"Cold deficiency" and degradation of permafrost soils as a factor of transformation of hunting activity among the Yakuts

Gogolev Anatolii Ignatevich ORCID: 0000-0002-9694-7826 Doctor of History Professor of the Department of "World, National History, Ethnology and Archeology", Northeastern Federal University named after M.K. Ammosov 677000, Russia, respublika Sakha (yakutiya), g. Yakutsk, ul. Belinskogo, 58, of. 608 cafvi1990@mail.ru Other publications by this author

Fedorov Sviatoslav Igorevich ORCID: 0000-0002-8610-3689 Junior Scientific Associate, Department of History and Arctic Studies, The Institute for Humanities Research and Indigenous Studies of the North, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Senior Lecturer, Department of World and Russian History, Ethnology and Archaeology, Ammosov North-Eastern Federal University 677000, Russia, Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Yakutsk, Petrovsky str., 1 fedorov.si@mail.ru Other publications by this author

On the territory of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), a significant part of the population, including cattle breeders and horse breeders, is actively involved in hunting. At the moment, 94,465 owners of civilian weapons are registered in the republic ^[16] with a total number of adult residents of 703066 ^[15] people, i.e. 13.5% of the total number of adult residents have registered weapons. The Yakut people have 164,733 units of rifles, rifles, carbines, pistols, etc., which is a fairly large arsenal and makes the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) one of the most armed regions of the Far East. This fact is significant due to the special attitude to hunting activities on the territory of the Republic, as evidenced not only by the number of registered trunks, but also by a large number of specialized hunting shops (more than 70 in one city of Yakutsk), the presence of narrowly focused periodicals, various products in the media space, etc. All of the above suggests that hunting has remained an important link in the chain of life among the Yakuts, just as in the past centuries. Now, on the one hand, hunting can serve as an additional source of income, especially for those who live in remote and sparsely populated areas where employment opportunities are limited, on the other hand, hunting also allows access to fresh food, which is also especially important for rural residents who mainly depend on local resources And finally, hunting is one of the most popular leisure activities in Yakutia.

In the first half of the XVIII century, an active study of hunting and related industries, including fur trade and fishing, began, due to the economic development of Siberia and the formation of state policy in this area. Researchers of that time, such as R.K. Maak ^[10], V.L. Seroshevsky ^[12], A.F. Middendorf ^[11], V.I. Iokhelson ^[9], F.P. Wrangel ^[7] and others highlighted many aspects of the organization and implementation of the fur trade. The topic of hunting is considered in works devoted to the ethnographic history of the Siberian peoples, and in collective works, where it is an integral part of the study of a wider range of issues.

Modern researchers of Yakutia, such as Anisimov O.A.^[6], Egorova L.P. ^[8], Spesivtseva N.A. ^[13] and others. They are actively studying the issues of climate, its changes and the features of cryogenic landscapes in permafrost conditions. At the beginning of this century, the experience of adaptation of the aboriginal population to changes in climate and the Arctic environment became the subject of active study by such researchers as Suleymanov A.A., Lytkin V.M., Vinokurova L.I., Grigoriev S.A. and others. In their publications ^{[5, 14]}, in addition to the historical aspect of the study, they also consider climate changes and their impact on the daily lives of the indigenous ethnic groups of the Arctic, including the Yakuts. When conducting these studies, they rely on their own empirical material and large-scale field research.

In addition to scientists, almost all local residents are concerned about climate change. So, the residents of the village of Sydybyl are concerned about the ongoing changes and transformations in nature: "... when I was younger, in the spring, when nature woke up, there was a tart and thick coniferous aroma, and now even if you sniff needles from your hand, it doesn't smell anything. I think that all this is the result of the withering of nature. In addition, I noticed that plants and trees turn yellow very early, this was not the case in my childhood. Also, many lakes have shrunk, or even completely dried up and disappeared. Winter has become too warm, this is very bad for us Yakuts, now there are no real frosts below -50 degrees. However, summer is cold on the contrary. Of course, we do not feel the huge impact of climate change personally in our lives, it's just that in general the changes are noticeable, most likely the changes are more noticeable for those who spend more time in the forest ..." ^[1]. Another informant also highlights the noticeable climate changes, in addition, he notes the detrimental effect on agriculture and hunting activities: "... there are a lot of changes in the climate. Spring comes too early, autumn comes too late, and winter does not get cold from the word at all, therefore, we can say that warming is underway. The summer is very dry, hot, the grass does not grow normally. I think a drought is coming: the lakes have lost a lot of water, some have completely disappeared. When the drought comes, the population of hares will increase, and the population of ducks will decrease. When I was little, yes, it was cold, I remember that the temperature was -62 degrees. Ten years ago, the temperature in winter stayed below -50 for a week, and now it has become quite warm, it does not even fall below -50. Such warming, for me personally, can adversely affect my farm, can flood pastures, and in case of drought, there may be a shortage of hay..." ^[2].

