Authors

Dominique Samson Normand de Chamourg¹;  ¹ Inalco, Paris, France

Discussion

The advent of the Russian world in the (sub)Arctic Siberia turned the indigenous way of life on its head. During the Soviet era, “traditional” families were dismantled the boarding school system, children grew up far from their parents, following the external, imposed model. The transmission of languages, knowledge system and rituals were thus interrupted threatening the way of life of the communities based on orality, (semi)nomadism and shamanism. For many teenagers the choice was between the returning to the tundra/taiga or adopting a (semi)urban lifestyle. Since the implosion of the Soviet regime in 1991, ethnographic settlements have been set up for young people aged between 14 and 20. Using the example of Khanty and Mansi of Northern Siberia and fieldwork up to 2019, my aim is to present this experience and to understand its challenges and transitions in the current context