Humanities & Social Sciences 10 (2016 9) 2525-2530 ~ ~ ~ УДК 397(=512.2) Ornamental art of Indigenous People of the Arctic: Traditions and the Present (Based on the Evens and Evenki) Galina N. Varavina* Institute for Humanities Research and Indigenous Studies of the North SB RAS 1 Petrovskogo Str., Yakutsk, Russia, Sakha Republic (Yakutia), 677027, Yakutsk Received 27.03.2016, received in revised form 28.05.2016, accepted 30.08.2016 The present research studies the ornamental traditions of the indigenous peoples of the Arctic. <...> Since the dawn of time, they have been unique representatives of the Northern nomadic peoples, representing the Northeast division of the Tungus, belonging to Siberian-Manchurian ethnogenetic branch. <...> In the course of long historical development, the Northern peoples created a number of works of decorative art, forming a unique cultural heritage of the circumpolar region, and making a cumulative contribution into the world culture treasury. <...> Circumpolar culture of the nomads has developed a complicated system for harmonious existence of nature and man. <...> This knowledge of the Northern nomads has been passed on from father to son, transmitted through the works of culture and art, being unique models of arts and crafts of the ethnos. <...> The Tungus ornament is one of the phenomena of the Even and Evenki national culture, reflecting its originality and peculiar features. <...> The Tungus ornament is specific for expressing the nomadic culture, traditional way of life and peculiar picture of the world. <...> It is distinguished with artistic and stylistic features along with the sacral and semantic content. <...> The ornamental motives have been considered sacral, as they serve as a protective amulet. <...> It should be noted that the ornament art is one of the most original elements of ethnic culture, vulnerable to changes much less than the routine objects they decorate. <...> For this reason, the present research drives a really acute problem. <...> Today, the scope of using forms, compositions, and elements of the traditional ornament in various areas of culture is extending such as to the design of trademark, decoration etc. <...> So, Buryat Institute of Natural Science is working on a computer database of the traditional ornaments of the Mongol speaking peoples, which becomes a peculiar encyclopaedia of symbols, which may be used for creating new patterns based on the existing prototypes. <...> For this reason, at the present stage <...>