#Evenki culture

[nonrussian]

Иллюстрации "Как медведь оленеводом был". Эвенкийская сказка Illustrations "How the bear was a reindeer breeder". Evenki fairy tale

Иллюстрации "Как звери ногами менялись". Удэхейская(Удэгейская) сказка Illustrations "How animals changed their legs". Udeghe fairy tale

Illustrator Gennady Pavlishin Иллюстратор Генадий Павлишин. Из "Амурские сказки" 1975

[harvestheart]

The Evenks are a Tungusic people of North Asia. In Russia, the Evenks are recognised as one of the indigenous peoples of the Russian North, with a population of 38,396. In China, the Evenki form one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China, with a population of 30,875

Evenki mother and baby from the Neryungrinsky District, Sakha Republic, Siberia. Photographed by Alexander Khimushin.

[irithnova]

Sakha and Evenkia's relationship

In this post I’m going to be talking about Sakha and Evenkia's mentor-student relationship. In my master post about Sakha I talked about how we can see how the Sakha people assimilated certain peoples into their own through observing certain traditions of theirs, the most prominent being their shamanic traditions which were greatly influenced by the Evenks and Evens.

The Evenks have had a profound influence on Sakha culture in particular though, which is why I headcanon Sakha and Evenkia to have a mentor-student relationship, or more like, they used to have a mentor student relationship. The Sakha’s people genesis began when they migrated from the area of Lake Baikal/Southern Siberia up Northwards, most likely because of pressure from the expanding Mongol Empire.

When Sakha first migrated, he came into contact with a number of different people, such as the Yukaghir, Even, and Evenks, who he considers all his mentors to an extent, however Evenkia was the most prominent one and had the most impact on his culture.

Sakha was young, bright eyed, eager and somewhat annoying, especially to his older neighbours who were pressured to move upwards because of him. Evenkia was also kind of irked by him, but was much more willing to guide him than the others were. Close contact and intermarriage between the Sakha and Evenk people

Let’s first compare both Sakha and Evenkia folk epics about the universe and see how similar they are, and then talk about Evenks influence on the Sakha language.

Sakha Folk Epic Olonkho:

- Sakha epic poetry envisions the universe with three levels: Earth (middle), Heaven (upper), and Hell (lower).

- The universe is symbolised as a giant tree, Aal Luuk Mas, housing these levels.

- Lower level: Devil (abaahy), Middle level: ajyy people, Upper level: deities and some evil spirits.

- Earth and Heaven are interconnected, with Heaven representing spirituality and Earth as a material entity.

- Animism features gods (ajyy), demons (abaahy), spirits (itchi), ancestors, and animals (üör) across the three levels.

- Different regions in the upper world are designated for creators, good spirits, ancestors, and evil spirits ruled by Uluu Toyon.

- Heavenly bodies influence life on Earth; the Sun is associated with Yurung Aar Toyon, the god who rules destinies.

- Olonkho describes Heaven with 7 (sometimes 8 or 9) layers and 4 parts (East, West, North, South).

- Yurung Aar Toyon (upper God, the white master, white creator) is the Master of 9 heavens, Tsar of 8 heavens, and prince of 7 heavens.

- Heaven writers record each person’s destiny, and shamans, transforming into clouds, encounter different cloud types.

- Cloud characteristics (all clouds have their own characteristics): ‘aahar bylyt’ (passing), ‘kuotar bylyt’ (escaping), ‘jetineh bylyttar’ (thunderstorm clouds).

Now let’s compare to Evenki tradition about the universe:

- Evenk epic envisions the universe, which they call Buga, with three levels: upper (Ugu Buga), middle (Dulin Buga), and lower (Hergu Buga).

- Ugu Buga (heaven) has parts like Juri Jultjen Turinyn (place of the rising sun), Jenin Nadar Bomchar (mother of the seven canyons), and Nadan Buldjar (land of seven seas)

- Earth, referred to as Sivir, is described as the “mane of our Earth,” the middle green world.

- Ugu Buga, the upper world, is portrayed as a place of eternal summer and well-being. God Seveki resides there, creating the middle world.

- Warriors from the middle world journey to the upper world to seek brides – daughters of the sun Dylacha Khunadin, moon, and stars Bega Khunadin.

- Buga represents the upper entity governing nature, taiga life, and human-animal spirits, with Buga Musin (mistress of the universe) depicted as a moose cow, reindeer, or an old woman in charge of spirits.

- Humans are associated with heavenly entities like Dylacha (sun), Gevan (dawn), Nyangnya (heaven), and sky. Humans are living things that are a subject to these entities.

- Tribes like ai, aji, agbea, aji ajmak, ai tegel have names reflecting qualities of help, rescue, goodness, and beauty.

- Their purpose is to create good in the middle and upper worlds, opposing the Avakhi tribe from the lower world, engaged in constant conflict without intermarriage.

As we can see, they both share the same HEAVEN – MAN – EARTH triad. However there are some differences along with the similarities. In the epic worldview of both the Sakha and Evenk, the structure of the heavens is remarkably alike. However, the Sakha cultural narrative doesn’t distinctly portray heaven and earth as realms of good and evil. The Sakha envision heaven as not only inhabited by gods but also by evil spirits and ancestors, while for the Evenk, heaven resembles a paradise. According to Evenk epics, devils and enemies are only confined to the lower world, whereas Sakha epics depict evil spirits across all three worlds.

The sky god, recognised as the Creator of the Middle World, is referred to as “Yurung Aar Toyon” in Sakha and “Seveki” in Evenk. The Sakha term the middle world as “ajyy land” and its inhabitants as “ajyy ajmaga,” whereas the Evenk collectively call the residents of all three levels as “aji.”

The Sakha and Evenk people also share the concept of the Serge as being the model of the universe:

- A Serge is like a pillar used to tie horses in Sakha culture.

- In Sakha, it's important for shaman traditions and used in rituals during celebrations, weddings, and the summer holiday Yhyakh.

- In Evenk culture, Serge is a special object representing the world's structure. It has three parts: the upper dome for the upper world, the disc-shaped part for the middle world, and the rounded part for the lower world.

- A sacred reindeer tied to the pillar serves as a connection between humans and God, specifically the Master of the upper world, named Seveki.

So Sakha and Evenkia do have a number of similarities when it comes to their religious practices from their time living together. The Sakha people adapted aspects of Evenk belief into their own.

When Sakha first arrived, as I said before, Evenkia was initially irked by him, as the migrations pressured his own people to move further Northwards. However this did not last long. Evenkia certainly took a liking to Sakha. In Evenk culture, many of the children’s activities mimicked adult duties, and so it was almost natural that Evenkia would want to teach a (younger) Sakha and take him under his wing, especially considering how keen Sakha was to learn because of the fact that he only just recently moved there and needed to help around. Evenkia was a huge relief for him.

A lot of the words Sakha borrowed from Evenkia was a result of him trying to adapt to new living conditions:

- In phonetics, some changes occurred in Sakha due to Evenk influence, like certain sounds not occurring at the beginning of words (g, h and p) and changes in intonation.

