The Taimyr family of Chardu became one of the winners at the regional stage of the Family of the Year all-Russia contest. 66 families from 29 cities and regions of the Krasnoyarsk territory became applicants for entering the all-Russia stage. Our winners are the residents of the Kresty village, a rural settlement of Khatanga, the Taimyr municipal district.
The head of the Chardu family was Yuri.
“Unfortunately, he died not long ago,” Margarita Batagay, the Kresty village territorial department head told. “Together with his wife Anna they gave birth to six children. They have lived together for 40 years”.
Anna was born in a large family of a reindeer herder, fisherman and hunter. She married the reindeer herder Yuri Chardu. She wandered with her husband along the tundra, ran a farm in the reindeer herding brigade, helped her husband maintain and increase the number of domestic reindeer herds. Together they raised six children who work in different sectors of the municipal district nowadays. The whole life of Anna’s family was devoted to the traditional indigenous people lifestyle.
Yuri Chardu was engaged in reindeer husbandry and fishing. He was awarded many times: “for increasing the reindeer herding”, “for fulfilling the fishing plan”, “for active participation in the state farm’s food program implementation”.
Nowadays, the Chardu family, along with their children and grandchildren, continues conducting traditional farming at the Nohon fishing point. Anna is the head of the farm. They are engaged in their favorite business – fishing, hunting. By the way, the family is really big – six grandsons and six granddaughters, two great-grandsons and three great-granddaughters.
“They are the Dolgan language and culture keepers. Anna accepted the traditions and customs, rites of worshipping the good spirits, on which luck in hunting, peace and prosperity of the family depend and passes them on to the younger generation. Last year, Anna, for example, won the Preservation of National Traditions regional competition in the Dynasty of Craftsmen nomination, in the competition for the best ethnic settlement Krestovsky nomad. The event was dedicated to the 95th anniversary of the Kresty village”, says Margarita Batagay.
Besides all that Anna is a master of the national ornament embroidery, she embroiders clothes and shoes skillfully, participates in various decorative and applied art exhibitions and festivals.
All members of the Chardu family have been repeatedly awarded.
“We are very proud of such families and thank them for their great contribution to the preservation of the national culture of the northerners. We hope that their participation at the federal level of the Family of the Year contest will be also successful”, Margarita Batagay concluded.
We add that the all-Russia competition the Family of the Year has been held since 2016. Its organizers are the Support Fund for Children in Difficult Life Situations, and the Ministry of Labor of Russia. The Krasnoyarsk region has been conducting the regional stage contests since 2017. So far, more than 400 families have taken part in them, three of them have won the federal competition.
Text: Maria Sokolova, Photo: The Krasnoyarsk region Ministry of Social Policy press service