Home – Home – Jornals – Geography and Natural Resources 2024 number 1

This article discusses the features of the tribal composition, population and settlement of the Evenks of the Barguzin Baikal region in the period from the 17 ^th to the 20 ^th centuries. The study was conducted using the methods of cultural geography, statistical data of the population, archival documents and other historical sources. The paper also applies the concept of ethno-cultural landscape, which allows studying the relationship between community, cultural tradition and place. The study is focused on the tribal composition, number and distribution of the Evenks, taking into account ethno-contact zones and socio-cultural standards. The main sources of data are the works of researchers, archival materials and field studies of the authors. The analysis made it possible to characterize the processes of formation of the number and identification of the Evenks of the Barguzin Baikal region. The natural landscape has an impact on the economy and settlement of the ethnic group. The areal stability of settlement and confinement to the necessary natural resources for life support have been revealed. It is shown that the tribal composition of the Evenks exhibits relative stability, but at the same time it is subjected to the influence of migratory mobility and intercultural contacts. The main areas of the historical settlement of the Evenks are associated with hunting, fishing and cattle-breeding complexes. The largest number of Evenks and the number of settlements with a share of the Evenk population were recorded in the pre-revolutionary period. During the Soviet period, there were changes in settlement and a radical geocultural restructuring of the Evenks’ way of life. From that time to the present, the transformation of the traditional way of life and identity of the Barguzin Evenks has continued. On the basis of the historical-geographical approach, the data on the settlement of the Evenk ethnic group, confined to the cattle-breeding and hunting-trading areas, are summarized. The materials of field observations confirm the continuity of historical memory, cultural traditions of local groups, their features and significance in the habitation of space. Features of the tribal composition and localization of the genera of the Barguzin Evenks of the the 17 ^th - early 19 ^th century influenced the formation of the modern settlement of the Evenk and mixed population of the Barguzin Baikal region.