History of World and Russian Mammoth Studies

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of the concept of the mammoth in regulatory documents and cultural practices. The analysis of both Russian and international experience allowed to generalise the existing legal provisions regarding the regulation of mammoths, as well as to determine the role of mammoths in the world and Russian culture, including the culture of the indigenous peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East. The methodological basis of the study is represented by the comparative analysis of sources and materials, historical-comparative and chronological methods, the historiographic method, as well as methods of philosophical and art history analysis. The study revealed the fact that in the field of legislation and legal regulation of extraction and sale of mammoth ivory in the world, the issue of the status of mammoths is raised only in connection with a discussion of the survival of rare species of elephants. Measures to prevent extermination of elephant population, encompassing a ban on trade, including trade of mammoth ivory, cause heated discussions and are controversial for craftsmen, antique dealers and art collectors. The issue of legal regulation in this area is particularly acute for the Russian Federation, due to the lack of a finalised legal and regulatory framework, both at the federal, regional and municipal levels. The image of the mammoth in the world and Russian culture is embodied in a number of visual practices. These are heraldry, animation, book graphics, sculpture and fine art. Sign and symbolic forms of the mammoth embody religious and mythological characteristics of the animal, demonstrating its significance in people’s worldview, as well as indicating of the “living” memory of it in the modern world.