- Morphologically, Sakha borrowed affixes like -chaan and -ndja, -ndaa from Evenki.

- Vocabulary-wise, Sakha borrowed words related to landscape, flora, fauna, clothing, reindeer breeding, and dwelling from Evenk.

- Polish scholar S. Kaluzhinsky found around 400 Tungusic words in Sakha and listed more words related to various aspects of life.

- Evenk words were likely borrowed during the Sakha adaptation to new living conditions, with a focus on clothes, bird names, geographical features, animals, plants, and reindeer breeding terminology.

So in this sense Evenkia truly was Sakha’s teacher/mentor, and was one of the reasons why Sakha was able to adapt to and make sense of the new living conditions he found himself in. They got comfortable with each other pretty quickly, and Evenkia tried to instill in him certain values that he thought were important – such as not gossiping or rumour spreading. In Evenk culture, gossiping/rumour spreading is greatly frowned upon, and most likely had something to do with not screwing up the accuracy of the location of an animal during a hunt. I’ll refer back to this later, but all in all, Sakha learned a lot from Evenkia, and Evenkia was more than pleased to teach him.

They certainly got comfortable with each other quite quickly, and Sakha definitely found Evenkia’s more bawdy jokes in particular to be quite funny, but was careful not to make them back (in Evenk culture, bawdy jokes are acceptable but elders are allowed to make them in front of younger people and men in front of women, but not the other way around)

Now onto Sakha and Evenkias relationship with Dolgan. I talked about Sakha’s relationship with Dolgan and how he’s like a father to her in a previous post:

“Quick sidenote on the Dolgan: I see Sakha as being quite close with Dolgan. Dolgan culture incorporates aspects from different groups, including reindeer herding from the Evenki, herd dogs from the Nentsy, and women's fur coats from the Sakha.

In fact, the Dolgan people originated from a few Evenk clans that later adopted a dialect of the Turkic-speaking Sakha (Yakut).

So Sakha does try to look out for Dolgan and imagining him like. Dressing her up/giving her clothes and jewellery is so cutee. He's a lot more involved with her than Evenkia is, much to his annoyance.”

I also see Dolgan taking after Sakha personality wise, as I see Sakha as someone who is quite hard headed/outspoken (I jokingly called him the Saul Goodman of Siberia) and I see Dolgan being that way too, as the Dolgan people wield a lot of influence in Siberia despite their small numbers,

“The 2002 Russian census recorded 7,261 Dolgans in the whole Russian Federation. The Dolgan people today are one of the most politically powerful groups in their territory, and many senior officials of the Taimyr Autonomous Okrug are Dolgans.”

“The Dolgans and other indigenous peoples in the Taimyr Autonomous Okrug have created an Association of the Indigenous Peoples of the Taimyr Autonomous Okrug through which they are demanding the rights to control their own destinies. The Association has declared that indigenous peoples in Taimyr have priority rights to the land and its subsurface resources and hopes to be able to use revenues from mineral exploitation and economic development to fund programs addressing the many social and economic problems facing indigenous peoples today.”

So Dolgan really is like Sakha’s protégé/junior (and yes he’s very proud of her).

This is more of a crack headcanon of mine but seeing as the Dolgan originated from Evenk clans that took on a dialect of the Sakha language, I see Dolgan as almost being their child. Though I believe that Sakha had a much greater hand in her upbringing considering they, again, took on a dialect of the Sakha language, took on Sakha attire and personality wise, she’s also very much like Sakha. However she physically looks more similar to Evenkia. Due to the fact that Sakha had a greater role in her upbringing he uhh holds some resentment towards Evenkia for dumping her on him for not having a bigger part in it, he was his mentor after all. Evenkia dismisses his complaints as silly rumours (“didn’t I teach you the importance of not gossiping?), which only annoys Sakha further.

It’s okay though, Sakha is now bigger and stronger than his previous mentor and can make him pay him back in his own way ;)

But in all seriousness, Sakha does credit Evenkia with helping him adapt and survive when he first moved and won’t ever deny that, though he sometimes finds Evenkia irksome to deal with these days. Yukaghir defends Evenkia because she’s also an oldie and so she uses his age to defend him most of the time.

[meliissa-art]

Sakha's ancestors

Before I start this post, I want to recomend you this video. Perhaps you can watch it as you read this, as I think it could make it easier for you to understand Sakha's history:

Ok, now lets begin!

Even though Sakha/Yakutia has been considered as an outsider by the other Siberian tribes for a long time, she actually does have her roots around the Lena River.

Sakha herself was born after the Yakuts, as we know them today, started living in the Lena Basin, but they originated in the Baikal and that's why she was called an "outsider". The name "Yakutia" is, in fact, the name that Evenki gave to her, which means "outsider" in her language.

That's why Sakha hates being called "Yakutia".

But that is not all. Actually, her first ancestors were already living around the Lena Basin, even before the arrival of Evenki herself!

Sakha has many ancestors, including:

Syalakh (4500 BC) : Coexisted with Yukaghir, the oldest among the Paleo-siberians

Ymyyakhtakh (1700 BC): This culture wasn't around for that much time, compared to others.

Ust-Mil (1300 BC): This was a culture that was spread across the Lena and other areas of Siberia. I must say Yukaghirs were also around, so perhaps Yukaghir influenced Sakha's ancestors as well.

Kurykan (600 AC approx.): This would be Sakha's "dad", her closest ancestor. This was a tribal society that was living in the Baikal. During this time, the First Turkic Khaganate was on its peak.

Kulun-Atakh: This was a culture that coexisted with the Sakha in the Lena Basin, but eventually was absorbed by them.

Once the Mongol Empire started to expand, some tribes, including the Kurykans, were pushed towards what we call today Siberia. The Sakha started to originate and migrate towards the Lena, where they would finally "settle", and Sakha, my OC, was born.

[mourningmaybells]

(trying to write coherent thoughts)

ok so be careful when you incorporate cannibalism in your story, especially if it contains poc, non-christian religions, and even just marginalized people in general. you see it in pro-christian and pro-colonialism propaganda from america and indigenous americans, russia and the evenki, spain and aztec people, brittain and jewish immigrants, china and tibetans, etc. there are practices of endocannibalism and eating of human , but it's hardly "cooking white 'adventurers' in a big boiling pot" that still exists in fiction in this century. and even in cases where it was a sign of injustice and harsh punishment (such as in aztec culture were it was done to slaves) not really a good reason for colonizers to try and genocide a whole people.

so it's like the Regina George of propaganda. the only reason no one ever brings up brittain dehumanizing egyptians to the point of thinking they're magic so eating their dead bodies under colonial rule is ok and healing even, is because british people aren't oppressed. it's all about control of the narrative. anyways

[a-verdade-espiritual]

Xamanismo - Origens e História

As origens e a história do xamanismo são complexas e abrangem uma ampla variedade de culturas ao redor do mundo durante um período extenso de tempo. Aqui estão alguns pontos importantes sobre a história e as origens do xamanismo: Pré-História: Muitos estudiosos acreditam que o xamanismo teve suas raízes na pré-história, possivelmente no Paleolítico Superior, há dezenas de milhares de anos. É possível que os primeiros xamãs tenham surgido em sociedades caçadoras-coletoras, onde a comunicação com o mundo espiritual era vital para a sobrevivência, cura e orientação.

