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This book is based on more than a decade of anthropological fieldwork and scholarship among Komi and Nenets nomadic reindeer herders of North-eastern Europe and North-western Siberia. Focused on herding techniques and the way of life of arctic nomads, the authors cogitate the unique attributes of reindeer herding and how they influence the herder’s cognitive skills. Two central cognitive abilities are explored: the ability to find their way in expansive and homogenous arctic tundra terrain, often in extreme weather conditions and navigating with neither maps nor navigation equipment, and the ability to decipher and predict reindeer behaviour. This book acknowledges and reviews current theories and models of human cognition developed in cognitive science. The authors build bridges between cognitive science and anthropology by presenting further case studies that reveal and demystify cognitive mechanisms. Axiomatically, they challenge the field of anthropology by demonstrating fundamental weaknesses and debunking anthropological theories that ignore cognitive facts. The authors advocate that the field of anthropology should no longer isolate itself from other scientific disciplines, since, in doing so, its marginalisation will amplify and its relevance diminish. This book exemplifies the contribution of anthropology to building greater understanding of human cognition. However, this can only be achieved through embracing advancements made in other disciplines rather than ignoring their existence.
