The article describes the cedar industry of the Shors, one of the indigenous small-numbered peoples of the Russian Federation living in the Kemerovo region. The settlement zone of the Shors coincides with the ecological optimum of cedar in Northern Asia. Pine nut mining is traditionally a part of the natural resources management of the Shors, and to this day it has largely preserved its archaic appearance. Income from harvesting nuts is an important part of the budget of many Shor families. The preservation and development of the cedar industry is considered as a basis for preserving the traditional culture of Mountain Shoria and strengthening the local economy.

Keywords: Shors, indigenous small-numbered peoples of Russia, traditional culture, cedar industry.

The range of Siberian cedar extends from west to east from the lower reaches of Vychegda to the Aldan Highlands, from north to south - from Igarka in the lower reaches of the Yenisei to the upper reaches of Orkhon in Mongolia. As foresters ' research has shown, one of the zones of ecological optimum of cedar is Mountain Shoria, located in the south of the modern Kemerovo region. Of the Russian Federation. Here, on the mountain-taiga expanses in the upper reaches of the Tom River, along the rivers Mrass, Kondome, Kobyrze, Mundy-bashu and others, one of the indigenous Turkic - speaking peoples of Siberia, the Shors, was formed. In the XVII-XVIII centuries, the ancestors of the modern Shors were called Blacksmith Tatars by the Russians, because of their specialization in metalworking by forging. Various Turkic-speaking groups that inhabited the mountain-taiga zone were named by their locality (Black Tatars, Mertsy, Kondomtsy, etc.) or by the names of the main genera (Abintsy, Shors, Kalars, etc.). The indigenous Shor genera known since the XVII century included: kara-shor, saryg-shor, ak-shor, etc.).shor, uzyut-shor, taesh, kechin, kyzai, koby, ky, karga, cheley, chebider, kalar. The most numerous was the Cheley family (1,472 people in 1897); it was slightly inferior to the Taesh and Shor families.

By the time the Russians arrived in the upper reaches of the Tom River, the integration processes of various groups of the local population were mostly completed. Their further history was connected with the Kuznetsk Uyezd, formed in the XVII century. By the beginning of the 20th century, three large ethno-territorial groups had formed here: the northern forest - steppe "Abinskaya" group, focused on cattle breeding and agriculture, and two southern mountain taiga groups-Kondomskaya and Mrasskaya, which retained their traditional fishing specialization.

The ethnonym "shor" (the name of one of the 17 Turkic-speaking genera located on the Kondoma River) was proposed by Academician V. V. Radlov as the name of the people and was established in the region only at the beginning of the XX century as a result of the activities of the Commission for the Study of the tribal Composition of the Peoples of Russia. In 1925, the Gorno-Shor National District was created within the boundaries of the Kuznetsk District by a decree of the Sibrevkom, which included 34 (35) rural and four settlement councils. In 1925-1930. it was subordinate to the Kuznetsk Executive Committee, in 1930-1937 - to the West Siberian Regional Council, in 1937-1939-to the Novosibirsk Regional Executive Committee. After its liquidation in 1939, the district was restructured and divided into Tashtagolsky, Myskovsky and Kuzedeyevsky districts. Today, these districts belong to the Kemerovo region of the Russian Federation. Its borders and adjacent territories are inhabited by Shors, whose number in Russia, according to the 2002 census, is 13,975 people. Within the Kemerovo region, there are about 90 settlements, where representatives of the indigenous population predominate (more than 50 %); their number in the region exceeds 13,100 people.

The Shors living in the villages of the pre-taiga and mountain taiga zones retain many traditional occupations. Cedar fishing occupies an important place in the life support of the people. Kedrachi is still a national treasure today.

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Most often, the first maps of Siberia, compiled in 1701 by Tobolyak Semyon Remezov, indicated cedar forests where sables were caught. In the Shor taiga, nut harvesting - kuzuktarga knobbing-has long been of commercial importance. From century to century, the Shor people used pine nuts as a food and medicinal product; they were consumed raw, boiled and fried. Cedar oil was part of the traditional diet. Dumplings stuffed with pine nuts were a delicacy, and porridge made with pine nuts saved from severe exhaustion. The Shors knew that pine nuts contribute to maintaining high performance, prevent tuberculosis and anemia.

An artel was formed to collect pine nuts; it usually consisted of close relatives. The Shors, like many other indigenous peoples, are characterized by customary land allocation. Each family had its own plots for hunting, gathering wild plants, haymaking and harvesting pine nuts.

During the development of Gornaya Shoria by Russian settlers, with changes in administrative practices and the spread of trade relations, tribal traditions in the field of distribution of economic development zones weakened. The main unit of fishing was a large family of the paternal or fraternal type. The fishing area was inherited and did not change its borders for several decades.

