The article examines the scholarly paradigm surrounding the emergence and application of the concept of «life-support culture». After briefly outlining the intellectual foundations of Russia’s national scientific tradition, the author traces the genesis of the «life support» concept, its theoretical linkages to the works of Bronisław Malinowski and Abraham Maslow, and highlights the contributions of Soviet and Russian scholars to the development of this conceptual framework. The concluding section demonstrates the methodological value of this approach in anthropological and ethnographic research, illustrated through a case study of ethnocultural features of life support system of indigenous peoples of Amur and Sakhalin.