Modern Life Strategies of Small Rural Areas Residents of The Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug: An Example of Life and New Values

Abstract

The state policy and public rhetoric on the traditional lifestyle preservation of the indigenous peoples of the Russian Arctic is based on the postulate of its unconditional immutability and the need to preserve it in the interests of the indigenous people. The public field, as a rule, is dominated by simplified ideas about the modern life and life strategies way of the traditional communities’ representatives of the Russian Arctic, but at the same time it is obvious that in a world with a prevalence of mass consumption, the traditional lifestyle and traditional economic activities cannot provide the indigenous population of the Arctic zone an acceptable standard of living for them without government assistance. It is also impossible to preserve the traditional culture of the indigenous population by a decision from above. Most of the measures taken involve an active strategy of the local population aimed at maintaining traditional lifestyles and economic activities. At the same time, the study of migration processes, including the hidden migration of representatives of the indigenous peoples of the Russian Arctic from rural areas to cities, as a reflection of the socio-economic situation and life quality of the population covering all spheres of life of society: politics, economy, culture, satisfaction with the life quality, provision of well-maintained and comfortable housing, services availability (both public and domestic), social elevators availability, employment, education and medical services availability, allow us to develop an alternative strategy for the preservation of indigenous ethnic groups in the Arctic, in accordance with the realities of the economic and social situation in their residence regions.