The Culture of Native Minorities of Siberia as an Object of Cultural Policy: An Ecosystem Model

<jats:p>The article proposes a conceptual model of the culture of the native minorities of Siberia as an object of cultural policy based on a systems analysis of the interaction among four interconnected components: the bearer, play-ful mechanisms of transmission, oral narratives (legends and sagas), and arts and crafts. It demonstrates that the dominant paradigm of fragmentary heritage protection, targeted at the cultural products recording and mu-seumification, does not ensure the preservation of its viability. Drawing on international documents (the 2003 UNESCO Convention), works on game theory, folklore studies, and ethnography, the system-forming role of the live-bearer as an integrator of the verbal, game-based, and material codes of tradition is substantiated. Functional links between legend, game, and craft are identified. The ambivalence of arts and crafts, balancing between the internal needs of the community and the external souvenir market, is revealed. The principles of an ecosystem approach to cultural policy are formulated.</jats:p>