Digital Humanities of the North is of interest to anyone who wants to know more about the cultures of the indigenous peoples of the North. The featured themes are primarily aimed at the indigenous communities of the North who co-produced much of the content presented here. Because its cultural diversity can only be maintained with their motivation and commitment, this portal has also been created to encourage their participation in that effort.
Digital Humanities of the North is both the continuation and enhancement of the web portal of the Foundation for Siberian Cultures (Kulturstiftung Sibirien). The new presentation is the outcome of several workshops held in 2018. The participants of the resulting consortium have been working with indigenous communities of the North for a long time and have assembled extensive documentation about their cultures.
Ethnografien bieten einen einfachen Zugang für Alle, die mehr über die Kulturen der Völker des Nordens erfahren möchten. Sie geben beispielhaft Einblick in das Leben des jeweiligen Volkes und dienen als Anregung, sich eingehender mit diesen Kulturen zu beschäftigen.
Themen werden anhand von audiovisuellen Dokumentationen dargestellt und kommentiert. Viele der Themen wurden von indigenen Gemeinschaften angeregt und spiegeln lokale Sichtweisen wider.
Der Verlag der Kulturstiftung Sibirien veröffentlicht Werke, die sich vor allem an Ethnologen, Linguisten, Historiker, Museologen und Naturwissenschaftler sowie auch an indigene Gemeinschaften richten.
Sammlungen enthalten neben der Digitalen Bibliothek ebenfalls frei zugänglich gemachte audiovisuelle Aufzeichnungen und Bild-Dokumente (in Bearbeitung).
Ethnographies
Sámi
Khanty
Tyvans
Itelmen
Nanai
Koryak
Chukchi
Even
Nenets
Uilta
Evenk
Yakuts / Sakha
Ainu
Themes
The history of research draws on scientific travel accounts and later ethnographies to provide an overview of the different periods of Siberia’s exploration.
Worldviews and rituals offers insights into visions of harmonious interaction between man and nature and how appropriate behavior in this respect is communicated through ritual.
Arts and crafts presents objects of daily use, especially clothing, that are often a reflection of aesthetic and symbolic expression.
Performing arts illustrates popular genres of artistic expression among the indigenous peoples of the North, such as woodcarving, dance and song.
Traditional use of natural resources contains examples of fishing, hunting, reindeer herding and the gathering of plants. Beyond the introduction provided here, these topics are covered also in more detail on Environmental Knowledge of the North.
Arctic climate change and sustainable relations with nature is dedicated to the future conditions of life of the indigenous peoples of the North. This topic is also presented in particular detail on Environmental knowledge of the North.
Indigenous knowledge and languages are documented here largely since their preservation is one of the principal objectives of this initiative.
Digital transmission of the cultural heritage of the indigenous peoples of the North is designed to stimulate indigenous discourse and thus to contribute to its sustainment.
Times of political upheaval in Eastern Europe and Siberia are portrayed particularly through people's life stories.
The Foundation for Siberian Cultures is a non-profit organization that was created by Erich Kasten in 2010 as a result of his long-standing fieldwork among indigenous communities in Northern Scandinavia, the Canadian Pacific Northwest and Siberia.
The web portal Digital Humanities of the North is supported by a number of scientific and cultural institutions and organizations that are also actively engaged in the effort to preserve and support the cultures of the indigenous peoples of the North.
