Peculiarities of Human Potential Development of the Indigenous Peoples of the North

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head of the division of the organization of the scientific connections of the institute of the economic researches of the Far-Eastern department of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Peculiarities of Human Potential Development of the Indigenous Peoples of the North

Valentina Genievna Buldakova

Khabarovsk

In a modern society the real wealth of a country is determined not only by the gross national product, but also by human capital development. The concept of human capital is both an economic and a social category. The main constituents of human capital comprise a combination of the following components: cultural-ethnic features; education and vocational training, physiological and psychological characteristics of an individual; state of health; motivating needs, motivation, values.

An assessment of human capital is complicated enough, as the given category has an integrated character. To assess and compare the level of socio-economic status of different countries the Human Development Index (HDI) is used. This all-round comparable indicator is introduced to international political and scientific use by the United Nations Organization.

According to the structural components of human capital it is possible to characterize both an individual, and a social group, and a country as a whole. Let us try applying, within the limits of our research, the given index to the national communities of indigenous peoples of the North.

Human development depends on the following factors: physical, mental, material and social well-being of an individual, civil, social and state protection of the citizens. The system of these factors forms a sociosphere that provides development of an individual, and within the scope of the society - development of human capital.

We will consider each of these factors in the national-ethnic communities of indigenous peoples of the North.

Physical and mental well-being of an individual is determined primarily by the state of health, level of health care, and ecological safety of his life.

The state of health of indigenous peoples is a great source of concern today. According to the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program (AMAP) and United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), in recent years the life-support system of the indigenous peoples of the North has undergone a dramatic and negative transformation. Severe destructions and pollution of the natural complexes, contraction of the areas of traditional natural resource use, depletion

of the resources, social and economic changes have led to deterioration and even destruction of anatomic-physiological adaptations that had developed over centuries, reduction of life duration and growth of diseases [7].

Table 1 State of Health of Indigenous Peoples of the North

Source: The second AMAP International Symposium on Environmental Pollution of the Arctic: Extended abstracts. AMAP report 2002:2, Rovaniemi, Finland. - 2002. (Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program (AMAP), report 2002).

The social induced diseases include, first of all, tuberculosis. The last decade has brought worsening of the epidemiological situation with tuberculosis in the Russian Federation as a whole. The tuberculosis incidence indicator in the indigenous peoples of the North of the Khabarovsk Territory in 1997 - 2006 grew almost twice, disease incidence in children grew 1.4 times, death rate increased by 45%. [5]

The level of mental diseases is high. Mental disorders incidence over the last 10 years has grown 3 times. The structure of diseases shows that a considerable part of indigenous population has difficulty with adapting the traditional, historically developed forms of behavior to present-day requirements of life-sustaining activity dictated by industrialization and commercialization. The response of an organism to sharp changes of external conditions and inability to quickly develop an adequate line of behavior result in the emergence of the feeling of social inferiority. All that leads to mental disturbances.

Equally dangerous for the peoples of the North in social respect is the problem of alcohol abuse. By the level of the population diseased with alcoholism and alcoholic psychoses almost all northern peoples hold leading positions in the Russian Federation. It is notable that in literature there even has emerged a specific term “northern alcoholism” [3].

Professor A.I. Kozlov, International Independent Ecological and Politological University, explains the specific character of alcoholism in the indigenous population by genetic conditions [3]. Though recent years have been marked with a tendency towards earlier onset of taking alcoholic drinks (12 - 14 years of age) and a quick loss of control over alcohol intake. Alcoholization is also the cause of high mortality from accidents (being drowned, frozen etc.). Injuries and intoxication rank first among the mortality causes in indigenous population of the Khabarovsk Territory.

Table 2 Structure of Disease Incidence in the Khabarovsk Territory

Source: Suleimanov S.Sh., State of Health of the Indigenous Peoples of Priamurye: Pharmacogenetic Aspects. A report at a practical-scientific conference “The effect of pollution of the Amur river on the traditional way of life and health of the indigenous peoples of the North of the Khabarovsk Territory”. May 29, 2007, Khabarovsk.

One can distinguish the following causes of health deterioration among the indigenous peoples of the North:

Socio-economic:

Ш destruction of the traditional way of life;

Ш destruction of the traditional living environment ;

Ш loss of social objectives;

Ш decline in the living standards;

Ш disturbance of intra-family relations;

Ш uncalled personality.

Medical-biological

Ш genetic peculiarities of the organism's functioning;

Ш low adaptive resources of the organism;

Ш unavailability of adequate medical assistance.

The material well-being of an individual among the indigenous people is represented by the income level, job security, opportunities for engaging in traditional types of activity and to dispose of the products of this activity. What happens in this sphere of life of the aboriginals?

