This is Sara Komarnisky, PhD student at UBC, currently in Anchorage doing fieldwork with Mexican migrants and immigrants here. One thing about life in Anchorage that is funny and fits very much with clichés about Alaska are all of the MOOSE! There are moose all over the city, all year, but they are especially noticeable …
Month: February 2012
Reindeer, Herders and War
In the study of many pastoralist societies, the military dimensions of animal husbandry have played an important role. Indeed, if we think for example about the horse among Central Asian nomads, and it's historical importance, e.g. for the expansion of Chingis Khan's Empire, it is hard to overestimate the military significance of pastoral animals. When …
Oral history, European Nenets
Stephan Dudeck greets us from his fieldsite in the European Nenets Autonomous Okrug, North West Russia. He is there for starting the ORHELIA project life history work. He has put some great impressions and a very nice first round of oral history work on his own blog. Congratulations! Just quickly two things: I remember that …
Sajos, Sámi Cultural Centre, Inari.
Anthropology Research Team guest and Fulbright Grantee to Finland Paul R. Burgess writes an update from Inari. Sajos is the newly opened Sámi cultural centre and home to the Finnish Sámi Parliament Hall (Solju). Construction was completed in January, and the first Parliamentary session was held last Wednesday. Official opening ceremonies will take place in …
Sámi-Ainu Cultural Exchange in Hokkaido, Japan
In January I travelled to Hokkaido Japan with Masumi Tanaka as my interpreter to meet Ainu people and learn more about the Ainu culture and heritage. It was my first trip to Japan, and it truly fascinated me with the beauty of the land and people: the landscape, kind smiling people, hot springs, traditional japanese …
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Conference on religious studies 2012
Rudolf Havelka, who is working on religion, ecology and spirituality among the Forest Nenets hunters and herders, brings the following to our attention: Dear colleagues, I would like to draw your attention to this upcoming EASR (European Association of the Study of Religions) conference held at Södertörn University, Stockholm on 23-26 August, 2012. The general …
Gas and reindeer herders at the source of the heat for Europe
I just watched a two part programme by the english language Tv channel of Russia, Russia Today. It has some very good footage and visual impression of the situation at the place where most of our European Gas comes from (which is also my number one field site since the mid 1990s). Lots has changed …
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Jokkmokk Winter Market and Conference
Anthropology Research Team guest and Fulbright Grantee to Finland Paul R. Burgess tells about his experience at the Jokkmokk Winter Conference and Winter Market, Jokkmokk, Sweden. Welcome to Jokkmokk; in Sweden’s northernmost county, a wonderful village, with under 3,000 people, at any time other than the first week of February. This is when the village …
Field Work in Western Siberia, Roza Laptander
Starting to the tundra from Aksarka’s central square Young generation of reindeer herders from Yamal As a member of the Oral History Anthropology Research Team I am now doing do my field work in Western Siberia, in a little village not far from the capital city of Yamal-Nenets autonomous district. To readers of the Arctic …
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Forest Nenets Fishing – report by Rudolf Havelka
Anthropology Research Team phD student Rudolf Havelka is a little bit more than half way through with his fieldwork among the Forest Nentsy in West Siberia. As Rudolf is an enthusiastic fisherman himself, it wasn't hard for him to get in tune with this part of Forest Nenets life. Consequently, after 5 months in the …
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Arctic Anthropology 