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
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.
Collections
Dossiers
In dossiers, contributions from various media on special topics are compiled and illustrated.
Digital Library
Through the Digital Library, the Foundation for Siberian Cultures makes its own publications and other documents available on the Internet free of charge.
Videos
The video recordings from the collections of the Foundation for Siberian Cultures provided here offer easy access to documented indigenous knowledge in languages of the peoples of the North.
Photos
Photos by Erich Kasten from the collections of the Foundation for Siberian Cultures are shown here.
Ethnographica
Ethnographica from the collections of the Foundation for Siberian Cultures and its partners are presented here.
Books
The library collections of the Foundation for Siberian Cultures comprise mainly ethnological works on the peoples of the North. They are composed of former private collections, among others of Erich Kasten, Michael Dürr, Tjeerd de Graaf and Boris Chichlo.
Publishing House
Studies in Social and Cultural Anthropology
The scientific monographs and collective volumes of this series deal mainly with current developments among indigenous communities of the North. They are expected to contribute to a better understanding of the social and cultural changes of the past few decades in those regions while opening up prospects for future development.
Bibliotheca Kamtschatica
Scholars have travelled to the Kamchatka peninsula in Russia’s Far East since the 18th century. Apart from Russian scientists, many were of German or German-Baltic origin, exploring the region at the behest of the Russian government. Their descriptions republished in this series are still considered among the most important ethnographic documentations of Kamchatka’s indigenous peoples. The editors of this series are Erich Kasten and Michael Dürr.
Bibliotheca Sibiro-pacifica
Following earlier travel accounts, the first comprehensive ethnographic works on Northeastern Siberia were published as a result of the Jesup North Pacific Expedition, leading to a new era of ethnographic research in Russia in the early 20th century. These works are also considered important milestones in the history of North American anthropology. The editors of this series are Erich Kasten and Michael Dürr.
Exhibitions and Symposia
The exhibitions and seminars are dedicated to the discussion of various discourses on important themes and developments of the indigenous peoples of the North. The edited volumes in this series present the results of a largely interdisciplinary and transcultural exchange initiated by the Foundation for Siberian Cultures. The editor of this series is Erich Kasten.
Languages and Cultures of the Russian Far East
This series contains collections of texts in the indigenous languages of Northeastern Siberia. Audio and video recordings are also available on DVD and gradually online in open access. These materials are principally designed to sustain endangered languages and indigenous knowledge. Thanks to their translation into Russian and English they are also accessible to an international audience. The editors of this series are Erich Kasten and Michael Dürr.
Studies in Linguistic Anthropology
The series includes monographs on the linguistic documentation of indigenous languages of the North, such as grammars and dictionaries, but also aims to provide coverage of the entire spectrum of linguistic anthropology, up to and including current topics such as media linguistics and revitalization. The editors of this series are Michael Dürr and Michael Rießler. All books are peer-reviewed before publication.
Contemporary history
This series presents materials about current historiographic and ethnopolitical discourses. One of its principal themes is dedicated to the life histories of people who have become victims of forced migration or deportation, especially documentation (books, articles, etc.) that is linked to Russia and Eastern Europe. The editor of this series is Erich Kasten.
See also the text collection on memories of survivors of the Ravensbrück Concentration Camp
Films on DVD
DVDs accompany the publication of texts on the themes mentioned here. These documents are mainly presented in the original version together with English and Russian subtitles.
More books and articles
Since 2004, the web domain www.siberian-studies.org has offered open online access to books and articles about the indigenous peoples of the North from journals and edited volumes that have been published elsewhere. These documents are also available through the digital library of the Foundation for Siberian Cultures.
