PROBLEMS OF DETERMINING THE ETHNIC TERRITORIES OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES OF RUSSIA (THE EXAMPLE OF YAKUTIA)
The article presents the author’s vision of the problems faced by the researcher in defining the ethnic territories of small indigenous peoples of Russia. Theoretical bases of the definition of ethnic territories are considered, and the regional peculiarities of the development of the space by the peoples are analyzed. The focus is on the specific values and attributes of small-numbered peoples’ way of life. A special approach to defining the ethnic territory of small-numbered indigenous peoples is substantiated. The author pays attention to mathematical and statistical methods that can be used to identify the concentration of small ethnic community in the territory. And describes the characteristic features of the territories of traditional nature use in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), the status and sequence of their formation. Using the example of Yukaghir settlements from the seventeenth to the beginning of the twenty-first century, author notes that the study of historical settlement areas is very important for identifying the modern ethnic territory and understanding the patterns of its formation. Attention is paid to the heterogeneity of ethnic territory, which can consist of the ethnic core (the main part of an ethnic group living compactly in a certain territory), the ethnic periphery (compact groups of representatives of that ethnic group, somehow separated from the main part of it) and the ethnic diaspora (individual members of the ethnic group dispersed over territories occupied by other ethnic communities). It is suggested that official statistical data combined with expeditionary surveys and a detailed analysis of the current situation of traditional households be used to identify ethnic territories. Indigenous culture is characterized by vulnerability and a deep connection with natural landscapes, which is expressed not only in material but also in spiritual culture. Therefore, the indicators that define the boundaries of an ethnic territory must consider these ethno-cultural features as much as possible.