The Role of Weather and the Natural-Climate Factor in the Daily Nomadic Life of the Kalmyks in the Context of Traditional Nature Utilization: Effective Frontier Practices

Abstract

The article is devoted to the role of the climate factor and weather in the everyday nomadic life and history of the Kalmyks, closely linked with traditional nature management. Based on the study of published and archival materials from the State Archive of the Astrakhan Region, the State Archive of the Saratov Region, and the National Archive of the Republic of Kalmykia, the article examines the main features of the nature management system, the functioning and life of the Kalmyk nomadic society in new geographical conditions, and analyzes the processes of adaptation of nomads to the specific resources of an arid ecosystem. For the Kalmyks, who led a nomadic lifestyle in the past, nature was not only a habitat but also the basis of life. Moving in search of pastures for livestock, Kalmyk pastoralists learned to use natural resources rationally. The article shows how people tried to harness these resources through magical rites. The nomadic way of life, the economic structure, the natural landscape, and the life of the nomad cattle breeder – all predetermined the nature of magic as a whole. Special attention is paid to a system of prohibitions related to nature, land, and water. “Russia’s Steppe Frontier” is an invaluable resource for understanding the Kalmyks’ historical experience in the field of nature management.

Keywords

• history
• climate
• weather
• nomadic life
• kalmyks
• adaptation
• frontier studies
• nature management and folk knowledge
• arid ecosystem
• pastoralists