Paper short abstract:

Sakha environmental perception refers to lakes and meadows as living beings. Based on the example of three village communities in Central Yakutia I endeavor to describe this complex society of humans and non-human being in transition in the time of global climate change and permafrost degradation.

Paper long abstract:

Sakha environmental perception refers to lakes and rivers as well as boreal meadows formed in thermokarst depression as living creatures, with whom human beings regularly communicate and exchange gifts. To some extent these landscape types are members of local society and are affiliated to resident kin groups. 20th century modernisation efforts imposed robust anthropogenic pressure on Yakutia's ecosystem. Not only intensive state farm agriculture introducing sprinkling irrigation, flood irrigation as well as arable farming but also nuclear experiments in some regions had a great impact on Yakutia's landscapes in the Soviet era. Global warming in the past decades has further amplified the negative effect of Soviet time planned economy.

Meadows and lakes, as living beings, have not only been exposed to economic and climatic change and permafrost soil degradation, but they have also responded to it. Moreover, as sentient beings, they communicate with each other and with resident ancestor spirits by a complex "vascular" system. Today, local people experience that lakes and meadows often react in unison to human harms in an unfriendly or even hostile way.

Based on the example of three village communities in Central Yakutia I endeavour to describe this complex society of humans and non-human landscapes being in transition.