Casting Timeshadows: Pleasure and Sadness of Moving among Nomadic Reindeer Herders in north-east Siberia

Abstract

Mobility is not simply imposed by the movement of animals, but gives a specific quality to human life. A long-term study of cyclical movement among Eveny reindeer herders reveals an alternating build-up and release of tension as each site is activated by human engagement with its spirits and then becomes dormant again until the following year. In each onward move, pleasure is mingled with sadness to form an indigenous aesthetic as the herder’s intention to travel is matched by the destination’s invitation to arrive. By contrast, the Soviet-imposed village creates a new immobility which thwarts this aesthetic and these emotions, perhaps stimulating depression and suicide. The analysis reveals a very particular kind of relationship between space, mobility and emotion.