Culturas Primitivas: O xamanismo está amplamente relacionado a culturas indígenas e primitivas em todo o mundo, incluindo povos da Sibéria, África, América do Norte, América do Sul, Ásia e Oceania. Cada uma dessas culturas criou suas próprias tradições xamânicas, mas têm algumas coisas em comum.

Xamanismo Siberiano: A Sibéria tem algumas das provas mais antigas e bem documentadas do xamanismo. Os xamãs, como os Evenki, Yakut e Tungus, desempenharam funções cruciais na comunicação com os espíritos, cura, adivinhação e orientação espiritual. Expansão e Diversificação: Com o tempo, o xamanismo se expandiu para várias partes do mundo, se adaptando às culturas locais e se adaptando a diferentes tradições regionais. O uso de tambores, danças extáticas, cantos, ervas e rituais para alcançar estados alterados de consciência são alguns dos elementos comuns em muitas tradições xamânicas, embora essas práticas e crenças sejam diversas.

Colocação e Supressão: A colonização e a evangelização afetaram muitas culturas indígenas que praticavam o xamanismo, o que levou à supressão de suas práticas espirituais e à marginalização dos xamãs. No entanto, o xamanismo permaneceu vivo em muitas comunidades e continua a desempenhar um papel significativo na vida cultural e espiritual das pessoas. Renascimento Contemporâneo: O xamanismo voltou a ser popular em todo o mundo nas últimas décadas, tanto entre povos indígenas quanto entre pessoas de outras culturas. A busca por uma conexão espiritual, cura holística e uma compreensão mais profunda da relação entre humanos e natureza pode ser a causa disso.

Ao estudar as origens e a história do xamanismo, é importante reconhecer a diversidade cultural do xamanismo e como ela evoluiu ao longo dos anos. Também é importante reconhecer os desafios que as tradições xamânicas enfrentam em um mundo que muda rapidamente.

[brujaluzdeluna-blog]

Shaman Claus: Los orígenes navideños chamánicos.

¿Alguna vez te has preguntado por qué en la tradición navideña moderna hacemos las cosas que hacemos? ¿Cuál es el origen del árbol de Navidad, con la estrella en la parte superior, las decoraciones y todos los regalos lucientes envueltos debajo? ¿O la idea detrás de Papá Noel que viaja por todo el mundo en un trineo mágico con renos voladores, desafiando tanto el tiempo como el espacio, para entregar a los niños del mundo una gran cantidad de regalos de Navidad? ¿Desde cuándo Santa y el nacimiento de Jesús tienen algo que ver el uno con el otro? ¿De dónde provienen estas historias? Y mejor aún: ¿qué estamos celebrando realmente la mañana de Navidad?

Hay respuestas a estas preguntas y la historia no es tan descabellada ni tan oculta. Sólo tienes que saber dónde buscar. El primer lugar al que miramos es el Polo Norte; en serio, en la antigua Siberia, cerca de la cima del mundo. La historia de Santa y sus probables orígenes comienza donde supuestamente vive: en el gélido norte.

LOS EVENKI DE SIBERIA.

En este país de las maravillas invernal, si vas a buscar a Santa, es posible que no lo encuentres ni a él ni a su fábrica Elvin, pero encontrarás grupos de indígenas nativos de lo que conocemos como Siberia. Entre estas culturas se encuentran las personas del norte de Tungusic, conocidas como Evenki. Los evenki eran predominantemente cazadores-recolectores y pastores de renos. Su supervivencia dependía en gran medida de la salud y vitalidad de sus renos domesticados. El reno proporcionó a los evenki y otras tribus del norte de todo, desde ropa, material de vivienda, mercancías y herramientas de los huesos y astas, transporte (¡sí, montan renos!), Leche, así como inspiración cultural y religiosa.

Los evenki también eran una cultura chamánica. La palabra "chamán" en realidad tiene sus raíces en la palabra tungus saman, que significa "aquel que conoce o conoce los espíritus". Muchas de las características chamánicas clásicas que más tarde se reflejarían en culturas de todo el mundo fueron documentadas originalmente por exploradores rusos y europeos mientras observaban la vida religiosa de Tungus y personas relacionadas. Esto incluye el sistema de los tres mundos, el viaje chamánico o vuelo del alma, el uso de estados alterados de conciencia, la creencia animista en el espíritu, etc.

SANTA AMANITA MUSCARIA

Un aspecto significativo del chamanismo practicado en esta parte del mundo durante ese tiempo estaba relacionado con la Amanita muscaria, también conocida como el hongo Fly Agaric. Este hongo es más aceptado en el mundo moderno como el hongo Alicia en el país de las maravillas. Este pueblo antiguo lo consideraba muy sagrado y el chamán y otros lo usaban con fines ceremoniales y espirituales.

Las amanitas, como puede ver en las imágenes, van desde el rojo brillante y el blanco hasta el naranja dorado y el amarillo. Solo crecen debajo de ciertos tipos de árboles de hoja perenne. Forman una relación simbiótica con las raíces del árbol, cuyo intercambio les permite crecer. Una de las creencias antiguas informadas era que el hongo era en realidad el fruto del árbol. Debido a la falta de semillas, también se cree comúnmente que Fly Agaric era divino, una especie de planta sagrada de nacimiento virginal.

Aunque intensamente psicoactivas, las Amanitas también son tóxicas. Una forma de reducir la toxicidad y aumentar la potencia psicoactiva era simplemente secarlos. Al recolectar los hongos, la gente recogía un montón de ellos debajo de los árboles de hoja perenne y los colocaba a lo largo de las ramas mientras continuaba recogiendo los hongos debajo de otros árboles.

El resultado fue algo que recordaba mucho a un árbol de Navidad moderno: árboles de hoja perenne cuyas ramas están salpicadas de "decoraciones" redondas de color rojo brillante, en este caso, los hongos sagrados. Al final de la sesión, el chamán o recolector iría a cada uno de sus escondites de hongos y los pondría todos en un saco grande ... ¡¡¿un saco grande?!! ¿Te recuerda algo? No solo esto, como dice la historia de la tradición, el chamán entonces, llevando este gran saco, visitaba las casas de su gente y les entregaba los hongos. Luego continuarían el proceso de secado colgándolos en un calcetín, cerca del fuego.

Reno y Amanita Muscaria

Otra forma de reducir la toxicidad de los hongos sagrados es mediante la filtración humana. Una vez que pasan por el cuerpo, los elementos tóxicos aparentemente son filtrados por el hígado y la orina resultante que sale contiene los elementos psicoactivos aún intactos. Entonces, bebieron la orina filtrada. Pero esa es solo la mitad de la historia. En algún lugar de los orígenes míticos de esta práctica se encuentra el reno.

