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| Sunday, 5 June 2005 |
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Junior Observer |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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The Nenets of Siberia
Does the thought of living a nomad's life excite you? You may know that the nomadic phase was one of the steps of human evolution, but did you know that there are still people living this way; moving constantly from one place to another, without a permanent home, finding their food from the environment they live in? Although such groups are very rare now, they are not totally extinct. The Nenets of Siberia are one such nomadic tribe. 'Nenet' means man. The older and more widespread name for the Nenets is 'Yurak-Samoyeds' or 'Yuraks'. This name is still used even outside Russian countries. The term 'Nenet' originally applied to the Northern Nenets and came to mean all the Samoyed people around the 1920s. The term 'hasaba', which also means man, is used, but not regularly. The Nenets live in the polar regions of north-eastern Europe and north-western Siberia. They also inhabit the Arctic Ocean islands and the Kola Peninsula. Combined, this area stretches over one million square kilometres. Their native land are the tundra and forest tundra, a country of permafrost, rivers and marshy areas.The Nenets are the most numerous of the Samoyed peoples. Although the current population stands around 40,000, which is an increase from the 9,427 in 1897, the number speaking the native language has declined to about 77 per cent of the population. This has raised fears of the Nenets undergoing a cultural extinction. Most of them, especially the younger generations, are well versed in Russian and have discarded their native tongue in favour of Russian.
Nenets bear strong Mongoloid characteristics. They are commonly of short stature and have a stocky build. They have a broad and flat face, a short, somewhat protruding nose, straight thick hair, and hair and eyes which are black or brown, due to dark pigmentation.As their main occupations are reindeer-breeding, hunting and fishing, their language abounds with terms describing these activities. Some of these terms have influenced other languages as well and made their way into these languages. They have lived as hunters and fishermen and fully adapted themselves to life in the tundra. Their migratory cycles, of moving from the coastal regions to the forests in autumn, and moving back in spring, are ties to the cycle of reindeer. These people now face the danger of extinction as their lives have been disrupted by industrialisation, the decrease in forest cover, and the many nuclear activities being conducted in the area. Moreover, the reindeer populations are dwindling, creating further pressures on the Nenet population. ############# The heavenly rose "A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet" is a well-known saying by Shakespeare. This demonstrates the beauty and fragrance of this flower, which is undoubtedly the king of the flower world. The rose is a favourite among most people, whether to grow, to receive as a gift or simply to see, smell and touch. Whatever colour they may be, roses delight us and make us appreciate the beauty of nature much more. This admiration for the rose is nothing new. Ancient fossils of roses have been discovered in the Asian and the Baltic regions, while there is literary evidence that ancient civilisations such as the Greeks and Romans venerated the flower. It was considered a symbol of honour. Greek legend says the rose was the Earth's first creation, produced to show the gods that the Earth could also create a thing of perfect beauty. The rose symbolised the church for the Christians of the medieval era. We know that the rose is a symbol of love, but did you know that it was also considered a symbol of secrecy? Ancient Romans used to hang a rose from the ceiling at meetings to show that the information presented would be confidential. Secrecy was guaranteed for meetings held under the rose (sub rosa). The custom existed in other countries too. Servants in England wore roses behind their ears to show that they won't repeat anything they may overhear. In Germany, a bowl of roses in the dining room indicated that a guest could speak freely. Have you heard of the 'War of the Roses? Two well-known royal houses in England, the House of Lancaster and the House of York had adopted the red and white roses respectively in their coats-of-arms. These houses fought each other during the 1400s, leading to this famous war. After the clashes stopped, a new hybrid rose came to be called 'York and Lancaster' in their honour. Romans also used garlands of roses to welcome their heroes. Guests at banquets were showered with rose petals to make them feel welcome. There is evidence that the ancient Pharaohs grew roses in their gardens and chose to have the flowers in their tombs. This was a much loved flower in India too. It was used by the Moghul emperors as a sign of their higher status. Their bath water was also strewn with rose petals. The flower gained a strong place in iconography, as a result of the Rosa rugosa, one of the oldest species of rose with five petals and pentagonal symmetry, representing the guiding star of Venus. The flower was associated with true direction and finding one's way, due to the compass Rose helping travellers navigate, and due to the Rose Lines, the longitudinal lines on maps. Today, roses are used to make perfumes, cosmetics and various syrups, while they also have medicinal properties. |
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