Domestication Technologies in the Taiga: Material Objects and Human-Animal Relations in Eastern Siberia

Abstract (English)

The paper will be based on field materials collected during several field trips conducted in 2012-2018 among the Evenki reindeer herders of Eastern Siberia. The aim of the study was to examine the established relations between humans and reindeer and to examine the role of material objects in the interaction of humans, reindeer and landscape. The main focus was on how people use certain landscapes and various structures and devices in the process of reindeer domestication. Reindeer, dogs and people move together, accompanied by the movements of predators. In general, these movements imply periodic returns to the same places, where reindeer herders actively use various types of self-made objects. The Evenki use a whole range of structures, which, nevertheless, play an important role in the relations between humans and animals. Evenki structures are not just a practical tool for performing everyday tasks. They are associated with certain social relations, which are always spatial.