The Effect of Settlement on the Traditional Culture Preservation of the Indigenous Peoples in the Arctic Zone of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)

Abstract

Purpose. This article devoted to the complex study of the small number indigenous people’s settlement in the Arctic zone of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). The study has an interdisciplinary nature; the article raises the problem of the influence of settlement on the preservation of the traditional culture of the peoples. Materials and Methods. We have analyzed various approaches to the recognition of ethnic territories. Using GIS, we have identified the features of settlement and built the potential of the settlement zone for the most numerous nationalities and indigenous peoples of the Arctic zone of Yakutia. We have focused on the characteristics of the ethnic territory, such as compactness and mixedness. Results and discussion. The article highlights and describes the characteristic features of urban and rural settlements in the Arctic zone. We calculated the population density and the density of rural settlements. The urbanization of the peoples of the Arctic zone is considered. With the help of a system of graphs, the position of settlements in the settlement system relative to other settlements and transit roads was analyzed. Conclusions. It was revealed that the features of settlement are essential for the preservation of the traditional culture of indigenous peoples.