Translated material
No deer - no Eve
Evens are the indigenous people of the North of Russia, for the most part living in Yakutia and numbering only about 20 thousand representatives. In 2020, at the invitation of the head of the village of Yakut photographer Alexei Vasiliev, he went to Topolino to capture the daily life of the Evens for the anniversary album of the village. Vasiliev came to Popopolny three times at different times of the year. In a photo station for the “cold”, he shows and tells how this small people live in the east of Yakutia today.
Deer, hunting, fishing, weddings and ordinary life - the traditions and modernity of the Yakut reindeer herders in the photo station "cold"
I accepted the invitation from the poplar and decided to take off the Evens, because this is the people close to us with whom we, the Yakuts, live side by side for several centuries, but we know little about the life of the life. I myself only knew that they are reindeer herders and they have “some kind of their own culture”, traditions and language.
The village of Topolino is located in the eastern part of Yakutia, on the left bank of the Topo River, which means "thread" in Even. Less than 1000 people live here, including about 700 - Evens. Although the official year of foundation is considered 1967, the first settlement appeared here back in the 1930s, when the Evens began to resettle the Evens here in the process of collectivization of reindeer herring and fishing farms. Prior to that, they lived in the village of Tompo 20 kilometers from the current Topolina.
Evena once led a nomadic lifestyle, engaging in deer. They were called deer people, they were the masters of the mountains and taiga. But with the advent of the Soviet power, Evens were led to sedentary, which is why the geography of their resettlement was reduced, and the family continuity, guarding the language and culture, was violated. The traditional economy, which has developed for centuries, was completely subordinated to the Soviet system.
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The coexistence of people and deer has always been part of the daily life of the Evens. The deer was the main donor for Eve: he gives a dwelling, transport, food, warm clothes, shoes, bed. The Even -Evensel proverb says: "There is no deer - no Eve." There will not be a shade of deer - he will leave for the city, lose his tongue, forget traditions.
Today in the rural way of their life, everything seems to be usually in many other villages of Yakutia: people live their worries, work, go to the store, talk, gossip. They like to go fishing, go to berries, mushrooms. In general, nothing that could cause some special mental thrill. In principle, this pleases: life as life.
Of course, there is a conflict between the Even lifestyle, culture in close contact with the nature and ways of the rest of society. The modern world does not always leave enough opportunities for an alternative lifestyle. But, in spite of everything, “deer people” living near the river in harmony with nature retain national identity and dignity and look at the future with hope.
The only upset me in Polopolin only that men in the village were very drunk. Not all, of course, are those who are moderate in this matter or abstain from alcohol. At the same time, I also did not meet bitter drunks in Popolin. Yes, they drink and even go into a binge, but they try to maintain a human appearance.
In general, men in poplar are very strong and dexterous. Of course, nature itself teaches them: around them, continuous hills, mountains, ridges, they hunt from birth, skillful arrows and riders. But still. In appearance, it seems like an ordinary man, with a belly. But during the hunt, for example, to a roe deer, he turns into a real ramb, who cleverly runs along these mountains: he does not cost anything in just a few minutes to climb the snow snowdrifts on the hill. And to do it as silent as possible.
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The same thing with fishing is like deer and hunting, it is also the traditional fishing of the Evens. Many in the village are completely given to her. In Popolin, I met with pensioner Konstantin Androsov. He worked for 50 years with a reindeer herder, and now he goes to the TOPO river every morning to take the fish, no matter what the weather is worth it. All year round. Every day. He even understands that, most likely, he will not catch anything, but enjoys the process itself. It can stand over the hole in the ice for six to seven at least at –50.
The story of the Evens was supposed to become part of the cycle about the indigenous peoples living in the territory of Yakutia. After them, I planned to continue to shoot about the modern way of life of Yukagirov, Evenks, Dolgan and Chukchi. But “something” went wrong, and I was forced to suspend work until better times.
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Photo: Alexey Vasiliev Author: Alexey Vasiliev