Ethnic and ecological aspects of marmot hunting in Transbaikalia and adjacent territory

In the study trade marmot hunting in Trans-baikalia and in adjacent territory is considered. The operation of different types of landscapes various ethnoses depending on biology of bred animals and economic way connected with it and material culture resulted in the distinction in trade use of different types of marmot. Nomadic Central Asian ethnoses were engaged in hunting tarbagan, and the ethnoses which mastered cultivation of reindeer in the mountain tundra of the region hunted black-capped marmots. Hunting marmots, first of all tarbagan in this territory was considerable in size in the past. It reached the greatest peak in connection with the growth of cost of marmots’ pel- ages by 1910 when in Transbaikalia 2.5 million pel-ages were stored up. However, one of deep moti-vations of marmots hunting was connected with the expressed use of fatty meat of marmots by Central Asian ethnoses, and also the ethnoses hunting black-capped marmots in the mountain tundra. The fat of marmot represented an important product of hunting, was prepared for winter and found broad application, but mainly in medical purposes. The composition of marmot fat is rich with polynonsatu-rated (essentsial) fatty acids with low temperature of melting, necessary for healthy nutrition of the man. Medical and biological basis of the use of fat meat and marmot fat probably was connected with nomadic ethnoses of arid territories with completion of need for essentsial fatty acids along with others, more rare used sources (green plants, pine nuts). In culture of other peoples such compensation was carried out by big consumption of fish or a big share of vegetable food in the diet. Retrospective review also allows concluding that production of trade of marmots from Transbaikalia helped the formation of market relationship of geographically remote territories. Marmot pelages arrived on Sibe-rian markets in the beginning, then reached Irbit and Nizhny Novgorod fairs. In modern changed conditions marmots continue to represent valuable natural resource needing development of new ap-proaches to their use.