Any Shorer, being in the taiga, always looked at the tops of the cedars and estimated the number of young cones that should ripen by the end of summer or early autumn. It is known that cedar begins to bear fruit from the age of 30-40 years, if it grows in favorable conditions. Cedars of the middle and southern taiga enter this period in 70-80 years. Fruiting of cedars growing in the northern taiga occurs 20 to 50 years later. Usually cedar bears fruit every three to five years. The harvest largely depends on climatic factors; especially important are the weather conditions in spring and early summer. Late frosts or prolonged rains can destroy the ovary. The process of cedar blooming and the formation of cones was constantly monitored, and it was noted which trees had more cones: young or old. The final conclusion was made by an elder who made a tour of the entire territory. In late July or early August, he and one of his close relatives would come to the camp and inspect the cherished cedars.

Nut harvesting began in mid-August and lasted until the first snowfall. The place of fishing - the pakla camp-was arranged in advance: they built a temporary dwelling odag, a laboratory, prepared a place for peeling cones and sifting nuts, a fire pit. The location of all elements of the camp was determined by the head of the clan or family and remained unchanged for many years.

After arriving at the place of cedar fishing, people performed the shachig rite, during which they asked the spirits of the owners of the mountains and taiga for intercession and help. Usually a person who knew the traditions well was taken with them. It could be the storyteller Kaichi or the respected elder Ulugh Kizhi. Such a person performed rituals, gave advice, told stories, and sometimes treated. The observance of customs based on the spiritualization of the natural environment was an integral part of fishing activities. The religious content of the craft was significant; it was seen as something sacred. During harvesting, tag ezi, the spirits of mountains and forests, and sug ezi, the spirits of water, were constantly cajoled: they were sprayed with abyrtka (a weak alcoholic drink) and incantations were pronounced.

Upon arrival at the camp, the fishermen updated the odag, the warehouse, and put the equipment in order. The Shors considered it a sin to cut down trees to make a fire, for this purpose they collected dried grass.

After setting up the camp, one of the young ones would climb a nearby cedar and knock down the first cones so that everyone could taste the new crop. In the evening, all the fishermen gathered around the fire, baked cones on the coals and, cracking fried nuts, listened to fairy tales, stories, shared their memories and first impressions. The next day they went on different paths to "their" cedars.

According to the Shor tradition, cedars are divided into "laz" and "non-laz"in terms of availability. "Nelazovye" (chal) - high cedars, in which the lowest branches are located much higher than a person's height, from 2 m and above. In order to climb such a cedar, use chapty (tapty) - usually a dry, gnarled fir, which is placed at an angle to the cedar trunk. On such a peculiar stepladder, the tradesman reaches the lower cedar branches and begins his ascent.

"Laz" cedars (pagym) are trees with low-lying branches that can be climbed without any special problems. These are developed first and give the bulk of the crop. There were also "conditionally manhole" cedars - some trees grew next to them, which allowed them to reach the lower branches.

After climbing a tree, fishermen knock down cones by hitting the branches with their feet or hands. They also use a long rod with a hook at the end-syrgai. With such a rod, you can hit the end of a branch with cones or, catching it, pull it up to you and shake your hand hard. The use of the kolot - a huge wooden hammer-which apparently came with the Russian settlers, did not become widespread in the Shor taiga. With this method, the bark on the trunk was damaged, the cedar began to hurt and

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dry out. For taiga residents with their animistic ideas about the world around them, this technology was unacceptable.

Taiga Shorians learn cedar climbing from childhood, and some achieve great skill by jumping at dizzying heights from one hundred-year-old cedar tree to another. Constant observation of nature, experience and training reduce the risk to a minimum. Shorians are well aware that cedar branches fall down before rain, and rise up before dry weather sets in. Therefore, early in the morning, when there is dew, fishermen do not climb the cedars for cones - the branches are slippery and lowered down.

The Shor fishing calendar is determined by natural cycles. In September, the tushken period begins - the period when ripe cones fall under their own weight and become accessible to humans and taiga inhabitants. At this time, cedar forests located in the immediate vicinity of villages are actively developed; local residents collect fallen cones-padanka. Priposelkovye cedar forests are a common area and are used by all comers.

Shors consider a good harvest when more than one bag of cones is collected from one cedar. Knocked down and collected cones are brought to the camp. Traditionally, they were ground using two ribbed passepartout boards. The coarse husk was separated through an elec sieve, and then a special sargash winnower was used to get a "clean" nut. Later, for peeling cones, they began to use a kind of mill - a metal shaft with spikes installed in a wooden box. The ratio of the resulting nut to the collected cones is approximately 1: 4; 1:5, i.e. from four to five bags of cones, one bag of nuts is obtained.

Harvesting pine nuts for Shor families has always been of great importance. If in the first half of the XX century in the taiga settlements of Gornaya Shoria, the main income was brought by hunting fur-bearing animals, then in the subsequent period its share decreased. In the 1970s, when there were cooperative industrial farms and forestry enterprises, the average annual salary of a hunter in Gornaya Shoriya rarely exceeded 300 rubles. (at the mining enterprises of the region, it was approx. 3 thousand rubles, and in state forestry enterprises - about 1.5 thousand rubles). In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the family's income from rented pine nuts reached more than 1 thousand rubles. During the harvest years, it provided more than half of the family budget.