Porque a los renos también les encantan estos hongos. Cavan en la nieve para comérselos y también beben su propia orina después. Quizás, hace mucho tiempo, uno de los primeros chamanes presenció la historia de amor del reno con este peculiar hongo, así como su propensión a comer su propia nieve recién amarillenta, y vio lo peculiar que se comportaba a medida que el romance se calentaba.

La curiosidad (de hecho, un sello característico de un chamán) no pudo ser contenida, y el chamán hizo lo que tenía que hacer: primero se comió un poco de nieve amarilla él mismo ... y sin duda se dio cuenta de la profunda sabiduría y magia no solo en el hongo pero en el reno. Y así también comenzó este romance ...

Sin embargo, pudo haber sucedido en la antigüedad, la conexión entre el reno, el hongo y el chamanismo es evidente. Una visión muy común que uno tiene bajo la influencia de Fly Agaric es precisamente eso: volar. Se producen distorsiones masivas del tiempo y el espacio, que afectan la escala de manera dramática. No solo te observas volando, sino también otras cosas… como renos. No es tan difícil conectar los puntos aquí. Las personas chamánicas están profundamente comprometidas con su entorno.

Aprenden las propiedades mágicas y místicas del mundo natural y, a menudo, asignan una gran importancia y sacralidad a los portadores de esa magia. Para algunos de estos antiguos pueblos siberianos, este poder estaba en el carro de los renos y el hongo sagrado. Que el reno debería tener la capacidad de volar es evidente no solo en la visión, o en su estado claramente alterado una vez intoxicado, sino también en la sabiduría que ofrecieron a los chamanes al comerse el hongo en primer lugar, y por guiarlos a hacer así que igual.

No solo los renos podían volar, sino que los chamanes también volaron. Como se mencionó, el viaje chamánico o el vuelo del alma es una piedra angular en la práctica chamánica y especialmente en la antigua cultura siberiana. Para interactuar con los espíritus, el chamán tenía que poder salir de este mundo y entrar en el de ellos. Esto se logró proyectando su espíritu desde lo físico hacia lo inmaterial. Necesitaban el poder para hacer esto por sí mismos o usar un ayudante espiritual para llevarlos. Es muy común que los chamanes desarrollen relaciones con las aves, naturalmente, ya que tienen el poder de volar. Pero aquí, en el Polo Norte, ¿qué mejor animal para usar que el reno mágico volador?

ÁRBOL DEL MUNDO Y LA ESTRELLA DEL NORTE.

Hay otro componente en la huida del chamán que corresponde a nuestra exploración navideña, y tiene que ver con cómo llegaron a los otros mundos. La cosmología chamánica a menudo consta de tres mundos: los mundos inferior, medio y superior. Conectar los tres mundos es un eje cósmico, que también se conoce comúnmente como el Árbol del Mundo. El Árbol del Mundo servía como puente o portal que permitía a un chamán y a los espíritus moverse entre los tres mundos.

Era la puerta de entrada y la carretera. En la antigua Siberia, el mismo árbol que también dio fruto a las amanitas era también un símbolo del árbol del mundo. Los evenki y otros grupos indígenas vivían en estructuras redondeadas parecidas a tipis llamadas yurtas. A veces colocaban un pino en sus yurtas con fines ceremoniales. Esto simbolizaba el Árbol del Mundo, y aprovecharían su poder simbólico para impulsar su espíritu hacia arriba y fuera de la yurta, a través del agujero de humo, es decir, la chimenea.

Una vez que se completaba el viaje, regresaban a través del agujero de humo / chimenea con los regalos del mundo de los espíritus. También creían que la Estrella del Norte era la cima del Mundo Superior, y debido a que el Árbol del Mundo era un eje que conectaba toda la cosmología, la Estrella del Norte se sentaba en la parte superior del Árbol del Mundo, que es de donde viene la tradición de colocar una estrella en la copa del árbol.

NACIMIENTO DEL SOL (O HIJO)

Esto nos lleva al gran final, el gran presente escondido bajo el árbol: Jesucristo y el momento de su llegada a la Tierra. Al mismo tiempo que el histórico nacimiento de Jesús, hay una alineación anual con el sol. En el solsticio de invierno del 21 de diciembre, el sol alcanza su punto más al sur, lo que lleva al hemisferio norte su noche más larga. Durante tres días, el sol permanece aparentemente inmóvil. En la mañana del día 25, el sol comienza una vez más su ascenso hacia el norte. Esto puede verse como el nacimiento del sol, que ha pasado el invierno viajando por el mundo inferior, o el mundo de las tinieblas.

Cuando el sol comienza a subir una vez más, es el momento de celebrar la luz, literalmente el regreso de la luz, la fuente de vida en la Tierra y, en última instancia, la seguridad del próximo verano, que también significa la supervivencia del mundo natural, los animales, las plantas, las personas y su forma de vida. Por tanto, la vida y las personas se salvan.

Para los pueblos indígenas que dependían del movimiento y la generosidad de las estaciones, y especialmente para los pueblos del extremo norte de la antigua Siberia, esta fue una época monumental. La sagrada Amanita con su coloración roja, dorada y naranja, así como su capacidad para ofrecer experiencia directa y conexión con la divinidad, también fue considerada como un símbolo del Sol y sus propiedades vivificantes y salvadoras. El Sol - o el Hijo - es el salvador, nacido el 25 de diciembre como portador de la luz, precursor y liberador de la vida en la Tierra.

Este es el regalo y el significado de la festividad que conocemos como Misa de Cristo. Cuando esté decorando su árbol, colgando la estrella y haciendo lo suyo con rojo y blanco y regalos, tal vez tómese un momento para reflexionar sobre el significado esotérico de los orígenes chamánicos de la Navidad, y cuál fue y es todo el espíritu acerca de esta tradición.

[abensica]

¿SABÍAS QUE EN LA SIBERIA RUSA AÚN EXISTEN INDÍGENAS QUE NI SIQUIERA HABLAN RUSO?

En las vastas extensiones heladas del norte de Siberia, donde el frío muerde y el silencio reina, existe una comunidad indígena que ha resistido la prueba del tiempo: los Nganasan. Viviendo en un mundo tan distante y en condiciones tan extremas, es sorprendente descubrir que hay quienes aún no hablan ruso, el idioma dominante de la región.

Los Nganasan, habitantes ancestrales de la península de Taymyr en la región de Krasnoyarsk, Rusia, han mantenido una conexión profunda con su tierra natal durante más de mil años. Originarios de la cuenca del río Yenisei, se expandieron hacia el norte, adaptándose y forjando relaciones con otras comunidades, como los Evenki y los Dolgan. A lo largo de los siglos, estos lazos han enriquecido y diversificado sus tradiciones.

