"The Hunting and Trapping Map As a Tool of Balance: Hunter-Herders and the Economic Development of the Arctic in the Late 1930-s"

Dyachenko, Vladimir Ivanovich

Abstract

This article analyzes the "Commercial-Biological Map of the Lena-Khatanga Region," compiled by biologist A.A. Romanov in 1939. For the pre-war era, this document is more than just a zoological chart; it is direct evidence of how the traditional way of life of Arctic hunters and reindeer herders was disrupted and forced to adapt to the new regime. The article attempts to illustrate the shift in Moscows attitude toward the North: the Arctic was transforming from a "silent, icy wasteland" into a valuable resource asset. Scientific work here was driven by strict practical objectives. Romanov succeeded in translating biological observations of Arctic and red foxes into economic terms - calculating the volume of fur that could be harvested to generate foreign currency and supply polar stations. The map clearly delineated the boundaries for future hunting cooperatives and trading posts, thereby legitimizing the states presence in the tundra. In essence, the map represents a visual blueprint for the pre-war mobilization economy, aimed at reducing the northern frontiers reliance on shipments of scarce goods (such as flour, tea, and gunpowder) from the "mainland." This document vividly illustrates the Stalinist strategy of "development through exploitation," which shaped the destiny of the Soviet Arctic.

Keywords: history, North, colonization, economy, cartography, science.

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Citation

Dyachenko, Vladimir Ivanovich "The Hunting and Trapping Map As a Tool of Balance: Hunter-Herders and the Economic Development of the Arctic in the Late 1930-s" Agrarian History, Number 27, 2026 P. 32 - 42. doi: 10.52270/27132447_2026_27_32