Why (not) Marry a Reindeer Herder? Gender Displacement and Gender Replacement among Izhma-Komi Reindeer Herders of Bol´shezemel´skaia Tundra

Abstract

Abstract:The reasons for and possible consequences of so-called gender displacement—the outflux of young women from the communities of native northerners leading traditional ways of life, which turns tundra and taiga into a specific "male space"—represent a topic of great concern and interest in modern Arctic anthropology. The fieldwork data on Komi reindeer herders presented in this paper suggests, however, that there is also an opposite process: some girls from settled families choose to marry reindeer herders and join them in their migrations through tundra and taiga. Based on ethnographic interviews, this paper explores the reasons and possible cultural consequences of this process, for which the term "gender replacement" is suggested. The interviews indicate that these girls were attracted by the relative economic stability of the reindeer herding way of life and the relatively low risk of divorce, infidelity, and alcoholism as well as by the romantic image of the nomadic way of life. Although the rate of gender replacement is certainly insufficient to offset the consequences of gender displacement, the influx of "settled wives" to the tundra effects important changes in the life of reindeer herders. It can be supposed that the phenomenon of gender replacement also exists in other regions and ethnic groups, which makes it an important object for anthropological research.