La vida de los Nganasan gira en torno a la naturaleza. Dependiendo de la caza, la pesca y la cría de renos para subsistir, han desarrollado habilidades y técnicas que les permiten sobrevivir en uno de los climas más inhóspitos del planeta. Pero más allá de la supervivencia física, su espiritualidad, arraigada en el chamanismo y las creencias animistas, les brinda una conexión especial con el mundo que les rodea. Cada sonido del viento, cada movimiento de un animal, es un mensaje, una señal, un espíritu. A pesar de la dominancia del ruso, el idioma Nganasan, parte de la familia de lenguas urálicas. Sin embargo, se encuentra en peligro, con muchos jóvenes optando por aprender ruso en lugar de su lengua materna. Aun así, algunos resisten, eligiendo no introducirse en la sociedad moderna. Demuestran una habilidad impresionante en el tallado de marfil y en la confección de prendas, donde cada diseño cuenta una historia, un mito o una tradición. Las pinturas rupestres descubiertas en la península de Taymyr nos ofrecen un vistazo a su pasado, mostrando escenas de caza, animales y vida cotidiana. La vida nómada presenta desafíos. Con la migración estacional siguiendo a los rebaños de renos, han adoptado un estilo de vida fluido, utilizando tiendas de campaña llamadas “chum” o “yaranga”, hechas de madera y pieles de animales, fáciles de montar y desmontar.A pesar de su fortaleza y adaptabilidad, los enfrentan amenazas en el mundo moderno. La urbanización, el cambio climático están poniendo en peligro su modo de vida tradicional. Sin embargo, su resiliencia y determinación son una inspiración.El fuego, esencial para su supervivencia, también tiene un significado profundo en su cultura. Proporciona calor y luz, protege de espíritus malignos y es central en rituales religiosos. Además, los renos, más allá de ser una fuente de alimento y vestimenta, son venerados, celebrados en festivales y rituales.Los Nganasan son un testimonio viviente de la rica tapeza cultural de nuestro mundo.Son un recordatorio de la importancia de la coexistencia y de valorar la diversidad en un mundo en constante cambio.

[japhugmafia]

Yeah I'm of the opinion that the most we can do with linguistic data is infer the mays and may nots of the culture but we cannot really say for sure what they were like.

From linguistic evidence we can infer that the shared ancestor of the Evenki and Even had reindeer pastoralism because they have words that trace back to Proto-Ewenic; however, we can't really say for sure for shared immaterial cultural traditions and such.

Like, of course the word for 'headhunting' can go back to Proto-Malayo-Polynesian, and can infer the existence of headhunting at least. but like… hypothesizing in which how they headhunted through comparative cultural data seems to be very odd to say the least; as shared innovations can just be parallel or just… independent formed from one another. It's also to note that culture is not driven by unconscious thought and that the drift itself is not… quantifiable by any means that I've read.

Like this is what gets me when people cite stuff like "Oh the Pleiades myth is so old that Aboriginal Australians and Greeks share this story" but like—personification of celestial bodies is so common, and the deification of the Pleiades is shared between other cultures like Japan for example (hence, Subaru)

Like, it's hard to say for sure what is what—like you can make connections for sure, but it's kinda hard to infer whether these are substratal influences, coincidence, or shared ancestors.

Yeah I genuinely do not buy the argument into the value of mythology as a valid form of comparanda.

Again, I wrote up some stuff about it in how pop feminism is a victim of our pattern seeking brains and I think that a lot of comparative Indo-European mythological scholarship is also a victim of this predisposed nature of how we can like... attribute patterns where there are none to be had.

Like we can establish sound changes and their correspondences by a set of constraints (or rules) that govern them. What do we have that can establish formal relationships between myths? What are there to make sure that they aren't coincidences?

Sure, you can say that gold and geld are not through the reconstruction of sound changes that go back to PIE—but how can one even be sure in the regard that people want to see patterns in things with archeological material? Or the stories that people tell?

A sky deity that can be reconstructed in the mythology of IE-speaking people? Yep, must be a shared ancestor and not some kind of pattern that we independently invented like 30 different times.

Again I don't know how people can take this seriously except for works that project one's ideologies into the past.

[nonrussian]

Tungus ( Evenk ) Shaman, Argun River. 1777 Тунгуский (Эвенк) Шаман у Аргун реки. 1777

Tungus ( Evenk ) hunter. 1777 Тунгуский (Эвенк) охотник. 1777

by Georgi, Johann Gottlieb Георги, Иоганн Готлиб из "Описание всех в Российском государстве обитающих народов, также их житейских обрядов, вер, обыкновений, жилищ, одежд и прочих достопамятностей".

[thenuclearmallard]

[folkfashion]

Evenki woman, Russia, by Alexander Khimushin

[titsoutfornature]

oooh I definitely want to be a part of this conversation bc I'm constantly thinking about what our relationships with other animals could look like

and damn ever since i started foraging for food and making my own tools (woo poverty), i've learned why people relied on animals.

fat is essential for certain nutrient absorption, for easier digestion (if balanced with other macronutrients, particularly protein), it's also what you need to make candles and body lotion and ointments etc etc etc, and it's actually really impractical to extract oil from seeds and nuts with simple technology (simple as in, reasonable to diy). so if you've got chronic hand pain like me (and i mean, ppl tend to develop hella arthritis as they age), you can't use a hand-powered grinding stone. windmills and watermills are complicated to create, need frequent repairs, cannot be transported, etc etc so ofc course a lot of nomadic people used animal fat. All you need is fire, a container, and animal fat. Sometimes you need water too, but it's basically just heat, ladle & strain, then you're done.

ofc, going forward we have a lot more ideas. ppl are out there diying roller presses, and those designs can be modified to run on wind or bike energy etc

transportation is another one; if we designed them smart and with local, renewable non-metal materials, there's no reason we couldn't use bikes where we currently use them. but ofc that'd be impractical in the arctic or subarctic.

arctic indigenous peoples have been discussing the ethics of murder for meat for countless generations; there are culturally-ingrained "rules" about how to kill in the quickest, least painful way, bc it's something that can't be avoided, but the cruelty can be reduced.

and there are relationships with non-human animals that we just haven't considered in vegan discussions; we can be community rather than caretaker & dependent.

Evenki people have (had? colonization has changed a lot of cultures) a way of raising reindeer that is similar to this. The reindeer forage most of the day (they aren't fed by humans), they roam the forests and can fuck off forever if they want to. But most stick around, bc humans give affection and can make smoky fires that keep mosquitoes away. They help Evenki ppl migrate and share milk, but can and will leave if they are unhappy.

it's not like beekeeping, which is more like breaking into their home and stealing their year's supply of food (which as a long side note, is not the only theft humans have done to other animals! mice and squirrel caches have been raided historically, but as with murder, has culturally-ingrained rules. such as, any tubers and nuts you take must be replaced with grains or fish or something else they can eat so they don't starve over winter).

"a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude—as far as is possible and practicable—all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals" is the principle not only amongst vegans, but in subsistence-based cultures. once concepts of property and economics gets involved, then animals and their bodies become commodities and sources of free labor

it is part of my veganism to reduce my reliance on industrialized plant production as well, bc ofc the existence of such requires pesticides and fertilizer runoff and tractors pumping out pollutants. obviously, animal agriculture is much worse wrt to the environment and animal welfare, but all industrialized agriculture is the death of living beings on a large scale.

