Persistence and Disappearance of Traditional Patrilocality

Matrimonial Strategies and Postnuptial Residence Patterns in Two Eastern Siberian Communities of the Twenty-First Century

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Author:
Vincent Zvénigorosky BABEL Laboratory, Paris z.vincent@live.fr

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Dariya Nikolaeva Independent Scholar, Freelance dariya.nikolaeva@yahoo.fr

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Georgii Romanov M.K. Ammosov North-Eastern Federal University, Russia gpromanov@gmail.com

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Aisen Solovev Researcher, M.K. Ammosov North-Eastern Federal University, Russia nelloann@mail.ru

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Nikolai Barashkov Yakut Scientific Centre for Complex Medical Problems, Russia barashkov2004@mail.ru

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Éric Crubézy Professor, University of Toulouse, France crubezy.eric@free.fr

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Sardana Fedorova M.K. Ammosov North-Eastern Federal University, Russia sardaanafedorova@mail.ru

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Christine Keyser Professor, University of Strasbourg, France ckeyser@unistra.fr

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DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3167/sib.2019.180104
Keywords:
marriage; neolocal; patrilocal; postnuptial residence; social structure; Sakha
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Abstract

This article describes current matrimonial strategies and residence patterns in two communities in the Sakha Republic. In Tolon, a rural settlement in central Sakha, community exogamy is predominant and patrilocality is detectable in postnuptial residence patterns. In the sub-Arctic town of Khonuu no gendered residence patterns are observed. Khonuu has an airport and serves as a regional capital. In Khonuu matrimonial decisions follow the immigration of men and couples rather than traditional strategies connected with horse- and cattle-based subsistence. This article discusses the possible biological, historical, and cultural reasons that explain the observance or lack of observance of traditional marriage in the contemporary Sakha Republic.

Contributor Notes

Vincent Zvénigorosky holds a PhD in Anthropobiology. He specializes in the study of the influence of group structure, intragroup dynamics and matrimonial tendencies on human genetic diversity and the accuracy of genetic kinship testing and genetic identification. He is a researcher at the BABEL Laboratory in Paris (CNRS FRE 2029-BABEL) and at the Strasbourg Institute of Legal Medicine. His work includes the organization of DNA collection campaigns in Eastern Siberia. Email: z.vincent@live.fr

Dariya Nikolaeva holds a PhD in History, the History of Art and Archeology. She is a specialist of the origin and evolution of Sakha culture in the Russian state (from the 17th century to the 20th century) under the influence of Russian culture and Christian Orthodoxy. Her research includes several years of fieldwork devoted to archaeological excavations, bibliographic studies and ethnographic investigations in Eastern Siberia and Mongolia. Email: dariya.nikolaeva@yahoo.fr

Georgii Romanov is an engineer at the Laboratory of Molecular Biology of the Institute of Natural Sciences at the M.K. Ammosov North-Eastern Federal University (Yakutsk, Sakha Republic, Russian Federation). He is a Laboratory Assistant in the Laboratory of Molecular Genetics in the Department of Molecular Genetics of the Yakut Scientific Centre for Complex Medical Problems (Yakutsk, Sakha Republic, Russian Federation). Email: gpromanov@gmail.com

Aisen Solovev is a junior researcher in the Laboratory of Molecular Biology of the Institute of Natural Sciences at the M.K. Ammosov North-Eastern Federal University (Yakutsk, Sakha Republic, Russian Federation). He is a Laboratory Assistant in the Laboratory of Molecular Genetics in the Department of Molecular Genetics of the Yakut Scientific Centre for Complex Medical Problems (Yakutsk, Sakha Republic, Russian Federation). Email: nelloann@mail.ru

Nikolai Barashkov holds a PhD in Genetics. He is the head of the Laboratory of Molecular Genetics in the Department of Molecular Genetics of the Yakut Scientific Centre for Complex Medical Problems (Yakutsk, Sakha Republic, Russian Federation). He is a scientific researcher in the Laboratory of Molecular Biology of the Institute of Natural Sciences at the M.K. Ammosov North-Eastern Federal University (Yakutsk, Sakha Republic, Russian Federation). Email: barashkov2004@mail.ru

Éric Crubézy holds an MD and a PhD in Anthropobiology. He is a Professor at the University of Toulouse (France) and the Director of the AMIS Laboratory (CNRS UMR-5288) in Toulouse. His research topics include the interaction between genetics, history and culture, human biological history, as well as ancient epidemiology and demography. He also takes part in archaeological excavations and has directed and participated in the French Archaeological Mission in Eastern Siberia (MAFSO) every year since 2002. Email: crubezy.eric@free.fr

Sardana Fedorova holds a Doctorate in Biology. She is the Head of the Laboratory of Molecular Biology of the Institute of Natural Sciences at the M.K. Ammosov North-Eastern Federal University in Yakutsk. Her areas of expertise are biochemistry, population genetics and medical genetics. She currently studies the genetic history of the populations of North-Eastern Eurasia (Yukaghirs, Evenks, Evens, Yakuts and Dolgans) and America, the genetic basis of some hereditary and multifactorial diseases in Eastern Siberia and the development of approaches to their genetic diagnosis. She is an Honored Scientist of the Sakha Republic (2018) and author or co-author of 5 books and 120 scientific articles. Email: sardaanafedorova@mail.ru

Christine Keyser holds a PhD in Molecular and Cell Biology. She is a Professor at the University of Strasbourg (France). She has both teaching and research duties, mainly in the fields of population genetics, forensic genetics, and molecular anthropology. Her research covers many aspects of ancient DNA work such as the study of parental links in ancient funerary ensembles or the reconstruction of human peopling history. She also works as judicial expert for the French Ministry of Justice at the “Institut National de la Transfusion Sanguine” in Paris. Email: ckeyser@unistra.fr

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Sibirica

Interdisciplinary Journal of Siberian Studies

Cover Sibirica
Article Category:
Research Article
Page Count:
18
Keywords:
marriage; neolocal; patrilocal; postnuptial residence; social structure; Sakha
Print Publication Date:
01 Mar 2019
Online Publication Date:
01 Mar 2019
Copyright:
© Berghahn Books 2019

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