Spatial Organisation of the Traditional Cultural Landscape of the Evenks (Example of South Yakutia)

Abstract

International audienceThe article describes the main spatial properties of traditional cultural landscape of the Evenks in South Yakutia. The study is based on the of field research conducted on key areas of Evenks in South Yakutia – interviews, representation modelling, observations – and the use of Sentinel 2A remote sensing for mapping and contextualising the geographic environment of living places. The characteristic features of the territory of traditional use of natural resources is described; more especially the relations between economic activity and the spatial model of cultural landscape. Management of natural resources in the traditional culture of the Evenks is a balanced economic activity, adapted to the local natural conditions and formed under their influence. The main functional factor of traditional Evenki cultural landscape is reindeer herding and hunting.The traditional cultural landscape of Evenk is presented from two perspectives: objective as a geographic object of analysis (landscape and visual, formal aspect) and subjective - symbolic and humanistic aspect (mythological, toponymic features are analysed). Joint subjective and objective approaches bring out a spatial model of the Evenks cultural landscape characterised by a centric multi-zonal structure; recognised and modelled by the remote sensing. The spatial properties of traditional cultural landscape along with the Evenki material culture highlight spiritual and religious, moral and aesthetic values. The research project “Landscape ontology: semantics, semiotics, and geographic modelling” (№ 15-18-20047) funded by the Russian Science Foundation