I think there's something interesting about how veganism mixes with ideas of anarchism, civilization and progress and such because it seems like it can actually quite easily be framed in two completely opposite directions. Like a lot of anti-civ anarchists have taken up veganism in their praxis, and it makes sense why. Not only is factory farming probably one of the most horrifying and oppressive industries that exist today, but a lot of anti-civs also believe that the domestication of animals was kind of the catalyst for civilization's beginning, and since a lot of vegans are kinda categorically against domestication of animals you can see how these ideas pair well (and then anti-civs will extend this to an opposition to domestication of the human animal as well, whatever that means to them). But then there are also people like Peter Gelderloos who will point out how veganism can be used for the expansion of global capitalism and industrial agriculture, because a plant-based diet would be the more effective way of feeding a continuously growing population of consumers. It brings to mind this one vegan anarchist I used to be mutuals with who since blocked me because I disagreed with them that "opposing industrial agriculture is ecofascism", hmmm.... One can also make the case that veganism is actually dependent on civilization. That vegetarianism only really became an option with the domestication of animals because we then could get our B12 vitamins through animal products instead of meat, and that a completely plant-based diet only became possible with the invention of B12 supplements. Idk I'm not really concluding anything with this post, I'm just kind of expressing some thoughts, like I'm still a vegan and still believe that avoiding animal products is probably the best option in this specific historical context, but I'm still not completely sure how human/animal relationships should look in an anarchic future. I would really love to hear what other anarchist vegans and anti-civ inclined people think about these topics. I know that @pinabutterjam has some really interesting ideas about vegan scavenging of meat, and I would really love to see more animal liberationist thoughts grapple with these complex nuances, that can think outside of the boxes the philosophy has kinda fallen into, especially the very rigid utilitarian and hyper-rationalistic tendencies of people like Peter Singer and Earthling Ed (it was a breath of fresh air to read Flower Bomb pair veganism with Stirnerian egoism).

[irithnova]

Sakha

In this post, where I use "Sakha" and "Yakutia", they are interchangeable

If you just want headcanons, it's right at the bottom of this post

Name: Erchim Basygasov

The reason why I gave him this name:

Erchim, in the Sakha language means vigorous/active/energetic. I think it suits him well as I see him as being quite outgoing/a busy body.

Basygasov: I know it seems like I gave him a Russian last name but there is a reason behind this. Many common Sakha surnames are either Russian in origin or are modelled after Russian names. I chose to go with the "Sakha name that was modelled to sound like a Russian name" route. The nickname "Bahygas" comes from the adjective meaning "able to draw" in Sakha, and so this Sakha nickname is then modified to sound like "Basygasov" as a surname. I chose this surname because I see him as actually being quite artsy!

Origins

His exact birthdate is extremely uncertain as its said that the Sakha people may have settled in the area around the 9th-16th centuries

I'll say that he emerged from 1300-1400 as a distinct group to try and find a balance between those dates.

The ancestor of the Sakha before they migrated Northwards are said to be the Kurykans, who moved from Yenisey River to Lake Baikal in the 7th century, and likely had some level of mixing with Mongolic peoples.

Specifically Sakha's origins were most likely during the great migrations in the 13th century (obviously he existed a little bit before these migrations occurred)

Some of the native inhabitants of the Lena (Evenki, Eveni, Yukagir) assimilated with the migrants (him) from the Lake Baikal region/Southern Siberia who were pressured to move because of the Buryats/pressure from the expanding Mongol Empire (according to Sakha's own legends)

The migrants from Southern Siberia, brought language, oral history, and livestock herding. In fact it is these things which is what suggests that Sakha's origins are due to this migration from the south to the north, especially the horse and cattle breeding which was a Southern economy. Unlike Sakha's reindeer herders neighbours, the Sakha farmed horses and cattle, assimilating Eveni and Evenki (Tungusic) cultures in the process, and we can see this especially through Sakha's shamanic traditions.

It was this mixture of cultures that brought about the Sakha people. I actually think Sakha first represented these migrant groups from Lake Baikal as a child and formed his stronger identity as he migrated and assimilated other groups.

This is because the Sakha people greatly tie their origins to these migrations, and as mentioned before, according to their own legends, they were "driven out" by the Buryats/expansion of the Mongol Empire to move Northwards, centring the origins of their history to these migrants and the migration.

These migrants are speculated to be of Turkic/Turko-Mongol origin. Possibly even Khakas to an extent

Mfw Sakha sounds like Khakas 🤒

But in all seriousness, the origin of the ethnonym Sakha was seen as linked to the Sagay Khakas of Abakan River however this cannot be seen as certain

So Sakha settled in areas with grazing along the Lena, Vilyuy, and Aldan rivers. Again this differed from the smaller, original populations like Even, Evenk, and Yukagir (reindeer herders), who either assimilated or relocated to uplands due to their hunting and reindeer herding economies.

So... Sakha 🤝 Chukotka when it comes to assimilating people

Sakha oral epics mention leaders like Tygyn, the most powerful among them, who formed a chiefdom in the 17th century by subjugating other clans.

So in the late 16th to early 17th centuries, Kangalastsy tribe, led by Tygyn was the most powerful and respected.

They lived in the central steppe area of the Middle Lena valleys, enabling them to excel in cattle farming and gain economic and military advantages.

The Kangalastsy were significant in shaping the Sakha culture, and it's somewhat speculated that they are linked to an ancient tribal union called kangly, which opposed the Hunnic State in the Syr Darya region centuries before (cannot be certain).

According to Sakha folklore, Tygyn was a descendant of Badzhei.

He was the son of Munn'an Darkhan and the grandson of Tyusyulge Darkhaan. Tygyn was notably tall and became the Chief King after his father.

And again, he united various Sakha clans.

So he was kind of like... The Sakha version of Genghis Khan?

However, in 1628, Tygyn's forces were defeated by the advancing Russians, armed with firearms. He was captured and imprisoned, where he suffered from a skin condition and passed away in 1632.

In that same hear, the Yakutsk fort was built, forming Yakutia's link to Russia.

However this was not at all peaceful. The Sakha rebelled seven times (1633-1684) and was met met with harsh suppression.

But before this, Tygyn did manage to be a pain in the arse for the Russian Cossacks - it is mentioned that in 1631 they could not collected fur tax from him

Further: In Legends, Russian Cossacks met Tygyn and praised the power of the Moscow Tsar. They asked Tygyn and the Sakha people to submit, promising mercy, wealth, and rewards. However, Tygyn declined, challenging the Cossacks to a fight instead.

In 1634, Cossack chief Ivan Galkin noted that Kangalas princes (Tygyn's sons/descendants?) controlled vast land and people, even other princes.

They avoided paying taxes for a while. But by 1637, Tygyn's sons submitted, paid taxes, gave hostages, and showed loyalty. Many Sakha people followed, making the Sakha territory part of Russia.

