When the North was red

by Dennis Bartels

An anthropologist and an ethnologist tell the story of the interaction between aboriginal culture and Soviet education and social policies and practices through the entire period from 1917 to 1989. They show the varying success of the Soviet determination to protect native languages and occupations while allowing people to participate in socialist institutions such as schools, collective farms, and the Communist Party. For the final years, they describe how aboriginal political activists sought to protect aborigines in nations where they were a minority, and wrestled with the enduring tradeoff between improving people's lives and preserving national traditions.