The horse in the life and culture of northern nomads

Abstract

The Sakha people (Yakuts) made an invaluable contribution to the world civilization, not only preserving the heritage of steppe culture in the North and the Arctic, but also developing new strategies of Northern horse breeding, adapted to extreme natural and climatic conditions. With the development of the vast Northern expanses of the Yakuts the Arctic space have become an oasis of horse breeding herd, breeding place Yakut horse breed, and it is this "horse" world today gives Yakutia its uniqueness. As noted by the participants of the First International Congress (September 4-7, 2006, Yakutsk) "Sustainable development of head horse breeding" from Japan, France, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Russia, the horse has played a major role in the development of human civilization. The experience and knowledge gained over many centuries by the peoples engaged in horse breeding are the national heritage of the peoples, the priceless wealth of the modern world. It’s the great importance in the development of culture and art, the migration of nomads in search for new lands and the birth of new ethnic groups. Many traditions, customs and rites, associated with special reverence for the horse, have formed a kind of religious ideology, which is still active today.