No. 2, 2003
How shall we go on living?...
The Okrug budget has still not been adopted. The organizations that depend on the budget, how do they manage that is the question. For some reason or other there is no sign of indignation from those organizations active within the city limits.
Mainly it is the agricultural enterprises in the Okrug that suffer the most due to the non- adoption of the budget. Back in the beginning of February a phone call came into Yasavey from a village requesting assistance in solving a problem on paying salaries to the collective farm workers.
Tell me, how shall those who receive a meagre salary for hard work under difficult circumstances continue to live? And furthermore, the highly-placed officials dare to delay this meagreness.
This is the case with most of the collective farms. As an example let us consider the SPK “Vozhod” (MO “the Om agricultural council”). I happened to be there due to certain circumstances, and the picture of life led by the collective farm workers was rather unsightly. The same situation concerns those who live in the tundra and in villages. Neither receives cash.
In writing they receive thousands but in reality not even a dime! At this stage you have to either register or use coupons to get milk products or butter at the collective farm store. Yet not by milk alone…. Bread and other products must be bought in the Rybkop store.
You asked with what? That, which the government pays out (thank God) on time pensions, child care, unemployment benefits, etc.
My mother’s pension together with the Okrug supplement (known by the common expression as “butovskijs”) amounts to one thousand six-hundred roubles! I perceive an exclamation she earned something!
Not quite, she worked well. She provided for four shepherds her husband and three sons. But our economists calculated that she was receiving a large sum and then decided to pay for only two shepherds. The remaining two just did not exist, as if she did not sew for them or make footwear or mittens and other articles.
My mother had to buy food, clothes, pay municipal costs and in addition maintain two students on this pension. How do you like that?
The winter brought with it more difficulties. On the routes used by reindeer brigades No. 2 of SPK “Vozhod”, the attack of wolves on the herds became more frequent. By the end of February four reindeer had been slaughtered by wolves.
The reindeer herders do not have the necessary means to fight off the wolves. They are not equipped with shotguns, ammunition and traps. The greatest shortage for the brigades constituted the lack of “Buran” snowmobiles.
The cows from the little village of Vizhas were brought to the central farm in the village of Om. Unlike the settlement of Nelmin-Nos, there was no work force since the young people had moved out of the little village due to the lack of any future prospects. The school had closed down as has the kindergarten. Houses stood empty …
How shall we go on living?...
Editorial column
Every day of our life is rich with events, be it happiness or sadness. It is the personal life of each one of us.
But the life of the Okrug and its events must be common for all and touch every villager in the Okrug. What is happening to our world today? Where is the team spirit so characteristic of the North?
It is as if a fight for survival is going on - the strong shall survive, stepping on the sore spots of the others in the Okrug.
Seminar in Moscow
Alexander Belugin
A seminar on “Regulating questions concerning environmental preservation within the energy sector” was held in Moscow from February 25 28, 2003 supported by the Ministry of the Energy Sector, Russian Federation, the Canadian Institute of the Rights to Natural Resources and the Poly Technical Institute in southern Alberta (Canada).
Lectures were presented by: Janet Kiping Director of the Programs on Russia in the Canadian Institute of Natural Rights; Manager of the Programs on Russia; Jim Anderson- who works for the National Council of the Energy sector; Michael V. Clarin Senior Specialist of the Russian Institute of Directors.
The spectrum of the themes discussed was highly diverse. This included the planning of land use, preservation of the environment and a study for oil and gas reserves; community participation; selecting traces or platforms; assessment of environmental effects.
A video film was shown dedicated to the sites of the “Imperial Esso” company located in the Norman Wales settlement (Canada).
The Canadian participants also shared information with us on the model used by the National Energy Sector Council of Canada for checkups, reviewing accidents and when carrying out tests on the control systems of companies in Canada and in Russia.
Relations between companies and authorities were also discussed as well as the company’s input into the preparation of drafts for new laws and regulations; social responsibility borne by the company; relations between companies and the local population in Canada and in Russia; legal consequences due to environmental pollution and other damages (examples were cited); legal circumstances for remuneration; system for compensatory calculations in Canada; particular features in environmental protection of land belonging to or under the control of Canadian aborigines.
Trip to Hongurei
Vladislav Peskov
On the 24th of February 2003, representatives of Yasavey consisting of four persons made a business trip on two “Buran” snowmobiles to the settlement of Hongurei (Pustozerskij agricultural council). The group included V.V. Peskov, A. E. Belugin, Nikolai V. Latyshev, Andrei V. Redkin - producer of Lenfilm and Yurij S. Romanov. Transportation costs were carried by Vadim Protasov and Oleg Mirov.
During our trip we met with the villagers of the Hongurei settlement, visited the club and the school. Life on a daily basis did not differ from other settlements in the Okrug. Some are better off than others and some just about make it from one pension to the next or until the next salary.
A meeting was scheduled for 1:00 p.m. with the agricultural inhabitants who were truly interested in meeting and discussing and relating their current problems. 15 people attended. The meeting in the Hongurei settlement was coordinated by Yurij A. Hatanzejskij director of the school and Nadezhda A. Kaneva chairperson of the structural division.
During the meeting, we informed them about the work carried out by Yasavey, the projects in progress, plans for the future and the category of people our activities are currently aimed at. The problems as mentioned earlier are similar in all the settlements of the Okrug, i.e. shortage of housing, low salaries, small pensions, unemployment, and growing abuse of alcohol among the youth.
