Narratives of Adaptation and Innovation: Ways of Being Mobile and Mobile Technologies among Reindeer Nomads in the Russian Arctic

Yamal means ‘land’s end’ in Nenets. It is the name of a West-Siberian peninsula, where I conducted long-term anthropological research that provides evidence for this chapter. This name is not given by outsiders but by the Nenets people themselves. Such a designation of the territory points to a perception of remoteness even by the very inhabitants of this peninsula that these days has become more famous for its gas reserves and their importance for European supplies (BBC 2012). On its 149, 000 square kilometres the Yamal Peninsula hosts approximately 5, 000 full-time nomads with yearly migration routes of between 100 and 1, 300 kilometres in length (one way), most typically in a north-south return journey. The nomads manage their reindeer in herds of various sizes, depending on the season and on personal wealth, between 20 and 5, 000 animals.1.