Background
Yakutian Cattle are an endangered, genetically unique cattle breed in the Sakha Republic (former Yakutia) in northeast Siberia. It is the last survived Siberian Turano-Mongolian cattle breed living as a population of 900 animals in three small, remote villages. They are located by the Verkhoyansk Mountains in the coldest inhabited area on earth. Winter temperature can stay at -50 °C for several weeks.
Finnish research team has investigated life in the villages, genetic uniqueness of the Yakutian Cattle and cultural values connected to Yakutian Cattle. The genetic part has been done at the Agrifood Research Finland and the socio-cultural part at the University of Helsinki. I have worked as an artist in this challenging project since 2004 and participated the one month field expedition to these villages in April 2005. The outcome of this project consists of several scientific and other articles, a book ‘Sagha Ynaga – Cattle of the Yakuts, art exhibitions, seminars and presentations.
Project team: Juha Kantanen, Leo Granberg, Meng-Hua Li, Katriina Soini, Ulla Partanen, Inna Kopoteva , Eeva Pääkkönen and Anu Osva as an independent partner.
Book: Sakha Ynaga – Cattle of the Yakuts
Eds. Leo Granberg, Katriina Soini & Juha Kantanen
Finnish Academy of Science and Letters
Annales Academiae Scientiarum Fennicae. Humaniora 355
Helsinki 2009, 218 pp.
ISBN 978-951-41-1032-0 (Soft)
ISSN 1239-6982
https://anuosva.wordpress.com/talking-and-writing/, article
https://helda.helsinki.fi/handle/10138/15166 , Introduction chapter in ‘Sakha Ynaga, Cattle of the Yakuts’, download pdf.
