Journal of Siberian Federal University. Humanities & Social Sciences / “We Eat Only Meat” a Comparison of (Food) Cultures in Transition: Greenland and the Republic of Tyva

Full text (.pdf)
Issue
Journal of Siberian Federal University. Humanities & Social Sciences. 2014 7 (11)
Authors
Reich, Alexander H.
Contact information
Reich, Alexander H.:Watson Fellowship Program Grinnell College Grinnell, IA 50112-1670 USA; E-mail:
Keywords
traditional food; hunting; fishing, reindeer husbandry; climate change
Abstract

This report compares preliminary ethnographic fieldwork conducted in 2011 in West Greenland and Tozhu District of the Republic of Tyva, Russia. Harvesting of animal products from the surrounding environment has historically been an important economic and cultural activity for indigenous Greenlanders (Kalaallit) and Tozhu. However, in recent years hunting, fishing and reindeer herding have undergone drastic changes due to political, economic, social, and environmental pressures. I report my observations of these changes by focusing on their impacts on people’s food provisioning and consumption practices. In short, harvesting and consumption of traditional foods are decreasing in both Greenland and Tozhu District. This decline could be linked to the recent trend of population centralization in both locations, which locals blame on government policies. Stopping or reversing this demographic shift may be the best way to maintain the unique (food) cultures and traditional activities valued by these peoples, although addressing social influences and climate change could also play a role

Pages
1806-1819
Paper at repository of SibFU
https://elib.sfu-kras.ru/handle/2311/16503

Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0).