#ARCTIC. #SIBERIA. THIS IS TAIMYR. St. Petersburg hosted the International Seminar on the Arctic Indigenous Peoples’ Languages Preservation and Popularization . The forum was held as part of the Russian Federation’s chairmanship of the Arctic Council in 2021–2023.
The seminar program included the work on the problems of teaching and promoting the indigenous peoples’ languages, as well as on literary creativity and the use of IT technologies in this area.
A textbooks and teaching aids in native languages exhibition was presented at the seminar sites, and the Arctic Council project “Digitalization of the linguistic and cultural heritage of the indigenous peoples of the Arctic” was discussed.
Among the 200 peoples of Russia, a special place is occupied by 40 indigenous peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East. They have a special legal status: a policy of sustainable development is being implemented in relation to these peoples. The preservation and promotion of their languages is considered an important factor of the Russian Arctic sustainable development.
“We are convinced that our native languages are an important factor in the development and integration of the indigenous peoples of the Arctic, a key element in preserving their identity and traditional way of life. Each language is our greatest value”, says Nina Veysalova, vice-president of the Association of Indigenous Minorities of the North, Siberia and the Far East of the Russian Federation for education, native languages and project activities.
As part of the Publishing Literature in the Languages of the Arctic Indigenous Peoples: Current State and Prospects section, the chief specialist of the Taimyr House of Folk Art Anna Barbolina spoke on the history of the Dolgan writing creation and popularization.
The Hatanga Information Methodological Center methodologist Natalya Zharkova presented the report on the role of education in learning the languages of the Taimyr indigenous peoples. Svetlana Zhovnitskaya, deputy director of the Information Methodological Center, introduced the organization of publishing activities at the municipal level.
Also, a solemn ceremony of awarding the Voice of the North literary competition project winners was held.
Among the award recipients was Raisa Yaptune, a Nenets writer, a member of the Writers’ Union of the Russian Federation, a journalist, the winner of the second literary competition Voice of the North, a teacher of the native language of the Dudinskaya secondary school No. 1.
“IT-technologies should help in popularizing the languages of small peoples. For effective work, our peoples lack about 60 graphic symbols so that they can use their languages more fully”, said Stanislav Bedkin, deputy head of the Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs.
Earlier, we told that a legal portal was made for indigenous peoples. More over, since October last year, the Severny Gorod TV channel has been broadcasting news in the languages of the five indigenous ethnic groups of Taimyr.
Follow us on Telegram, VKontakte.
Text: Denis Kozhevnikov, Photo: Denis Kozhevnikov and the Taimyr administration press office
