Honey hunting of the Sevriuks

The purpose of the study presented in the article was to highlight the development of the Sevriuks’ honey hunting and its features, as far as available sources allow. Sources of studying the honey hunting of the Sevriuks in the 14th to 17th centuries are various kinds of documents, published honey harvesting «marks» (signs of ownership of the honey hunting holdings) with the accompanying inscriptions, archaeological search results, as well as linguistic and some other materials. The conception of the adaptive role of human culture is a methodological basis. The scientific novelty of the study is the analysis of Sevriuk’s beekeepers and their honey hunting in the 14th–17th centuries from a wide range of sources, among which it is necessary to distinguish harvesting «marks», archeological and linguistic data. The study makes it possible to become more fully acquainted with the leading Sevriuk’s industry and to understand of the processes of its formation within the Siverian region. Conclutions. In the economic structure of the Sevriuks, honey harvesting played a very significant role; they even paid a special «honey tax». There is an assumption that honey hunting in general was the main branch of their economy. And it is the Sevriuks who were known in the surrounding countries as «wild-honey farmers». Hence, in the Siverian lands, holdings favourable for breeding bees were valued in the first place. The apiaries, far from premises, were served by flying visits. Pines, lindens, somewhat less – oaks and other varieties that secured warmth, dryness, air filtration and durability were considered to be the best species of tree for producing wild bees’ nest and beehives. For hollowing out wild bees’ nests in trees, as well as beehives-logs, special curved gauges, called «koleyka» and «kopylets» were applied. For honey extraction, there were used a special tackle woven from straps or bast («lezyvo»), a ladder of wild-honey farmers made out of a small tree trunk with knags (called «ostrova»), as well as a hook-shaped crook.