Cryo-technologies of fish storage in the Arctic zone of Western Siberia: "lessons" from indigenous peoples

Abstract

The article presents traditional ecological knowledge of natural cryogenic resources (ice, snow, permafrost, etc.) for food preservation used by indigenous people, living in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug of Western Siberia. On the basis of ethnoecological approach and original fieldwork research, we analysed the construction of different types of storages for fish ("lednik", ice cellar, "snezhnik", and "merzlotnik"). As a result, we offered to adapt traditional ecological knowledge of indigenous people, living in the Arctic zone of Western Siberia, to developing new energy saving and eco-friendly technologies for preservation and transportation of fish, which could effectively use specifics of cryogenic conditions of the Arctic region.