The ethnic-social conditions in areas of traditional residence of the indigenous peoples of the North is determined by common problems: curtailment of unprofitable local production and the related unemployment, insufficient volume of state appropriations for the development of social infrastructure.

The process of dismissal of people engaged in social production has affected almost all nationalities. The actual unemployment rate in national villages accounts for as much as 40 - 50% of the number of economically active population. At the same time, deep changes occur in the occupational pattern as well. According to the data from the All-Russian population census of 2002, only 14% of the Nivkhs and Nanais are employed in the traditional industries, participation of the indigenous population in the construction industry has declined to 1%, in transport and communication - to 2.5%.

In the Primorsky and Khabarovsk territories labor income is gained by about one third of the indigenous population (29%) (Fig. 1). A great number of people have either seasonal work, or gain income from private farm holdings. A сonsiderable part of the population are on welfare, or on retirement pensions and educational grants. In the Nanais, for example, the number of such people makes up about half of the population (48.5%).

A disastrous situation has formed in remote villages, where due to abolition of state farms no production is left. In the village of Gvasyugi, district of Lazo, the Khabarovsk Territory, 74% of indigenous peoples taking part in the polling had a monthly income below 3000 rubles. And this is considering that the level of the monthly subsistence minimum at the time of the polling (May - June 2006) was 4,785 rubles.

Fig.1. Sources of Income of Indigenous Peoples

Source: The results of the All-Russian population census of 2002., Vol.13.// Russian Statistics. - M., 2005

The social welfare of an individual is determined by the social-cultural sphere, education, training, and culture. Despite the low employment level of indigenous population, one should note a fairly high educational level of the northern peoples. Out of 167,971 representatives of indigenous peoples of the North 15 and more years of age, 47,5% have higher and secondary education (Tab.3). However, in comparison to average Russian educational level (77,5%) this indicator is rather low.

Table 3 Educational Level of the Indigenous Peoples of the North

Source: The results of the All-Russian population census of 2002., Vol.13 // Russian Statistics. - M., 2005.

Currently there operate several higher education institutions dealing with training of specialists from among indigenous peoples. In the Khabarovsk Territory training of specialists from among indigenous peoples of the North had been conducted already since 1930s by a number of educational institutions. Now professional training of national manpower is performed by the Far Eastern State Humanitarian University, the Far Eastern State Medical University, the Nikolaevsk-on-the Amur Teacher Training College, the Nikolaevsk-on-the Amur Medical College. It accounts for the fact that among aboriginal peoples of Priamurye the percentage of people with higher education and incomplete higher education was greater. Among indigenous peoples of Priamurye today up to 10% of people have higher education, complete and incomplete, or post-graduate education, and up to 20% have specialized secondary education.

Source: The results of the All-Russian population census of 2002., Vol.13.// Russian Statistics. - M., 2005.

Fig. 2. Educational Level of the Indigenous Peoples of Priamurye

The culture (including ethnic culture) plays an important role in the process of reproduction of human capital, affecting primarily its psychological component. Ethnic culture largely determines the moral structure of a national community.

The traditional culture of the indigenous peoples of Priamurye is not only very original, but also very ancient, embodying layers of the cultures of Mohe and Bohai, arts and crafts of the Golden Empire of Jurchen and neighboring peoples of ancient China, Korea and Japan. The ethnic similarity with the culture of nationalities of Northeast Asia and East Asia is manifested in beliefs and rituals, in some elements of Shamanism, in worship objects, in traditions of animism, etc.

The main components of the traditional culture of aboriginal peoples are the animistic ideas of the outside world, a similar for all indigenous peoples set of diverse birth, wedding, burial, hunting and fishing rituals and taboos, worships of different animals and cliffs. A big role in the culture of indigenous peoples of Priamurye was played by Shamanism, which served as spiritual core of the traditional society. social health income culture

The historical and socio-economic processes of the 20th century drastically influenced the native people's culture, became a cause of its transformation and loss of many rituals, ceremonies and holidays - all those elements that determine the unique spiritual character of that culture and originality of indigenous ethnos.

According to the data from the poll, about a half of the indigenous peoples from some national villages of the Khabarovsk Territory know and observe national traditions. In general, hunting and fishing ceremonies are observed.

Fig. 2. Observance of national ceremonies in village Gvasyugi (percentage from the number of interrogated)

Source: the results of interrogating of 360 indigenous people, conducted by the author in May - June 2006 in national villages Gvasyugi, Achan, Ommi of the Khabarovsk Territory. The sample was stratified by nationality and age.