In 1989-1993, despite changes in the harvesting system, only in the Tashtagolsky district, the delivery of pine nuts gave annually from 84 to 96% of earnings to fishermen, hunting - from 3 to 14%, and the procurement of medicinal and technical raw materials-from 0.9 to 3.4 %. Studies conducted in Gornaya Shoria at the end of the XX century, the results of the research were as follows: In the 1990s-early 2000s, data showed that 91.5% of Shor families harvested pine nuts to supplement their budget. After the liquidation of state-owned farms that employed Shor hunters, and the termination of the operation of timber farms in remote villages of Shors, unemployment reached 95 %. Under these conditions, harvesting of forest raw materials and nuts sometimes became the only reliable source of income.

Cedar fishing plays a significant role in the life of the indigenous inhabitants of the region. However, the area of cedar forests is shrinking today. In the 1930s, the cedar forests of Gornaya Shoriya amounted to almost 3 million hectares, and by the beginning of the XXI century, about 200 thousand hectares remained. The decrease in the area of cedar forests and commercial areas is associated with the destruction of the foundations of nature management of the indigenous peoples of the region. Preserving the ecology of the region and developing the cedar industry as the most cost-effective type of nature management can serve as a good basis for preserving the traditional culture of Mountain Shoria and strengthening the local economy.

A. N. Arbachakov

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Photo report prepared by Andrey Rudakov.

A. Rudakov was born in 1976 and graduated from the Physics Department of Kemerovo State University. From 1997 to 2001, he worked as a photographer for MK v Kuzbass and worked with various agencies. A. Rudakov was a prize-winner of the Press Photo of Russia contest 2001-2004. In 2004, in the category "Nature and Environment", his photo project "Chum Salmon" was awarded the first prize "Press Photo of Russia".

Main exhibitions: "Russia. Transition age: 34,000,000" (Moscow, UNICEF, 2000), "The Face of Danger" (Moscow, UNICEF, 2002), " The River of History/ History of the River" (Moscow, 2003).

A. Rudakov constantly cooperates with the following publications: "Itogi", "Ogonyok", "Business Week", "US News and World Report", "GEO France", "GEO Germany and Russia", etc. Since 2004, he has been a photographer for Russian Newsweek magazine.

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1. The Shor settlement of Ust-Anzass is located on the Anzass River, a tributary of the Mrassu River.

"Who taught people evil?" "Fire," was the reply. "Who taught them to be strong?" "Water," was the reply. "And who taught them good?" - "The tree," the sage replied. Trees surround people in the taiga region. Shor villages along the Mrassu, Kondoma, Kobyrze rivers and their tributaries are located on the border of the taiga. People's lives depend on the forest.

2. Gatherings in the taiga.

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3. Cedar climbing is an important part of the nut trade.

For the Shor people, the cedar was a tree-the breadwinner and owner of the taiga. In the legends, the cedar tree, which has been growing in the center of the universe since the beginning of time, connected the earth and the sky. From its top, each tradesman had a view of the vast expanse of the mountain region.

4. Collecting cones knocked down from cedars.

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5. The artel for collecting pine nuts consists of close relatives and has its own camp in the taiga.

Siberian cedar is an evergreen tree. In the Shor tradition, it is a symbol of strength, stature and beauty. Cedar blooms in June. From the laying of buds on the top of the shoot to the maturation of nuts takes 26 months. The cedar cone symbolizes usefulness, having many children and unity. The ancient Shor name Topak means "like a bump".

6. During the tushken period, when the ripe cones fall from the branches, shortsy begin collecting padanka.

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7. The collected cones are ground using two ribbed passepartout boards.

One of the Shor commandments says: do not say that you will not spend the night under a cedar tree, because you will still have to spend the night. Kedrachi is a safe haven for fishermen. Next to the cedar trunks, they build their camps. In the taiga rituals of the Shors, cedar acts as an intermediary between the taiga and man.

8. The peeled nut is "thrown back" - sifted, throwing it with a wooden shovel.

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9. For peeling cones, mills with a metal studded shaft installed in a wooden box are used.

There is a well-known Shor saying: "If he drives, he will be on the road, if he grows up working, he will be a man." The work of a tradesman is not easy. Taiga, sprinkling its gifts on a person, tests his strength. In the current conditions of mass unemployment in taiga settlements, seasonal nut harvesting determines the annual budget of many Shor families, allows them to live and teach their children.

10. When sifting nuts, the coarse husk is separated through a sieve by hand.

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11. Family camp of the taiga cedar industry.

In the taiga camps, Shor songs are played around the campfire. In the most difficult times, they remind you of the beauty of the world in which cedars reign. Cherished cedars give people nuts. In the Shor riddles, they are called golden bread. An old saying goes: hunger is not terrible if you eat pine nuts.

12. Pine nuts collected in the Shor taiga.

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