Sakha's nomads: doomed by change?

January 18, 1998
Web posted at: 3:48 p.m. EDT (1548 GMT)

SAKHA REPUBLIC, Russia (CNN) -- The Republic of Sakha, also known as Yakuita, extends over much of the vast expanse of eastern Siberia and is home to nomads who have survived for hundreds of years by following their migrating herds of reindeer. But now, their existence may be doomed by industrial development.

The reindeer have been providing the nomads with milk and meat and furry clothes against one of the harshest climates in the world.

About 20,000 nomads roam across Sakha, an area about a third the size of Europe. But with the loss of subsidies paid by the now defunct Soviet Union, the nomads have fallen on hard times. And that's why the United Nations has been trying to help preserve their unique civilization.

"They are real custodians of ancient, excellent traditions, excellent heritage, cultural heritage also. And also this area of activities really is an important part of the Yakutia economy in general," said Alexander Avanessov of the U.N. Development Program.

The nomads have already begun to sell deer hide for clothes and deer antlers -- the most lucrative product -- are being exported to China and for medicinal purposes to South Korea.

But economic exploitation of the mineral-rich region may pose a serious threat to the nomads' way of life and culture.

Sakha already churns out a quarter of Russia's gold and almost all of Russia's diamonds. Additionally, Sakha has the yet-untapped wealth of about half of the oil and gas in Russia's far eastern region.

Siberian reindeer 2 min. 36 sec VXtreme video

Sensing that the exploitation of Siberia's natural resources might do irreparable damage, the Russian government has announced its intention to establish a string of national parks, which may well become the nomads' last retreat.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Related sites:

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• United Nations Home Page
• U.S. State Department
• Russian Government Internet Network
• Russian Information Agency

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