Evenk are an indigenous community in the republic of Sakha (Yakutia) in
Russia's far east. As described by The Red Book of the People of Russia: the Evenks inhabit a huge territory of the Siberian taiga from the
River Ob in the west to the Okhotsk Sea in the east, and from the Arctic Ocean
in the north, to Manchuria and Sakhalin in the south.
The Association of Indigenous Peoples of Sakha Republic (Yakutia), has reported
the news (in Russian) that the Evenk community has eventually managed to stop
the mining company "Almazy Anbara" from starting a diamond mine on
their sacred river. As reported by the Association of Indigenous Peoples of
Yakutia, Yakutia's Minister of nature protection of Sakhamin Afanasyev,
announced the denial of a license to the company at a parliamentary session on
16 June in Yakutsk.
Earlier this year, at a public hearing held March 23, 2015 the inhabitants of
Zhilinda village in Olenek Evenki district had voted unanimously against
allowing the exploration work along the the sacred river Malaya Kuonapka and
its tributary Maspaky. This is the first time for indigenous peoples in Yakutia
to halt the issuing of a license to an extractive industries enterprise.
Before this vote, the villagers had approved three of the planned sites and
only voted against the fourth. The river is revered by the Evenks as a sacred
site. Furthermore, it is their only source of clean drinking water and as an
important hunting and fishing site.
Source:The Association of Indigenous
Peoples of Sakha Republic.
Written by Federica | 26 June
2015
http://arcticportal.org/library/news/1488-yacutia-indigenous-people-prevent-diamond-mining-in-the-sacred-river
