ARCTIC Turning Hunters into Herders: A Critical Examination of Soviet Development Policy among the Evenki of Southeastern Siberia

ABSTRACT. The construction of the Baikal-Amur railway corridor through the northern raioni of the Buriat Autonomous Republic and Amurskaia oblast ’ (R.S.F.S.R.) has had a marked impact on the traditional hunting, trapping, and herding activities of the aboriginal Evenk population. Thditional occupations have been adapted to support large numbers of migrant labourers and a burgeoning urban population. The effects of industrial development range from the ardent promotion of reindeer breeding over other aboriginal economic sectors to the complete marginalization of all aboriginal economic initiatives and their replacement with forms of economy foreign to the region. The significance of industrial development among the Evenki is understood in the context of Soviet development policy. While Soviet prescriptions for the Evenki may be made logically consistent by appealing to an interpretation of world history, when they are evaluated from a regional level of analysis they appear to be both voluntaristic and economistic. The contradictions of Soviet development policy have produced statekivil society conflicts that can be interpreted as a form of alienation. Key words: U.S.S.R., Siberia, Buriatskaia A.S.S.R., Evenki, Baikal-Amurskaia railway main line, non-capitalist path of development R&UMI?. La construction du chemin de fer Baikal-Amour en direction des mioni du nord de la rkpublique autonome Buryatique et l’oblast ’ de 1’Amurskaya (R.S.F.S.R.). a eu un impact profond sur les activitks traditionelles de la population autochtone Evenki (chasse et Clevage). Les occupations traditionelles ont &k affect & pour satisfaire les besoins croissants d’une main d’oeuvre immigrante et d’une population urbaine grandissante. Les effets du dkveloppement industriel vont de la croissance privilkgke de l’klevage du renne au dkpens d’autres secteurs de l’konomie aborighe B la marginalisation complh de toutes initiatives autochtones et leur replacement par des formes konomiques hangkres