Colonization, Acculturation and Métissage
The present article recounts the emergence of Métis communities in Sakha (Yakutia) from the 17th to the 19th century. From the time of first contact in the 17th century, the Yakut people – the population native to Siberia – have been subjected to the economic, social and political impact of relations with the Russian colonizers. Contact between the Russian settlers and the local population led to the emergence of Métis communities whose culture is distinct from that of both their Russian and native ancestors. The process of adaptation by the Russian settlers to the varying geographic and environmental conditions determined the course of development within the individual communities in Yakutia. As a result, each community has seen the development of its own character and local identity. The histories of the villages Amga-Sloboda, Russkoye Ustye and Pokhodsk are representative of this tendency. In general, the inhabitants of these villages were known as russkie starozhilu (Russian old settlers). At the same time, however, each has transformed the Russian and Yakut elements of their native culture to distinguish themselves sharply from their neighboring communities.