Surveillance or abandonment? About an issue of the state paternalism towards the aboriginal people of the North

Abstract

The issue of the sparsely populated peoples in the north of Russia has already hit alarming levels; there have been shocking levels of social problems, much of it alcohol related. It is the position of the author that such social ills are merely symptoms of a greater problem; that of power relations, not just with the state but at the level of families, society and the individual. This article takes the principles of Foucault’s understanding of power structures to analyse the Evenki people in North Russia. This begins with the role of the Soviet ‘eye of power’ and its influence on the region. Interviews are collected and discussed to provide a picture of the Soviet period. The 1990’s brought massive socio-economic dislocation to the Evenki and an attempt is made to trace why and how these negative trends came about and why the authorities failed to overcome them. What emerges is a community hamstrung by a decency culture built on years of Soviet paternalism, decades of total control by the Soviet authorities to help develop a ‘little people’ to the level of the rest. However, it appears the Evenki were swept into a socialist system that obliterated their traditional modes of existence. When this socialist system collapsed the Evenki have nothing to turn back to. This is another case of a traditional society becoming part of a modern state and being left with massive social problems. Total control is thus seen as an unproductive strategy for sustainable development and preservation of Evenki culture. More participation from their side must be elicited to go along with continued state support rather than state control. While this may mean the rebirth of state paternalism is a milder form, this is considered necessary given the catastrophic state of affairs in the region.