The meeting ended by deciding to work out proposals and find the means of developing the Dutch project “Reinforcement of activities of Yasavey’s structural divisions in NAO settlements” in the Hongurei settlement based on the structural division and schools. A discussion was held with the director of the school Yu. A. Hatanzejskij concerning the best way of organizing in a school provided with small-scale possibilities but with a computer class - (a data centre division “Yasavey Manzara”) and informing the villagers in the Okrug of the actual situation in the Hongurei settlement. An application must be filled in and submitted in order to participate in the Dutch project.
There are definitely positive factors on behalf of developing this information centre, such as direct communication with Naryan-Mar, free Internet access, and continuous exchange of information with the Movement’s office.
(According to material from a report by A. Belugin)
Murmansk: an international conference
The international conference “Observation by indigenous peoples of environmental changes beyond the Arctic circle of the planet Earth” was organized within the framework of the “Snowchange” project. Vladimir Kotkin project coordinator and Elena Latysheva from Yasavey participated in the conference.
The conference was held in Murmansk from the 21st through the 25th of February at the base of the Murmansk Humanitarian Institute (MHI).
We were met at the airport by representatives of the Conference organizers and were quite surprised by the distance from the airport to the city. It is approximately a one-hour ride by car. Following a lengthy flight and then the car ride, we were quite exhausted. The 21st was the day of arrival of the delegations so that no events were planned for that day. We were accommodated in the “Polyarnye zori” hotel.
On the 22nd of February the conference opened along with greetings from representatives of various delegations. Vladimir Kotkin pronounced a welcoming speech on behalf of Yasavey. The folklore spectacle by Saami representatives from Russia and Finland was very impressive.
According to the program Anna Prahova presented her paper entitled “Cooperation in the Barents region and indigenous peoples anniversary 10 years of joint work”. Briefly I shall give you a short summary. Prahova gave an account of the work performed and outlined the structure of mutual cooperation between the indigenous peoples and the authorities in the Barents region.
After lunch the conference moved to the MHI where it continued until the closure of the conference. During the first session a presentation was made by the public association “Bellona” “Nuclear North”. A brochure was distributed among the participants with information on the presentation (it can be found at the main office of the Association). In the second session, papers were read by representatives from Canada, Saamis from Sweden and Russia (these presentations directly addressed the theme of the conference). The following conclusion can be drawn after listening to all the lectures climatic changes are observed everywhere behind the planet’s Arctic circle, and especially worrisome is the rate of speed at which these changes are taking place. This climatic change poses a direct threat to the economic security of people leading a traditional way of life which was more than likely noted by John Keojack? an Arctic Association of Canadian Inuits.
The paper presented by Sergei Zavalko on the Saami of Russia “ Saami of Russia. Saami culture - a look into the future” in which the question was studied as to the present location of the indigenous population and a map was presented of the Kola peninsula with markings indicating traditional reindeer grazing pastures, fishing, historical locations, etc. I noted immediately that such a map was necessary for our Okrug. Then I spoke with the Saami representative responsible for this map. He agreed to cooperate with us as far as assistance is concerned when producing a similar map for our Okrug. I received two books from him explaining the technique of reproducing such maps.
As far as the remaining presentations were concerned and which dealt with Russian regions, it was decided to postpone them until the following day since time was short. This occurred because translation was required.
On the 23rd of February the second day of the conference began with a folklore presentation by a representative of the people Saami Schaman. Then the main presentation was held on climatology followed by papers postponed from the day before.
My paper was among these presentations entitled “Establishing relations between oil companies and OD “Yasavey”. Questions on the presentations were handled by working groups.
A nuclear-fired ice breaker was the object of a visit on the following day. But many Conference participants from Russia were not able to go and the reason was a mistake made by the organizers the participants were not warned in time to send their passport data one month in advance. At noon the remaining participants of the conference left for Lovozero a settlement where Saami live together in a tight community. An excursion around the settlement was arranged and a concert performed after which we left for
Murmansk. It is interesting to note that an ethno-cultural centre was built for national minority groups with a very attractive finishing in the national style.
The aim of the trip to become acquainted with the “Snowchange” project and its participants was achieved. In essence this can also be understood as an agreement to have the representatives of the project visit Naryan-Mar in September 2003. Furthermore, positive feedback was also received concerning the financing for the design and production of the information map of the Okrug. It was also interesting to note the high degree of curiosity on behalf of the foreign delegates about our Okrug. Information was exchanged as regards names and addresses for possible future cooperation. Experience has now been gained when dealing with questions such as climatic change. Data acquisition was also a new field with which I became more familiar especially in this subject.
A shortcoming of this conference was the lack of simultaneous interpretation, small organizational flaws, a narrow field of questions to be considered, etc.
(According to material from a report by V. Kotkin).
Mother Tongue
Mother tongue, don’t die, don’t disappear,
Otherwise it will be empty:
We shall forget our lovely land,
We shall forget the childhood of feeling.
How hurts the heart and but yet is warm
From Mother’s tongue and who has grown old.
As if the ancestors of old
Have sung a hymn to the earth without sin.
Mother tongue, you are like a soul,
The soul of a faraway people.
We shall dance the londo,
What a shame the round dance is so small.
This poem was written by Lyubov Nikolayevna
Demina who lives in faraway Yakutin.