Transcript 12.5 MB

Russian Association of
Indigenous Peoples of the
North, Siberia and Far East
(RAIPON)
NGO in Special Consultative Status
with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations
Permanent Participant to the Arctic Council
The vast expanse of the Russian Federation,
from the Kola Peninsula in the northwest to the
Chukotka Peninsula in the northeast and
Primorye in the east, has long been inhabited
by indigenous peoples of the North, Siberia and
Far East. The territory traditionally inhabited by
our peoples makes more than one-half of the
entire territory of the Russian Federation that is
roughly equal to all the new European Union.
Total population of indigenous peoples of the
North, Siberia and Far East is about 250,000
persons belonging to 41 different ethnic groups.
MAP OF TRADITIONAL SETTLING
OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES OF THE NORTH,
SIBERIA AND FAR EAST OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
Indigenous peoples of the North, Siberia
and Far East traditionally had a nomadic
existence, hunting, fishing, reindeer
herding, harvesting of wild plants, and
using the bounties of the sea to sustain
their
families
and
communities.
Today the majority has adopted a settled
way of life, continuing traditional activities.
Reindeer herding
Reindeer herding is
the main occupation for:
• Nenets
• Khanty
• Mansi
• Saami
• Evenk
Fishing
Fishing is the
main occupation
for:
• Itelmen
• Chukchi
• Koryak
• Aleut
Hunting
Hunting is the main
occupation for:
• Dolgan
• Tofalar
• Shor
• Teleut
Wild plants and
non-timber
products
gathering
Handy craft
The main challenges faced by
Indigenous Peoples:
• Living in remote places
• Average span of life is 43 – 46 years
• Increased disease rates
and high mortality rates
• Unemployment
• Conflict of interests
with resource development companies
The Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North
(RAIPON) was formed by the first Congress of Indigenous
Peoples of the North, Siberia, and Far East in 1990 to cope
with Indigenous Peoples problems. At present RAIPON has
34 regional branches in North, Siberia and Far East of RF.
КОРЕННЫЕ МАЛОЧИСЛЕННЫЕ НАРОДЫ СЕВЕРА
СЪЕЗД КМНС
КООРДИНАЦИОННЫЙ СОВЕТ
АССОЦИАЦИИ
РЕВИЗИОН.
КОМИССИЯ
ПРЕЗИДЕНТ
АССОЦИАЦИИ
СОВЕТ СТАРЕЙШИН
ПРЕЗИДИУМ
АССОЦИАЦИИ
ЦЕНТР
СОДЕЙСТВИ
Я
АППАРАТ
АССОЦИАЦИИ
RAIPON is a non-government organization
formed on territorial and territorial-ethnic
principles and uniting thirty four regional ethnic
associations of indigenous peoples of the
North, Siberia and the Far East. Its main
purpose is to protect the interests and legal
rights of the peoples it represents, including
their rights for the land, natural resources, and
self-government
in
accordance
with
international standards and Russian legislation.
Arctic Climate Change: Russia’s Indigenous People’s View
Anthropologists note in their studies that indigenous
peoples are keenly aware of their environmental
surroundings. Environmental knowledge is a part of
their traditional knowledge and it has changed and
adapted over time and according to changes in the
environment. Discussing weather and climate
change is a very important aspect of the everyday
life of indigenous peoples. Systematic data
collection and the creation of a network of
indigenous informants of various professions
(reindeer herders, hunters, fishers) will provide a
broad range of information and data on climate
change for different locales and time periods.
Arctic Climate Change: Russia’s Indigenous People’s View
For example, the Inuits have 99 different words
describing different kinds of snow and ice and
the study of the nuances of these various
meanings could prove extremely useful for
scientists. Observations and data collection on
local climate change process that is
independent of current theories on if the
weather is getting colder or warmer will form a
very important part of both short-term and longterm climate change forecasts.
Arctic Climate Change: Russia’s Indigenous People’s View
Reindeer herders’ observations
• Early spring: snow melts as
temperatures rise, and it is
followed by hard frosts,
blizzards, and this causes
young
reindeer
to
die;
reindeer calves are born
before term.
• Ice-covered ground of tundra:
it is hard to get lichen and
reindeers hurt hoofs and
often get sick.
• Too cold winters: the land
thaws late, hard to get food
(mushrooms, moss, berries,
lichen) and reindeers loose
their weight.
Arctic Climate Change: Russia’s Indigenous People’s View
Fishermen’ observations
• Early opening of ice bound
rivers changes the regime of
fish shifting from winter to
summer pools, and this
affects
fish
reproduction
behavior.
Especially
anadromous
fish
are
sensitive to the untimely
opening of rivers: salmon
change spawning places or
come to these places too late.
• Lakes freeze to their very
bottoms because of too cold
winters and this causes fish
to die.
• It has begun to rain more,
water in rivers rise and fish
don’t bite (fail to take bait).
Arctic Climate Change: Russia’s Indigenous People’s View
Hunters’ and gatherers’ observations
•
•
•
•
Much less snow: Animal tracks are
not observed on snow - the more
the snow, the more often it falls,
which means that tracks are more
visible; land is unable to warm up
over winter and it absorbs much
less moisture and this causes
berries have taken to maturing later
in the season.
Extreme cold winters: animal skins
are of low quality and they do not
have a commodity value.
Droughts, resulting from a shortage
of rain, contribute to forest fires
destroying plants and animals
In the north southern animal
species are being observed, for
example, red deer species that
earlier were not found in these
reaches
Arctic Climate Change: Russia’s Indigenous People’s View
The northern coast of the Russian Federation
stretches along half of the Arctic coast and
climate change in this region has an impact on
climate throughout the world. That is why date
from the Russian Federation is so vitally
important to the decision making process on
climate
change,
on
hydrologic
and
atmospheric
cycles.
In
recent
years
meteorological stations in Russia have been
closed for lack of government funding, giving
the traditional knowledge of indigenous
peoples even more importance.
Arctic Climate Change: Russia’s Indigenous People’s View
Unfortunately, there are very few projects
focusing on the traditional knowledge
that indigenous peoples have gathered
on climate change in Russia over time
and space. RAIPON hopes to fill this
information gap by proposing projects
that study traditional knowledge and that
serve the interests of a scientific study of
the planet's climatic and atmospheric
conditions.
THANK YOU
Prepared by Yana Dordina
for the ARCUS
Arctic Forum 2005
19-20 May 2005
Washington D.C., USA