Siberia may seem a long way from New Mexico, but the Heritage Center's experience with Southwestern Indian tribes is the basis for current research being conducted among Siberia's Native peoples. There are twenty-three indigenous tribal peoples in Siberia. The Heritage Center is working with the Khanty, who are reindeer herders, hunters and fishermen of the West Siberian taiga, whose lands and culture are heavily impacted by petroleum development.

Funded by The Progam on Global Security and Sustainability of The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Heritage Center is working closely with eastern Khanty local leaders, with central and regional Russian government leaders, and with representatives of RAIPON (Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North) and other NGOs to implement a strategy that links the preservation of traditional Khanty culture and way of life with the protection of the forests, waters and swamps on which it depends

This strategy has three goals:

(1) supporting efforts to gain protected area status for traditional Khanty lands;

(2) strengthening the capacity of the native organizations to effectively and democratically represent their interests, and to manage their lands and resources; and

(3) providing a sound, scientific basis for the development of cultural conservation planning and the implementation of practical native co-management of their lands of traditional use and occupancy.

Follow the links below to learn more about:
· The Khanty of Western Siberia
· Black Snow: The Impact of Oil on the Khanty
· The Politics of Local Self-Government among the Khanty
· The Yuganskiy Khanty Biosphere Reserve Project
· Understanding Khanty Traditional Economy and Land Use:
              The Khanty Atlas Project
· Understanding Khanty Traditional Culture and Land Use:
              The Sacred Trust Project
              The Yuganskiy Khanty Cultural Resources Survey Project
· Links to Other Sites Concerned with Indigenous Peoples