Indeed, in the context of the current climate crisis, there are a number of consequences, one of which is a change in the habitat of wild animals. As a result of global warming, many animal species are forced to migrate in search of new habitats where environmental conditions will be more favorable for their existence. One of the consequences of animal migration is that it is difficult for hunters to find suitable game over long distances. This is due to the fact that animals move to new territories, in some cases this can lead to the complete disappearance of some animal species from a certain area. In addition, an increase in the average annual temperature leads to soil degradation, which also negatively affects the habitat of animals. Soil degradation can lead to a decrease in the amount of vegetation, which is a food source for many animal species, as well as a decrease in the availability of water.

Due to the change in the habitat of animals, cases of detection of predatory animals (bears, wolves) near populated areas have become more frequent. Animals in search of food explore the surroundings of settlements, use human waste products, waste, etc. left in places where household garbage is collected as food. Repeated episodes of attacks on farm and domestic animals are also recorded.

Informants report the occurrence of cases of drying up of lakes and the occurrence of swamps or lakes in previously arid areas. In addition, they note that previously they traveled by passenger cars to the place of deployment, but currently travel to the grounds is possible only by cross-country vehicles, as well as horses. In addition, changing the habitat of animals also imposes the need to travel further and further in search of game. An interesting observation is that now experienced hunter drivers know approximately when soil defrosting begins, and during spring hunting they try to get on a satisfactory road long before the onset of the thaw, since after the soil thaws, possible transport routes decrease sharply ^[4].

The range of departure involves hunting in hunting grounds for a long time, which requires a place to store game for further transportation to the village. For this purpose, glaciers dug at hunting huts – bulus - were previously actively used. During the field work, it was not possible to find a fully functioning glacier in the hunting areas, all available boulders were flooded or collapsed due to the penetration of meltwater. One of the interesting examples of adaptation is the storage found in the Vilyui district. In the Kebaya area, local hunters built a structure for storing waterfowl during the hunting season: a quadrangular depression was dug inside which half of a metal barrel was buried in an upright position with a homemade lid, the bottom was covered with a PVC awning, which also acts as an insulating layer. According to the informant ^[3], this design keeps the production in good condition for up to 10 days. The informant also talked about plans to improve his storage, and soon he plans to bury a non-functioning household refrigerator in the same way. The informant hopes to increase the shelf life of the production.

Climate change plays a significant role in the spread of diseases among animals and plants, which poses a serious threat to human health and well-being. One of the main factors contributing to the spread of diseases is the degradation of permafrost soils, which leads to the appearance and reproduction of various microorganisms that cause diseases.

Among the most dangerous diseases associated with climate change are anthrax, brucellosis and necrobacteriosis, which can be transmitted from animals to humans. These diseases have a direct impact on people's health and quality of life, and their spread is especially dangerous in places where there are old "case sites". The old "case sites" are sites where the corpses of animals infected with anthrax were buried in the past. These places can become sources of infection for other animals and, eventually, for humans. According to the researchers, the risk of infection may persist for 50-75 years after burial.

Wild animals, including birds, and also blood-sucking insects, especially horseflies, pose a significant risk in the context of the spread of the disease. This process is possible due to contact with sick animals, infected meat, camus and hides. Additionally, millions of migrating birds arrive in spring and leave for warmer climes in autumn, in light of this, hunting activity is also undergoing changes aimed at reducing the number of hunters, due to the danger of diseases of hunted animals and migrating birds.

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