International Journal of Criminology and Sociology, 2020, 9, 803-813 803 Sociological Analysis of the Commercial Hunting on the Lands of Small-Numbered Indigenous Peoples of the North in the Arctic Zone of the Sakha Republic Republic (Yakutia) Valery V. Velichenko1,* and Anatoly N. Sleptsov2 1Institute of Applied Ecology of the North, M.K. Ammosov North-Eastern Federal University, Yakutsk, Russia 2Faculty of Law of the North, M.K. Ammosov North-Eastern Federal University, Yakutsk, Russia Abstract: The article presents the results of the analysis of commercial hunting of the most typical communities of small indigenous peoples of the North of Russia living in the Arctic zone of Yakutia, for which hunting largely determines the life quality. For the analysis, statistical data and internal hunting materials were used with the participation of the article authors. In preparing this article, we used statistical data and materials from the Yakutia Department of Hunting Management, as well as stock materials from the Institute. We used statistical methods to process the materials. For the first time, the materials of the intra-economic hunting arrangement conducted in the areas assigned to small peoples are analyzed. For the first time, the article provides data on the history of establishing hunting grounds in Yakutia as part of all-Russian activities. The article provides the results of foreign researchers' studies dedicated to the issue of framing and maintaining the traditional lifestyle of indigenous peoples of the North. Based on the analysis of the structure of commercial production, it is demonstrated that hunting trends are adapted to the extreme weather and climatic conditions of the Arctic and defined by the wildlife species that inhabit these regions. Backed by retrospective analyses, considerable changes in the structure of commercial production are illustrated. These are linked to the decrease in numbers of one of the populations of wild reindeer and the decreasing demand for natural fur, factors that have reduced the importance of traditional hunting in the lives of the region’s ethnic groups. It is revealed that the forecast of large- scale development of mineral resources in the Arctic regions of Yakutia demands that preventive measures be taken to protect natural resources that are the foundation for the traditional crafts of the indigenous peoples of the North. Keywords: The Arctic, indigenous peoples of the North, tribal communities, hunting grounds, traditional crafts. INTRODUCTION forest-tundra, and forest areas (subarea of northern larch sparce (sparse) forest) (Figure 1). The object of the research, presented in the current article, is the hunting grounds that are secured on the For small-numbered indigenous peoples of the communities of small-numbered indigenous peoples of North and other individuals, constantly living in the Northern Russia to conduct traditional crafts in the places of traditional habitat and economic activities of Arctic zone of the Yakutia. the Sakha Republic (Yakutia), hunting has been one of the main sources of employment and life support for According to the decrees by the President of the many decades. The hunting craft of the Northern Russian Federation (The Decree of the Russian peoples is, on the one hand, economic, and on the President on introducing changes into the Decree other hand, historic and cultural social phenomenon, under the date of May 2, 2014 “On the land territories which is inseparably connected to the issues of rational of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation” under the usage of the nature resources and lifestyle. It defines date of May 14, 2009), the land territories of the Arctic the special features of hunting of these peoples as an zone of the Russian Federation include thirteen Arctic element of the traditional economy of Russia's Arctic uluses (districts) of Yakutia: Abyysky district, zone. Allaikhovsky district, Anabarsky national (Dolgano- Evenki) district, Bulunsky district, Verkhnekolymsky The year 2010 is supposed to be the beginning of district, Verkhoyansky district, Zhiganskiy national the introduction of the state measures towards legal Evenki district, Momskiy district, Nizhnekolymsky confirmation of hunting grounds for hunting providers in district, Olenyoksky national Evenki district, Russia. This is the year when the provisions of the Srednekolymsky district, Ust-Yansky district, and federal law “On hunting and the preservation of hunting Eveno-Bytantaysky national district. The total area of resources, and on introducing changes to certain legal 2 acts of the Russian Federation” (2009) came into force, the Arctic districts of Yakutia is 1,608,800 km . These defining a competitive basis for the distribution of districts are