UAF Anthropology Colloquium

In this presentation I shall discuss the Eveny concept of djuluchen ('spirit that travels ahead') among a nomadic group of Eveny reindeer herders and hunters in Northeastern Siberia. The Eveny, or Lamuts, are one of the Tungus speaking group in the Russian North. About half of the Eveny population is scattered around Arctic districts of the Russian North. Eveny economy relies mostly on the subsistence activities of reindeer herding and hunting. These economic activities, which involve human and reindeer movement along an annual route of seasonal pastures, contribute to and still play a crucial role in the Eveny cosmology, rituals, oral tradition and their perception of human and animal personhood. The Eveny concept of djuluchen productively lends itself to illuminate human potential to foreshadow one's own future and reveals cultural patterns of prediction and fulfilment in nomadic cosmology.

This presentation describes a research program at the Center for Alaska Native Health Research in the Institute of Arctic Biology based on exploring Yup’ik youth resilience strategies in an effort to inform and develop effective interventions that address disparities in youth suicide and substance abuse. This program is based on over a decade of community-based participatory research (CBPR) collaborations between researchers at UAF and Yup’ik Tribal communities and organizations. This presentation will describe the development of this collaborative and participatory research relationship and identify process outcomes of implementing a Tribal and youth participatory approach for one community in Southwest Alaska. This program receives support from the NIH/National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities, the National Science Foundation and the State of Alaska.