However, in recent decades the indigenous peoples have had a growing desire to get back to the sources of traditional culture, to the neglected ceremonies and rites. In national villages traditional holidays are now often celebrated, combining different phenomena of national culture: singing, dancing, playing music, sporting events, ethnic components such as national costumes, face masks, musical instruments, utensils, ritual objects, and works of art. Recently a desire has been observed in native population for the revival of Shamanism. It is largely based on the belief that only with the revival of Shamanism the whole integrity of the traditional culture of indigenous ethnos will be preserved.

All these forms of culture convey ethnic uniqueness to the maximum.

So, in researching sociological aspects of life activity of the native minorities of Priamurye we have found the following aspects:

a) extremely low indicators of health status in native minorities of Priamurye;

b) low level of income;

c) fairly high educational level;

d) preservation of cultural traditions and a high degree of interest in keeping these traditions.

The available data allow us to determine the human development index of the indigenous peoples of Priamurye, which is composed of lifespan index, education index and GDP per capita.

where min(x) and max (x) are maximum and minimum values which the variable х reached respectively.

where LE - life expectancy of indigenous peoples of the North. According to the data in Tab.1, life expectancy of indigenous peoples of the North makes up 48.6 years for men, 57.2 - for women. The mean value will be 53 years.

Literacy of adult population of the aborigines of Priamurye is

The aggregate share of students is derived from the ratio of the number of students of schools and specialized secondary and higher educational institutions to the general number of young people at the age of 15 to 24. Unfortunately, there is no such data on the indigenous peoples of Priamurye at our disposal, but we consider it appropriate to apply the indicator of the aggregate share of students in the Khabarovsk Territory. The number of youth studying as of 01.01.2006 was 270,916 people, and total population aged 15 - 24 at the same period was 271,000 people. Thus, the share of students makes up 0.999%, and accordingly,

Having calculated literacy index (ALI) and aggregate share of students' index (GEI), we calculate education index:

where GDPpc - GDP per capita at a parity purchasing capacity in US dollars, $ 40,000 - the amount of maximum income per capita. $ 100 - minimum income.

With the GRP per capita in the Khabarovsk Territory in 2005 being 113,897, which in the dollar equivalent made up $ 3,996.3 The dollar rate in 2005 = 28.5 rubles at that period, the GDP index will be

HDI calculation will be as follows:

Thus we have found (though with some degree of approximation) the human development index for indigenous peoples of Priamurye. HDI less than 0.5 is assumed to be “low development”. According to the 2007 United Nations report on human development, the obtained index corresponds to HDI level of African countries - the Republic of the Congo (0.411) and Ethiopia (0.406). Russia's HDI in 2007 was 0.802, which allowed it, though with difficulty, to be included in the group of countries with a high level of development (over 0.8) [1]

Table 4 List of Countries according to HDI index

The HDI index for indigenous peoples has shown a really low level of development of these peoples and a pressing need for determining factors and conditions for preservation and reproduction of indigenous peoples of the North to develop an effective state policy concerning indigenous peoples of Russia. The fact that with such low HDI the native peoples do not vanish, but even show a tendency for revival and increase in the number, suggests not about a reasonable state policy in relation to these people, but rather about their unique adaptability, and allows one to hope for preservation of these ethnoses and their original culture.

One can be optimistic on the matter of the Concept of Sustainable development of Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East of the Russian Federation adopted in February 2009. The adoption of the Concept establishes at the state level the Russian standard of realization the governmental program on the indigenous peoples' rights protection worked out in accordance with contemporary scientific approach.

In case the main provisions of the Concept are realized (it is planned to be done in three periods), one can hope the indigenous peoples' life standard to reach by 2025 the average Russian level, if not the world one.

Literature and the sources

1. N. Suleymanov, the status of the health of the radical peoples of the Amur Region: the farmakogeneticheskie aspects: report at the practical-scientific conference “the influence of the pollution of Amur river to a traditional way of life and the health of the radical small peoples of the north of the Khabarovsk edge”. Khabarovsk, on May 29, 2007.

2. Sums of All-Russian population census 2002. T. 13 // Stat- kA of Russia. M. 2005. 574 p.

3. A. I. Goats,. Medical anthropology of the indigenous population of the north of Russia / A. I. Kozlov, G. G. Vershubskaya. M.: Publishing house MNEPU, 1999. 288 p.

4. Contemporary position and the prospect for the development of the small peoples of the north, Siberia and Far East. Independent expert report; edited by V. A. Tishkov. M., 2004. 184 p.

Annotation

The article deals with the current social situation among the indigenous peoples of the North living in the Amur-river basin in Khabarovsk and Primorsky territories. State of health, income and educational level, observance of traditional culture are being analyzed. Basing on this analysis the author calculates the Human Development Index of these peoples.

Key words: human potential, the index of human potential, nation- ethnic generalities, the radical small peoples of the north, the social prosperity of personality.

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