located in three natural areas – tundra, hunting grounds. *Address correspondence to this author at the M.K. Ammosov North-Eastern Before the introduction of the federal law, hunting Federal University, 58 Belinsky St., Yakutsk, 677000, Russia; grounds were divided between tribal communities of E-mail: [email protected] E-ISSN: 1929-4409/20 © 2020 Lifescience Global 804 International Journal of Criminology and Sociology, 2020, Vol. 9 Velichenko and Sleptsov Figure 1: Hunting areas of small-numbered indigenous North peoples in the Arctic zone of Yakutia (based on the map of hunting grounds of the Hunting Department of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)). the Yakutia's Northern peoples, based on traditional During the activities, the hunting grounds of the borders between tribal lands. In Yakutia, juridical Yakutia's major monopolist-hunting provider, the confirmation of hunting grounds for tribal communities "Sakhabult" Consortium, were re-secured in favor of of the Northern peoples commenced in 2006. It was local hunters; the share of their hunting grounds caused by concerns that the division of hunting increased by 168% concurrently. The share of hunting grounds on a comparative basis could lead to them grounds granted to small business entities increased losing tribal hunting lands due to the absence of by 6.7 times: from 1.2% of hunting grounds to 8.1%. financial assets to participate in commercial auction The core of the self-employed entrepreneurs who got proceedings. Between 2006 and September 2008, the the right to use the land was comprised of professional Republic's Ministry of Agriculture had assigned 245 hunters. Rights to conduct traditional economic hunting lands to 172 economic entities. Their total area activities were granted to 201 hunting areas belonging was 117,845,000 hectares, and the period (redundant, to representatives of indigenous peoples of the North, consider changing it to period or time) amounted to including 88 hunters who got the legal right to use three years. From the list of all these lands, 29% were ancestral lands for the first time. assigned to tribal communities of the Northern peoples. The differentiation of hunting crafts in the Arctic By the time the regulations of the federal law “On zone of Yakutia varies and is determined by the wildlife hunting” No. 209 (2009) came into force, that is, by habitats. So, white fox hunting is characteristic only for April 1, 2010, the work on legally securing hunting six coastal regions of the Arctic tundra zone; sable, grounds for hunting providers had been completed in squirrel, and muskrat hunting is typical for 13 areas of Yakutia. forest-tundra and forest zones. Wild reindeer hunting Sociological Analysis of the Commercial Hunting on the Lands International Journal of Criminology and Sociology, 2020, Vol. 9 805 features in all regions of the Republic’s Arctic zone Currently, hunting for deer of this population is because the deer make mass seasonal migrations from prohibited; experts are searching for the possibility of the North to the South and back again every year. restoring it (State report, 2018). Hunting in the Yakutia's Arctic regions was Over the years, the white arctic fox and weasel kill previously based on the production of six species of has gradually decreased in all Arctic regions located in fur-bearing animals, wild reindeer, and elk. The Arctic the tundra zone (Tables 1, 2). To illustrate the process territories provided 100% of the fell of white arctic fox duration, we provide the data with decades of intervals. purchased in the Republic, about 70% of sable fells, The decrease in the intensity of hunting for white fox more than 35.0% of the weasel and muskrat fells, and and weasel was influenced not by changes in the about 25.0% of squirrel fells. On average, more than number of species, but by social and economic factors 60.0% of the fur products purchased in the Republic (Figure 2). From the 1990-s, with the fall in the demand were produced there. for the wild fur, purchasing prices for arctic fox and weasel fells have begun to decrease: in 2017, the At the same time, recent decades have seen average purchasing price for one white fox fell was paramount changes that have affected the output of 637.5 rubles, and for the weasel, it was 74.7 rubles. commercial hunting of the indigenous peoples of the Therefore, hunting for these species currently is not North. So, in the 1990-s, as a result of intensive profitable for hunters, given the high costs of unregulated hunting for the wild reindeer, the preparation and hunting itself. population of the Yano-Indigirsky population declined catastrophically. If in 1989 the number of deer in the Besides, taking into account cyclic fluctuations, the interfluve area of the rivers