Ilana Zakharova: “I am an Even, I was born in a family of reindeer herders, in the Sebian Kuyol village in Central Yakutiya”

Photo: ©Ilana Zakharova

08/08/2023

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Thompson Rivers University implemented a joint short-term training programme from January to March 2023 for Indigenous female students and researchers to support the FAO Policy on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples.

Around 370 million people living in over 90 countries globally are bearers of unique cultures and traditions inherited from their ancestors. Indigenous small‑numbered peoples account for only five percent of the Earth's total population, but at the same time they comprise fifteen percent of the world's poorest people. The UN celebrates the International Day of The World's Indigenous Peoples to help preserve their identity and protect their rights and interests.

For many years the Indigenous Peoples have been standing up for the right to preserve their cultures, to own their ancestral territories and dispose of natural resources. Despite the differences in origins and traditions, the Indigenous Peoples around the world are faced with similar challenges. In an absolute majority of countries, they belong to the most vulnerable populations that are most in need.

Ilana Zakharova – an Indigenous Woman from the Sakha Republic (or Yakutiya), Russia – is one of the programme’s finalists. Ilana has recently obtained a master's degree, and she writes scientific papers on the Indigenous Peoples’ food security.

Learn more about Ilana's experience and research from an exclusive interview done by Varvara Parilova, Consultant on Indigenous Peoples at the FAO Liaison Office with the Russian Federation.

– How did you hear about the programme? Why did you decide to participate?

I learned about it from the newsletter of the FAO Liaison Office with the Russian Federation. The programme presented a perfect opportunity for me since I had long wanted to begin research on food security. This is a sore point for my home village, and for remote areas in Yakutiya in general.

Photo credit: ©Zinaida Potapova

– Why is the issue of food security so important to you?

– I am an Even, I was born in a family of reindeer herders, in the Sebian Kuyol village in Central Yakutiya. Although geographically speaking, the village is not so far from Yakutsk, it is still a hard-to-reach territory. There have always been problems with food supply, the choice was limited, fresh fruit or vegetables were rare, prices were high. Since Sebian Kuyol is isolated most of the time, local shops mainly sell cheap products with a long shelf life. Usually, such foods do not have the same nutritional value as fresh fruit and vegetables, for example.

– How does your experience relate to what you explored within the programme? How were the studies organized?

– During the programme we were also studying storytelling and self-reflection techniques that could be used to include the indigenous experience and knowledge into the research.

We needed to become familiar with the material first, it was largely an individual work. We were watching pre-recorded lectures at our convenience. As for the lectures’ content, we weren’t told what to write, we were taught how to do it, how to approach writing a scientific paper. The principal message was that we needed to take a new look at ways to do research, to apply approaches that respect indigenous knowledge and experience without limiting ourselves to conventional methods of scientific inquiry.

– What does it mean – “approaches that respect indigenous knowledge and experience”?

– Science is always striving for objectivity, evidentiality, the use of strict methodology. However, the approach we are discussing now also includes your experience as an Indigenous person into the research, your feelings matter as well. The emphasis is put on people’s social interactions, dialogueness, equal positions of the researcher and the subject of research.

– The Indigenous educators, scholars, and elders, as well as publication experts and FAO technical experts were your trainers and mentors. How did you work with your mentor?

– We had four online workshops with other participants and mentors. Overall, there were around 20 girls and women taking part in the programme. During the online workshops we could share our thoughts, ask questions, hear the views of other participants, get acquainted with them.

Mentors helped us structure our work and summarize it. Usually we had a phone call, I said what I wanted to write, and they suggested additional dimensions that I could include in the paper. We did a lot of individual work, and I mostly talked to my mentor to clarify some issues.

– The programme will result in the publication of scientific articles in a special edition of the Knowledge Makers Journal dedicated to Indigenous Women, indigenous food systems, knowledge systems and climate change. What did you examine in your paper? What did you specifically focus on?

– My work has not been published yet; I am waiting for comments. I did research on my native village of Sebian Kuyol, I described universal challenges of remote areas, including the Arctic regions, through the lens of my home village. My key message was that reindeer herding was not only part of the traditional culture, but it also could provide a solution to the food insecurity in remote villages. Furthermore, I discussed problems of transport accessibility, the impact of climate change, the exploitation of indigenous lands by mining companies. In general, I am happy with my paper, and I really hope that it will be published later.

– What do you think about the impact of global challenges, in particular climate change, environmental degradation on you and your family, and the region as a whole?

– Yes, indeed, we are all facing it, because my parents are still actively involved in reindeer herding. It requires territory and pasture rotation. The rotation practice is vital, as resources need to be restored. Especially for reindeer moss, because it takes so long to grow back. Shrinking territories are not the direct consequence of climate change, but rather the result of mining activities.

I assume that the circumstances may vary, even in the village there are several households of reindeer herders, perhaps their situation is different. However, in our case, the territories have shrunk. It is not so obvious, as our herd is small.

– Do you plan to do further research on food security of the Indigenous Peoples?

– I have already defended my thesis and will obtain the master's degree in August. As for now, I will try to remain on the path of research, and in a couple of years I would like to enrol in a post-graduate course, that will in some way be related to the North, the Arctic, the Indigenous Peoples.

– On behalf of the FAO Office in Moscow let me thank you, Ilana, for this insightful conversation. We hope you will see your paper published as soon as possible, and we wish you further success in your research and new discoveries.