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The Traditional Knowledge

he reindeer husbandry culture of the Arctic ethnos can face serious problems as one of the

most historically stable phenomena in the world culture, having provided the active social and
economic as well as cultural and ecological development for a long time. The problems are

T becoming more urgent in the current conditions, being characterised by rapid geopolitical and
ecological changes in the Arctic. From time immemorial, reindeer herding has not only been the leading

industry in the traditional husbandry of the indigenous small in numbers Arctic ethnos but also the basis for
their lifestyle, a mean of existence, and a way to survive in the severe natural and climatic conditions of the

circumpolar Arctic region.

In our views, the interaction between these mechanisms should be implemented allow describing natural and social processes
the traditional cultural knowledge and taking into account regional and local adequately as well as forecast their further
scientific thought is able to provide the peculiarities of caribou husbandry and evolution.
preservation of cultural plurality and ethno-ecological characteristics providing
biological diversity of the indigenous small the successful adaptation of the indigenous The research project RIEVDAN –
in numbers peoples of the circumpolar Arctic ethnos to the rapid changes in the EALLU “The fast change is challenges or
Arctic zone as the base for their evolution Arctic. opportunities for the sustainable reindeer
and conservation of life support systems. In This project is aimed at unifying and herding development” is underpinned
this aspect, the research activity is topical interacting between two different but by Norway’s Research Council, which
being part of the project “RIEVDAN, supplementary spheres of knowledge: the recognised the importance and necessity
ARCTIC COUNCIL EALLU” “The fast scientific and traditional ones. On the one to include traditional knowledge that is an
change is challenges or opportunities for the hand, it stipulates the search for effective intangible cultural heritage phenomenon
sustainable reindeer herding development”. instruments by the representatives of the into the scientific area of researches on
The major goal of this project is to study the indigenous autochthonic Arctic peoples to possibilities to adjust conventional cultural
cultural possibilities of the Northern caribou promote their traditional knowledge based elements to new socio-cultural conditions.
husbandry and to educe its potential on the on practical skills, to preserve and develop A set of Norway’s and Russia’s educational
basis of the interaction between traditional the conventional lifestyle. On the other institutions and centres that are a part of
and academic knowledge which facilitates hand, this interaction helps to develop the international net UArctic is included
the elaboration of the new, scientifically pioneering academic knowledge that is able into the project RIEVDAN – EALLU. It
grounded evolution in reindeer herding to generate and systematise theoretical is necessary to mention UArctic Institute
industry. It implies that the working out of approaches in the field of ethnic culture, to of Circumpolar Reindeer Husbandry

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