The fact that a majority of the other Sakha people submitted along with Tygyn's sons goes to show how influential Tygyn's lineage was/links to what I said previously about how influential they were in shaping Sakha culture

In the next year, 1638, the Yakutsk district was created, becoming Yakutsk province in 1775, and later Yakutsk region in 1784

So....Sakha was essentially on a pretty strong grind before Russia came along. Tygyn put up a good resistance but his sons on the other hand... 🤒 He malds about it but he also knows it was kind of inevitable

Still kind of glorifies Tygyn to this day

Before Russian colonisation, Sakha was pretty enthusiastic/strong willed. His strong willed nature still followed him however the enthusiasm waned a little under Russian colonisation. A large part of his early enthusiasm can be chalked up to his new found wealth and strong leader, so it was a pretty drastic change of mood once it was abruptly ended by the colonisation period. He didn't take it too well because it was, well, unexpected. He (rightfully) held on to a lot of anger/resentment for a while.

I've mentioned other people who he had contact/relations with such as the Even, Evenk and the Yukagir. Major parts of Sakha culture were derived from these peoples. I see those three as almost being his mentors in a way because of this. On one hand, they were annoyed at this kid who suddenly moved there out of seemingly nowhere which is now forcing them to move more North >:( but on the other hand it was also "Well... He's here so we might as well try and teach him some things if he wants to survive 🙄". I see Evenkia as being his main kind of mentor as Evenki culture influenced Sakha culture more majorly.

On average, Sakha has a good relationship with all of them (especially when they ask him for advice on legal troubles.)

To be fair though, Yukagir is probably the most annoyed by Sakha (when she does feel in the mood to be annoyed at someone) because mass-assimilation affected her the most.

Life under Russian colonisation

In the 17th century, Sakha people fought fiercely against Russian control until 1642. Then, Russian missionaries tried to convert the Sakha to Christianity between 1651 and 1700.

During the 18th century, the Sakha had to move due to political and environmental reasons. Russians took advantage, taking control of Sakha areas.

By 1773, the Imperial mail system reached the Sakha regions. Political opponents of the Tsarist regime were put in prison camps. In the 19th century, Yakuts switched to sedentary farming and Orthodox Christianity.

In 1846, gold discovery led to Russian immigration, changing the demographic of the population.

In the early 20th century, Yakuts were involved in the Russian Civil War, supporting both Red and White armies. In the aftermath of World War I, the Russian Revolution, and the Civil War, the Soviet government established the Yakut Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic in 1922.

While Sakha was somewhat... Appreciative of this move, it still wasn't enough. By appreciative I don't mean he kissed Russia's ass on got on his knees thanking him, absolutely not. More like, he saw it as a push in the right direction in general.

Sakha is always one to push things to get his way, and though some things from the Russians were inevitably accepted such as orthodox Christianity and sedentary farming - this is not a testament to Sakha keeling over easily. As I will talk about in my next bullet points, Sakha played a prominent role in not only protecting his own interests, but other Siberian interests too.

This is why earlier I talked about the likes of Even, Evenk and Yukagir asking him for help with certain legal troubles. I think Sakha has always been quite outgoing and you can see this even before Russian colonisation. So this skill of his stuck through, which is why he's such a prominent player in these types of affairs but also very keen on getting himself out there, as seen later under my "Business brained?!" subheading of this post.

Collectivisation and sovereignty

From 1925 to 1960, Sakha agriculture was collectivised, leading to resistance and subsequent repression.

Sakha organisations, schools, and publications were banned, and Stalin's industrialisation policies led to significant Russian immigration into Sakha .

Throughout this period, Yakuts fiercely clung to their language, which became a symbol of resistance under Soviet rule. It was one of the only ways in which they could resist

In the late 20th century, amid Gorbachev's reform policies, Sakha nationalism resurfaced.

In March 1990, an Association of Peoples of the North was formed, with Sakha playing a prominent role.

This association aimed to protect the interests of 26 ethnic groups, including the Sakha, and increase their bargaining power in economic and political negotiations with Moscow.

In August 1990, Yakutia increased its autonomy within Russia by issuing a declaration of sovereignty

Sakha proclaimed its sovereignty within the Russian Federation in September 1990, adopting the formal name Yakut-Sakha Soviet Socialist Republic, aligning with the traditional name of the Sakha people.

In August 1991, Sakha's parliament passed a law, transferring control of all state enterprises from the USSR central government to the republican authority.

By December of the same year, Mikhail Nikolayev secures a resounding victory, becoming Sakha's first president with over 70 percent of the vote

Further push for greater Sovereignty

In January 1992, Sakha parliament aimed for more independence, proposing a treaty with Moscow. The treaty would give Sakha control over precious metal reserves for global sales. But this sparked criticism from local Russian legislators, calling it secessionist.

In May 1992, a new constitution established Yakut-Sakha, declaring local natural resources as owned by the people.

During this time, the Sakha parliament accused the Russian Central Bank of withholding funds, causing economic issues. This led to worker payment problems and threats of strikes, risking disruptions in diamond, gold, coal, and other exports.

...Sakha is definitely not afraid to speak his mind and outright call Russia out on his bad behaviour, but this goes for anyone who behaves badly in general too. He cares little for sparing peoples feelings when his interests are being obstructed - especially if it's Russia doing so. This doesn't mean that he's not open to working with Russia, just that he places importance on emphasising his own interests. If it doesn't benefit him somehow in some way, he doesn't want to deal with it.

This attitude is reflected in a point I make later on in this post, which talks about an incident that took place in December 1997 in which the Sakha Republic refused an agreement with the Russian defense ministry.

Business brained?!

This may seem like a random subheading but I have talked about the contents of this previously so hear me out.

In June 1992 Sakha's President Nikolayev visited Latvia for economic ties.

Then, in August of the same year, Presidents of Sakha, Tatarstan, and Bashkortostan warn Moscow about regional sovereignty plans.

In February the following year, Sakha and Irkutsk Oblast sign an economic cooperation agreement.

In May 1993, Sakha and Mongolia agree on cooperation in science, culture, and trade.

The next month, Sakha and Kazakhstan sign a five-year economic cooperation pact.

In January the following year (1994) Sakha and Ukraine agree on a five-year economic cooperation deal.

Sakha was very eager to #grind and get himself out there after being declared the Republic of Sakha in late December 1991. As I said before, Sakha has always been quite goals driven even before Russian colonisation, so it's not really a surprise that he did this.

I see him as being a big organiser of events between the Siberian peoples and is always one to lend an ear out/a helping hand out if someone is in need of some assistance.

Examples of him not taking shit but also being business brained™:

In March 1997, Sakha opposed a military rocket launch from Svobondy Space Center due to safety concerns. The government doubted the environmental impact and technical safety of the rocket. Despite objections, the Ministry launched the rocket, and its second stage fell near a Sakha village.

This incident led to a lawsuit against the Military Space Force, causing Sakha to cancel its 1996 agreement.

In October 1997, Yakutia's Parliament members expressed concern to national deputies about insufficient support for the Far North residents in the upcoming winter. They stated that 80% of Sakha's resources come from outside the republic, but government support for these deliveries had drastically reduced to 20%.

The deputies argued that the proposed 1998 federal budget lacked a separate allocation for delivering products to the Far North, leaving the state neglecting its responsibility to support this region.

In December 1997, Sakha's government refused an agreement with the Russian Defence Ministry for using its territory as a rocket dumping ground due to lack of examination and compensation. The agreement was later signed after agreeing to share revenue from commercial launches.

