Archaeology, Ethnology & Anthropology of Eurasia 49 (1) 2021   doi:10.17746/1563-0110.2021.49.1.116-125

Annotation:  Evolution of the Lithic Industry in Central Dagestan During the Early Pleistocene: The Rising Occurr New Evidence of the Late Neopleistocene Peopling of the Lower Ob Valley Cruciform Signs Decorating Paleolithic Bone Artifacts from Cherno-Ozerye II, the Middle Irtysh Area From Ore to Metal: Exploitation of the Novotemirsky Mine, Southern Trans-Urals, in the Second Millen On a Distinctive Feature of the Andronovo (Fedorovka) Funerary Rites in the Baraba Forest-Steppe A Method for Attributing Non-Refi tting Fragments to a Single Artifact: The Case of Bronze Age Flat Three Silver Dishes from Yugra On Early Medieval Contacts of the Urals and Western Siberia with Central Asia: The Evidence of Ceram Composite Belt Ornaments with Bear Claw Pieces in Medieval Men’s Costume of the Perm Region, Western Unfortifi ed Settlements of the Cheptsa Culture (9th–13th Centuries): Ambiguity of Interpretation an Sections of the Early 18th Century Ditch at Fort Umrevinsky The Use of Natural Scientifi c Methods in the Study of Leather Items from Archaeological Excavations Cattle in Buryat Mythology and Ritual Evenki Reindeer Riding Saddle: Certain Principles of Mobility in the Taiga The Consecration of Altars in 17th–21st Century Siberian Orthodox Churches: The Neurosymbolic Aspect The Peopling of the Baraba Forest-Steppe in the Neolithic: Cranial Evidence Morphofunctional Characteristics of Mongolian Children and Adolescents Living in Different Ecologica   

Evenki Reindeer Riding Saddle:
Certain Principles of Mobility in the Taiga

A.A. Sirina

Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky pr. 32A, Moscow, 119334, Russia

Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera), Russian Academy of Sciences, Universitetskaya nab. 3, St. Petersburg, 199034, Russia

On the basis of museum collections, field records, photographic and video recordings made in the 20th to early 21st centuries, a reindeer riding saddle with flaps, typical of the eastern Evenki, is analyzed. Its construction and types of fastening are described in detail. Manufacturing technologies are discussed in the context of modern theories of material culture as adaptations to changing natural and social environments under a mobile lifestyle. The key principles underlying mobility in the taiga include the use of a wide range of materials and techniques, modularity (assembled construction with mutually complementary and interchangeable parts), a technological cycle adapted to natural rhythms, adherence to traditional knowledge, the use of artificial materials along with products of nature (since the mid-1900s), etc. In the nomadic culture, the esthetics of an artifact are intrinsically related to function, harmony, and social significance. The manufacture of reindeer riding saddles has been affected by changes in the social structure of nomadic groups.

Keywords: Eastern Evenki, museum collections, reindeer riding saddles, technology, esthetics, mobility principles