Climate Change in Oymyakon, Russia

climate change of two Siberian native communities: the Sakha and the Evens who live in the one of the coldest inhabited areas on Earth - Oymyakon, which is located in the Russian Federation's Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). Evens are semi-nomadic reindeer herders and the Sakha are horse and cattle breeders. They both practice hunting, fishing, and harvesting natural resources as necessary additions to their food supply. Evens and Sakha are well adapted to the extreme conditions of the north; however, they currently face formidable challenges due to the processes of climate change that interact synergistically with other stressors rooted in their recent history. This research seeks to discover what aspects of their ecological knowledge, culture and other factors the Evens and Sakha perceive as key to their adaptation to climate change and sustainable life. The talk will also explore the ways indigenous peoples recover and revitalize lost knowledge, focusing on the relationship between the American Museum of Natural History in New York and indigenous communities in Siberia.
 
Vera A. Solovyeva, a native Siberian (Sakha), completed her undergraduate work at Yakut State University, and is currently a PhD candidate at George Mason University. Her research focuses on how indigenous northern peoples adapt and sustain in a contemporary world that is rapidly changing due to factors such as globalization and climate change. In 2012, 2014, and 2017 she co-organized visits of traditional masters from Sakha Republic to the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York. In 2015-2016 she was Andrew W. Mellon Fellow in Cultures of Conservation at the Bard Graduate Center and AMNH (NYC). Her current research is supported by the National Science Foundation.