KUTSAL VE BİLİMSEL: SİBİRYA NEHRİ’NİN KORUNMASINDA GELENEKSEL EKOLOJİK BİLGİ

Yıl 2019, Cilt: 1 Sayı: 2, 267 - 287, 17.06.2019

Berkant Örkün

Öz

Katun
Nehri, Sibirya’daki Altay Dağları’nın bozkırlarından çıkar. Ob Nehri’nin ana
kollarından biri olan Katun, yerli Altaylıların kültürünün merkezi olarak kabul
edilir. Önemli kültürel bölgelerin büyük bir bölümünü içeren Katun vadisi,
Neolitik dönemin ve Rusya’daki erken dönem insan yerleşimlerinin bir kısmının
tarihlendirildiği bir alandır. Günümüzde Altaylılar hala nehri ve havza boyunca
yayılan pınarları onurlandıran geleneksel törenlere uymakta ve arazilerin ve su
kaynaklarının yönetiminde geleneksel ekolojik bilgiyi kullanmaktadır. Rus ve
uluslararası bilim insanları,  Altay
dağlarını; bitki çeşitliliğinin ve endemik türlerin çok sayıda olduğu, kar
leoparı gibi nesli tükenmekte olan türlerin yaşam alanlarını kapsayan önemli
bir bölge olarak tanımlamaktadırlar. Katun Nehri’nin kendisi; tehdit altındaki
türleri, nesli tükenmekte olan balıkları ve yüksek oranda endemik türleri
barındırır ve onun kolları sıra dışı, yüksek endemizm oranıyla karakterize
edilen Moğol ihtiyofauna[1]
bölgesidir. Aynı bölgeler Altay insanları için özel ya da kutsal olarak kabul
edilir ve Batılı bilim insanları tarafından da korunması çok önemli olan bir
bölge olarak tanınır. Perestroyka dönemi boyunca Katun’da bir hidroelektrik
baraj inşa edilecekti. Yüzyılın projesi için eski Sovyet planının bir eseri
olan bu büyük baraj önemli tarımsal, ekolojik, eğlencelik ve kültürel
kaynakları tahrip ederdi. Yerli Altay halkı kutsal ve kültürel alanlarının
çoğunu kaybederdi. Katun barajı projesi; yerli halkı, tanınmış Sibiryalı
yazarları ve uluslararası toplulukları meşgul ederek Rus toplumu üzerinde
kalıcı etki bırakan etkili protestodaki bilim insanlarını birleştirdi.
Protestonun büyüklüğü Altay Dağları bölgesinin tüm Rusya için önemini
göstermektedir. Yerli Altaylıların aktif olarak katılımı; anayurtlarının
çevresel, kültürel ve dini değerlerini olumsuz etkileyen politik kararlara
karşı hareket geçme konusundaki geleneksel isteklerini yansıtıyordu. Onların
katılımı, Rusya’daki yerli halklar için, daha büyük bir saygıyı ve özyönetimi
vurgulayan perestroyka altındaki farklılığın yeni dalgasını yansıtmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Altay Cumhuriyeti, Koruma, Otlaklar, Irmaklar, Katun Nehri, Ob Nehri, Rusya, Sibirya nehirleri, Bozkır, Geleneksel Ekolojik Bilgi, pastoralist, Perestroyka, Geleneksel Ekolojik Bilgi

THE SACRED AND THE SCIENTIFIC: TRADITIONAL ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE IN SIBERIAN RIVER CONSERVATION

Öz

The Katun River originates in the steppe of the
Altai Mountains in Siberia. One of the major headwaters of the Ob River, the
Katun is considered central to the culture of the indigenous Altaians. The
Katun Valley contains large numbers of important cultural sites, dating from
the Neolithic and representing some of the earliest human settlement in Russia.
Modern-day Altaians still observe traditional ceremonies honoring the river and
springs throughout the watershed and utilize traditional ecological knowledge
in their man-agement of the land and water resources. Russian and international
scientists have identified the Altai Mountains as a region of high plant
diversity and endemism, and as important habitat for endangered species such as
the snow leopard. The Katun River itself contains species of threatened and
endangered fishes, and its headwaters are part of the unusual Mongolian
ichthyofaunal province that is characterized by high levels of endemism. The
same regions are considered by the Altaian people to be special or sacred and
are recognized by Western scientists as having great value for conservation.
During the era of perestroika, a hydroelectric dam was to be built on the
Katun. The large dam, a vestige of the earlier Soviet plan for the Project of the
Century, would have devastated significant agricultural, ecological,
recreational, and cultural resources. The indigenous Altaian people would have
lost much of their sacred and cultural landscape. The Katun dam project united
indigenous people, well-known Siberian writers, and scientists in protest,
which became so heated that it engaged the international community, with
lasting effects on Russian society. The mag-nitude of the protest illustrates
the importance of the Altai Mountain region to all of Russia. The active
participation of indigenous Altaians reflected their traditional willingness to
take action against political decisions that negatively impacted the
environmental, cultural, and religious values of their homeland. Their
involvement also reflected the new wave of awareness under perestroika that
underscored a greater respect and autonomy for indigenous peoples in Russia. 

Anahtar Kelimeler

Altai Republic, conservation, grassland, headwaters, Katunz River, Ob River, pastoralist, perestroika, Russia, Siberian rivers, steppe, Traditional Ecological Knowledge

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