Tavayvaam

Tavayvaam (Russian: Тавайва́ам) is a rural locality (a selo) under the administrative jurisdiction of the town of okrug significance of Anadyr in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia. Within the framework of municipal divisions, it is a part of Anadyr Urban Okrug. Its population of 472 (as of the 2010 Census) is predominantly indigenous Chukchi and Yupik people. Geography The settlement is located in the mouth area of Onemen Bay. Etymology The locality's name is of Chukchi origin and literally means river on which one rides. Economy The economy is driven primarily by traditional activities. Reindeer farming used to be the main occupation, but following the economic crisis caused by the dissolution of the Soviet Union all the reindeer owned by the residents were lost. The effects of this loss can still be seen as around 20% of the population are unemployed. The lack of reindeer mean that the economy is instead now supported by fishing, seasonal labor, and the production of traditional indigenous crafts for sale to tourists and to the population of nearby Anadyr. Soviet era During the Soviet period, Tavayvaam's main economic focus was the state farm. Originally, the farm was called "Stalin" (after Joseph Stalin), but following his death the name was changed to "Twenty-Second Party Congress" Reindeer herding was the predominant occupation for the farm and at its most prosperous point during the 1970s there were up to ten separate brigades operating at any one time out in the tundra, tending to over 27,000 reindeer. This farm employed the majority of Tavayvaam's population. Individuals not directly involved in the herding of reindeer were employed in sewing workshops where the skin of the reindeer would be used, or in the fish processing plant attached to the farm. It was the indigenous population that did all of the manual, practical work; the incomers were those who filled administrative or support positions. During the summer, children would live with their families on the tundra following the reindeer, only returning at the start of a new academic year to attend school. Beyond this steady employment, the fur and meat from the reindeer and other game, as well as mushrooms and berries foraged, provided a vital source of sustenance for Tavayvaam's residents. Post-Soviet era Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Boris Yeltsin initiated the privatization of all state-run enterprises. Tavayvaam's state farm was technically dissolved, although the residents continued to refer to it as such, so key to their life it had been. In its place, four private enterprises (Chirynai, Kenkeren, Eupolian, and Topolovoye) were established. Unfortunately, it was not a case of business as usual for the four new enterprises. Normally, when a state enterprise was privatized, there would be some form of remnant that would ensure a degree of economic continuity, but in this case, upon the dissolution of the state farm the assets were simply divided amongst the four new enterprises and the state element disappeared entirely. The indigenous people now running these private enterprises were completely unprepared for the demands of a free market environment. By 1995, the total number of reindeer owned by the combined enterprises had fallen by nearly two-thirds from the total recorded in 1985, and by 1998, all four enterprises had closed permanently as there were no reindeer herds left. Smaller industries like the sewing workshops had closed as well. It is claimed that the town of Anadyr annexed the "ethnic village" of Tavayvaam in May 1994, and that this was done by then governor Alexander Nazarov with a view to saving money from the autonomous okrug budget. If the national village had indeed been absorbed into the town of Anadyr then there would have been no obligation for the autonomous okrug to allocate specific funds for the indigenous population there. Demographics and culture Tavayvaam has a status of an "ethnic village", namely a "place of compact residence of small-numbered peoples of the north". Whereas Anadyr had an indigenous population of around 8.5% in 2005, Tavayvaam had an indigenous population of around 78%. Tavayvaam preserves its indigenous culture through the Chukchi language Club Murgin Vetgav and a native crafts society. Climate Tavayvaam has a subarctic taiga climate (Köppen climate classification Dfc). with very cold, long winters and short, mild summers. References Notes Sources Дума Чукотского автономного округа. Закон №33-ОЗ от 30 июня 1998 г. «Об административно-территориальном устройстве Чукотского автономного округа», в ред. Закона №55-ОЗ от 9 июня 2012 г. «О внесении изменений в Закон Чукотского автономного округа "Об административно-территориальном устройстве Чукотского автономного округа"». Вступил в силу по истечении десяти дней со дня его официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Ведомости", №7 (28), 14 мая 1999 г. (Duma of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. Law #33-OZ of June 30, 1998 On the Administrative-Territorial Structure of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, as amended by the Law #55-OZ of June 9, 2012 On Amending the Law of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug "On the Administrative-Territorial Structure of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug". Effective as of after ten days from the day of the official publication.). Правительство Чукотского автономного округа. Распоряжение №517-рп от 30 декабря 2008 г. «Об утверждении реестра административно-территориальных и территориальных образований Чукотского автономного округа», в ред. Распоряжения №323-рп от 27 июня 2011 г. «О внесении изменений в Распоряжение Правительства Чукотского автономного округа от 30 декабря 2008 года №517-рп». Опубликован: База данных "Консультант-плюс". (Government of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. Directive #517-rp of December 30, 2008 On the Adoption of the Registry of the Administrative-Territorial and Territorial Formations of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, as amended by the Directive #323-rp of June 27, 2011 On Amending the Government of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug Directive No. 517-rp of December 30, 2008. ). Дума Чукотского автономного округа. Закон №40-ОЗ от 29 ноября 2004 г. «О статусе и границах муниципального образования город Анадырь Чукотского автономного округа». Вступил в силу через десять дней со дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Ведомости", №31/1 (178/1), 10 декабря 2004 г. (Duma of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. Law #40-OZ of November 29, 2004 On the Status and Borders of the Municipal Formation of the Town of Anadyr of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. Effective as of the day ten days after the official publication date.). P. A. Gray. The Predicament of Chukotka's Indigenous People: Post-Soviet Activism in the Russian Far North (2005) Cambridge University Press McKnight, Tom L; Hess, Darrel (2000). "Climate Zones and Types". Physical Geography: A Landscape Appreciation. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. ISBN 0-13-020263-0. Правительство Российской Федерации. Постановление №1237 от 16 декабря 1995 г. «О реализации Региональной программы обустройства национальных сёл – мест компактного проживания малочисленных народов севера Чукотского автономного округа на 1996 год и ближайшую перспективу». Опубликован: "Собрание законодательства РФ", №51, ст. 5076, 18 декабря 1995 г. (Government of the Russian Federation. Resolution #1237 of December 16, 1995 On Implementing of the Regional Program of Provision of Ethnic Selos—Places of Compact Residence of Small-Numbered Peoples in the north of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug for the Year of 1996 and the Near Future. ).