Salekhard

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OPEN UNIVERSITY

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THE MAP OF RUSSIA
CLUSTER 2. THE ARCTIC.

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SALEKHARD.
WE’VE GOT GAS AND YOU?

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A mammoth appeared not so long ago
near the crossing

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between Salekhard and Labytnangi.

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There are mammoths everywhere
where there is permafrost

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because mammoths must be conserved,

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that’s their custom.

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Here everything continues to exist,
which disappears elsewhere,

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turns into humus, into earth,
into stone, into coal, and so on.

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The Arctic is large and old,

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the stabilization fund
of the Northern Hemisphere.

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It is a space that hardly has
any specific spots,

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it is just a space which is enormous.

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The distances are great but people are few.

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• Just a couple percent of the population
• for 20% of the country’s area.

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The state that seized everything

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and left no alternative sources

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is the real master there.

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This thing, you know, associated
with land allocation, for example,

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it is really thoroughly worked out

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because sometimes, for example,
long ago, say, about 25 years ago

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they even set up their raw-hide tents
on the road

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not to let them go there
because all that was not approved.

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But today, let's say,
the fuel and energy producers

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literally come to us themselves and say:

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guys, we have a situation,
real hard situation.

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The raindeer breeders mostly sympathize
with their concerns.

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The Tundra people
or rather their representatives

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are not inclined to aggravate.

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That’s better, we need to survive.

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Compulsory friendship
with those who are stronger

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has only strengthened
for the last two decades.

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Everything should be fine by definition —

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even more so when there are few people
and everyone knows everyone.

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The Nenets, however, do not hide the fact

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that they hardly fit in the role
of a national minority.

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My people is considered the largest

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among the indigenous small-numbered peoples
of the North.

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According to the law,
if we exceed 51 thousand,

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we will cease to be a small-numbered people
of the North.

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We are around 48 thousand at the moment
including the north of Russia.

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And probably the only people
among the northern ones,

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I say that with pride,

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that has retained completely its identity.

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Including in particular the Nenets
of the Yamal region.

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At the moment, of course,
we are also distinguished perhaps

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by that we have the largest herd.

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We are proud of this subconsciously
as it were,

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but in reality as already I, for example,

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as the Vice-President
of the Association think,

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it is sore point a little
and maybe even wrong.

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It is due to the fact that we have
a high overgrazing and lack of land,

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specifically where reindeer lichen grows,

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these are errors

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and so we have now as we joke sometimes

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the raindeer became quite small,
no larger than a dog.

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Because there is not enough lichen,
and it is a big problem for us,

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and here someone always looks
to point fingers and so on,

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but here I probably would not be looking
for anyone to blame

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because on each side whoever we take,

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whether it is the reindeer breeder
or a representative of a gas producer —

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they are right somewhere
by their own measure

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and somewhere they are wrong.

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The locals have resigned to the fact
that they have two unequal ways.

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Either they go to city towards assimilation
and Russification

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or remain in the tundra,

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which requires turning a blind eye
to dependence on urban civilization.

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Communications, fuel, equipment —
all this comes to the tundra from outside,

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they can’t live
just on their internal resources.

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To survive, there is no choice
but to help each other

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and not to take a defensive position
towards local Russians.

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Everyone understands that the colonists
have long become their own.

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Generally speaking, the northern peoples
have always had a good attitude

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towards the Russians since ancient times.

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Well, not to compare, as we all know
where America came from,

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who the Americans are.

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They are the French, the British, the Dutch

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who settled there early in the 17th,

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in the 16th century in America

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and began to establish their rights there,

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created a state.

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It was different here,
and with the tsar it was,

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and I read royal decrees,
orders of the 18th century

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about forbidding to get the locals drunk,

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to offer alcohol in exchange
for anything and all that.

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The young people of Yamal,
who had once cheerfully upset

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the arctic ecosystem
with communism construction sites,

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are now concerned about healthy lifestyle,
landscaping and garbage collection.

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We protect the environment.
It is our main purpose.

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If some citywide subbotniks are organized,
we are in the forefront,

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because who else if not the face
of the environmental public group

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can come out calling upon the inhabitants
and will say:

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look, no actions by administration,
we are ready, join us.

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Next year we will be implementing
another project

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to create an ecological cycling club,

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we will promote bicycle as a safe vehicle,

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environmentally friendly vehicle.

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Salekhard and its surrounding area
make a monumental,

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albeit somewhat surreal impression.

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The nation that tries not to grow too much.

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The environmentalists
who are the first to go to rallies

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organized by the city administration.

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Emphasized joy of cooperating
with commodity companies

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against whom no one has any chance to win.

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Such manually controlled public life.

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So the Nenets, in order to save themselves,
at least, are engaged in self-description

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and recall half-forgotten rituals
and beliefs.

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Other people benefit
from Yamal resources of course.

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But the indigenous population have no choice
but to accept this postcolonial parity.