday and a general feast were arranged, at which the Selkups ate their fill for the first time in a year. After the ducks, fish returned — the main summer-autumn food of the Selkups. During the hungry winter-spring period, the Selkups lived by hunting, but full-fledged hunting was impossible for the deerless Selkups, since they required going to places where fur-bearing animals lived, or wild reindeer migrated. Hunting success often did not meet the expectations of the Selkups, since it depended on the whims of nature — migrations of fishing objects, severe frosts, the «yield» of the current year for the animal, etc. In addition to the nomadic way of life, peculiarities of national character and unsuccessful hunting, the Selkup famine had another socio-economic reason. The Selkups were exploited, drunk and deceived in commercial transactions by Russian officials, representatives of the Orthodox Church, merchants and traders, as well as their own clan nobility. Bakeries established by the state, designed to prevent hunger among the population of the Turukhansk region, only exacerbated the situation of the Selkups, making them eternal debtors to the treasury. The overwhelming part of the Selkup society was exposed to hunger. The Selkups did not fight hunger, but humbly endured it, for which they had several passive methods, which included «waiting for spring», a special hungry "diet", kindred and non-kindred mutual assistance. Hunger in the form in which it was experienced by the Selkups can be considered one of the Selkup traditional economic practices.
Keywords: northern Selkups, hunger, causes of hunger, national character, social relations, economic practices
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Issue: 4, 2020
Series of issue: Issue 4
Rubric: ANTHROPOLOGY
Pages: 128 — 137
Downloads: 927