Hunting in Yakutia as an initiation
By turning Yakutia into a resource colony for Moscow, the Russian authorities are destroying the nature of the republic, causing ecological disasters. Alongside this, there is the destruction of the culture, language, and indigenous belief of the Sakha people as a nation, as the local people’s faith is Tengrism — a reverence for nature.
As a cultural resistance, we can observe attempts from indigenous inhabitants to preserve their identity, culture, and traditions. Hunting is an important part of the self-identification of the Sakha people.
In Yakutia boys learn to hunting since childhood. If you can hold a gun and take aim, you go for duck or hare hunting with your fatherIt’s a blessing for a teenager — to go to hunting as adults. Everyone remembers their first prey, and this moment become a memory for your whole life. Hunting is like an initiation, a ritual of becoming a man.
My mother is Yakut, my father is Russian. He came to Yakutia from the Altai Territory to mine gold. When my mother was pregnant with me, she broke up with my father and returned to her native village.
In the 90s, there was a revival of the Yakut national identity after gaining sovereignty. Increasingly, parents gave their children Yakut names. In the republic, they began to speak and write about the Yakut identity and culture.
I was born in Yakutia. It was clear that when I grew up, I would be different from my peers. Trying to save me from future difficulties, my relatives decided to give me a Yakut name — Sakhamin. My name means “I am a Yakut”. But already at school they called me “ Nuuchamin”. “Nuuchcha” is translated from Yakut as “Russian”. “What kind of Yakut are you, you are Russian!” — laughed at me. Not fully understanding why this is bad, I was upset. It seemed that I looked ridiculous among them.
Trying to compensate for my otherness, from an early age I read Yakut literature, won competitions in the Yakut language and literature, and studied culture. Moreover I grew up without a father, so that’s why this rite is special for me.
Due to poverty in the region, almost no one can afford to travel for vacations to warmer climates or to other regions of Russia, let alone abroad. That’s why duck hunting remains the most common form of vacation. Every year, at the beginning of May, we head out to hunting grounds where there’s no electricity, cell reception, or internet. For many men, it’s a break from social life, daily routines, and family problems. It’s the only place where they can be alone, in silence, reflecting and contemplating life. That’s why men start preparing for this eagerly since winter, when there’s still a winter road in our area. We haul all the heavy gear with a tractor, buy everything we need, and plan ahead.
Only men go hunting. It’s believed that if a woman touches a gun, you won’t hit your target.
Days pass quickly: we sit in ground blinds at night, waiting for birds, and during the day, we sleep and cook. Alcohol, card games, swearing, and loud laughter are all part of the evenings before going out for night duty. Living in the woods for an extended period brings a deep sense of calm, and the daily hustle and bustle fade away. The only daily concerns are cooking and tending to the stove.
