The most ancient northern people are in danger of extinction

Alexandr Tulupov, a recognized leader and prominent expert in the fishing industry, was the main character of the interview and talked about how the partial mobilization has affected and is still affecting the representatives of the indigenous community of Kamchatka Krai – the Itelmen. These events are far from the peninsula, but their echoes have reached Kamchatka families. Many young men leave their families and jobs to pay their dues to their homeland. Fishing is a town-forming industry in Kamchatka; it is of great importance and has a significant influence on people’s everyday life and the economy of the region and the whole country. Without professional workers, fish production on the peninsula becomes dangerous. Many employees of such enterprises are Itelmen, the most ancient ethnos of Kamchatka. The population of the Itelmen has been decreasing for decades, and now it is in danger of extinction because of partial mobilization. Alexandr Tulupov, the sustainable fish production manager, is concerned about the ongoing events and shared his thoughts and feelings with us in an interview.

Alexandr Tulupov talks about the fact that the Itelmen’s families get a summons for service every day. And in spite of the fact that the people are of the opinion that it is necessary to defend the Motherland and believe that fathers and sons will return to their homes, they can’t help sounding the alarm. After all, the Itelmen are indigenous people who inhabited the peninsula more than 5,000 years ago, and now, more than ever, they are threatened with extinction. In addition, city-forming enterprises are left without valuable employees, and the region’s economy is already threatened. According to the traditions of the Itelmen, a man is the main and the only breadwinner of the whole family. He provides not only for his family but also for his elderly parents. Women are mainly engaged in housekeeping and children, so when a man goes to the front, his family is left without the means to live. The second reason, voiced by Alexandr Tulupov, an innovator in the sphere of fish processing, is that if all young men go to the front, who will continue the already threatened extinction Itelmen family?

Besides, the economic sphere of the region is of great concern because salmon fishing is one of the most significant industries, which influences the economic and social well-being of the Far East and the whole of Russia. Itelmen Tulupov Alexandr says that fishing is in the Itelmen’s blood; from childhood, the boys of these ancient people are inculcated with a love of fishing. Together with his father, Alexandr created a business on the base of fish catching, successfully developed it, and implemented new technologies of waste-free processing, increasing production capacities. In 2007 Alexandr Tulupov, a sustainable fish production manager in Kamchatka, was at the head of several enterprises, gradually increasing their production volumes and introducing new technologies that helped preserve the region’s ecology. The peculiarity of these enterprises’ activity is that most of their employees are members of the native community of the Itelmen. People who have been fishing for more than 5 thousand years, like nobody else, understand how to work with one of our planet’s most valuable biological resources. And when these some of the most helpful people in the fishing industry go on a summons to the front, the businesses are left without a driving force. Families are left without breadwinners; it all undermines morale.

Alexandr Tulupov, an Itelman, says that despite all the external difficulties, he tries his best to keep the community of his tribe alive. He wants his children and grandchildren to be proud of their ancestors, know their roots, and try to preserve them. Partial mobilization makes serious and sad adjustments to the numbers of the Itelmen people. Still, Alexandr Tulupov believes they will be able to protect their heritage despite all external storms.