In July 1998, Sakha passed a law allowing various entities, including foreign citizens and legal entities, to use mineral deposits if registered in the republic and authorised by Russian and Sakha laws.

What's important is that the law also banned using these resources for nuclear weapons, mass destruction weapons, and radioactive substance burial.

Sakha isn't necessarily 100% against working with/co-operating with Russia of course as it does have it's benefits and it's not his goal in life to just purposefully antagonise. However his more outspoken nature and willingness to bluntly point things out has given him a bit of a reputation - despite him actually being quite co-operative/amicable for the most part. He's willing to co-operate, but not to bend over and shut himself up if he disagrees with something.

Quick sidenote on the Dolgan: I see Sakha as being quite close with Dolgan. Dolgan culture incorporates aspects from different groups, including reindeer herding from the Evenki, herd dogs from the Nentsy, and women's fur coats from the Sakha.

In fact, the Dolgan people originated from a few Evenk clans that later adopted a dialect of the Turkic-speaking Sakha (Yakut).

So Sakha does try to look out for Dolgan and imagining him like. Dressing her up/giving her clothes and jewellery is so cutee. He's a lot more involved with her than Evenkia is, much to his annoyance.

Headcanons summarised and some more headcanons:

He is actually quite interested in art! There's the National Art Museum in Sakha which I think he likes to go to to unwind

It's also the largest Art Museum in North East Siberia

Is quite good at drawing himself and is quite crafty. Doodles often when he's bored during a meeting

Big organiser of get togethers/events

Quite outgoing/approachable

Smoker 🤒

Saul Goodman of Siberia I guess

Proud father™ to Dolgan😍

Considers Evenk, Even and Yukagir his mentors however acknowledges that Evenk was the major one, even if he slightly annoys him these days

Sakha produces 1/4 of the world's diamonds yet little of that wealth has tricked down to him. Which is something he malds about

Unfortunately diamond mining has disproportionately affected Sakha's neighbours. That being, the Even, Evenk, Yukagir and Chukchi.

He does feel guilty about this, especially considering how 3/4 of them were his former mentors. This is a point of tension in their relationship

Lowkey intimidated by Chukchi/Chukotka..

His life isn't consumed with hating Russia 24/7 however he'll never truly care for Russia or like/love him. He tolerates him most days and that is probably the most positive feeling he'll be able to feel for Russia (this can be said for a lot of the other Siberians to be honest)

Sure, he likes when Russia is co-operative and he benefits from it but that's not him liking Russia himself

Funny relationship with Buryatia/Mongolia like wow a huge part of my identity was formed because of you guys pushing me out.

Some... Not so healthy coping mechanisms but he's gucci for the most part

Debate club vibes

Russia can be quite chauvinistic at times and tries to paint himself as some sort of mentor to Sakha. As you can guess Sakha despises when he does this and reminds him who he actually considers his mentors

"I'd let Evenkia leave me with another baby again before -"

Lowkey tries to be sort of a big brother to other Siberians despite being younger than quite a few of them

This sort of irks the older Siberians at times

Was baptised at some point in the 18th century and was given a Russian name that he went by for a period of time (only in front of Russia tbh). Has since dropped the Russian name completely.

Gets extremely agitated when Russia calls him his former Russian name

Workaholic 👎 but is always willing to lend a hand with helping someone if they really need him

Good legal advice 👍

Has his own little art projects that he barely has time to finish. A lot of which is just making cute jewellery for Dolgan -

Diplomacypilled™ unfortunately

[meliissa-art]

Sakha's birth

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Note: Yakuts are also called Sakha. I prefer to use Sakha, as that is the name they commonly use. When I say "Yakuts", I am still talking about the Sakha people.

Another note: I created this post to explain the origin of an OC of mine, who is the personification of the Sakha people and the Republic of Sakha as well (. If you dont like the concept but you are interested in Sakha people's history, this post could still interest you.

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Even though there were yakuts before, I think Sakha was born around 1500. Of course, she does not know the exact year she was born, so this year is only a reference for estimating her age.

The origin of the Sakha / Yakuts, is extremely complex and has many theories. It is said that Yakuts came from the Kurykans, but at the same time, some sources say that they came from the Kurumchi, Tumats, and also the Ymyyakhtakh could also be their ancestors or related to them. The exact origin of the Sakha is still unknown, but they probably originated after the assimilation of different tribes.

The name "Sakha" itself and the Sakha people find their roots in the Turkic-dominated eastern part of the Scythian Confederation, referred to as "Saka" in contemporary Persian sources. These tribes later became part of the Tiele Confederation, settling west of Lake Baikal as Kurykan Tieles, and they could have evolved to the Sakha that migrated to the Lena Basin. Also, some scholars suggest that the Sakha could have also lived east of the Aral Sea.

As you may imagine, the Sakha were almost everywhere. So why did they migrate towards the Lena Basin? They probably did that because some tribes rebelled against Genghis Khan, such as the Tumats (who could be the ancestors of the modern Tuvan people), so its possible that Yakuts rebelled against him too.

Their migration to the Lena Basin coincided with the displacement of other Siberian tribes, such as Evenki and Even. As they settled around the Lena River, the Sakhas interacted with the Kulun-Atakh culture, which might have been assimilated by the Sakha over time.

By the way, I think Kulun-Atakh could also have been a nation, but maybe it didnt live for that long.

The Sakha Nation, as known today, is believed to have finalized its formation in the 16th century. During the early years, two important figures shaped their identity as we know it today, according to the legend: Omogoi Baay and Elley Bootur.

Omogoi Baay moved with his family and settled first in the Chara river, and then he was the first to settle in the Tuymaada Valley (where modern Yakustk is located). Omogoi Baay became rich and became rich. According to his father’s behest, Elley Bootur, who arrived from the south and became an employee of Omogoi, married Omogoy Baay’s daughter.

Elley Bootur also forged yakut's identity, as he introduced innovations in horse breeding, improved housing, dishes, and organized the first Ysyakhs (which are their main event, its like their New Year) . After himself, he left a large offspring, who later became the founders of the Sakhas.

Around 1500s, the Yakuts were the main tribe around the Lena, and eventually, in 1540 aprox., the Khangalas Toyonate was founded, under Munnan Darkhan's rule. During this time, the Yakut people we know today completed their formation, and Sakha, the Nation herself, was born.

Sakha herself was found in the Chara River's shore, where Omogoy Baay settled at first. After she was found, people realized soon she was not a normal baby, the Toyon Usa (the Yakut King) was informed.

Despite her eyes being dark brown, they have a purple highlight that shows if the light hits the charoite inclusions in her eyes. This purple glow is an indicator of her immortal nature.

(Note: in the Chara River there are deposits of a rare mineral called Charoite, which is purple.)

After she was found, she was taken care of by the King's family, as her mission was to become a great diplomat and warrior who could represent her people in the future, and protect them if needed.

I will talk in another post about her childhood, but for now, here is a post where I included two videos that talk further about her history:

https://www.tumblr.com/meliissa-art/738531636317224960/history-of-sakhayakutia?source=share