No. 3, 2003
Spring the time has come for spring to awaken behind the Polar Circle after a long and severe winter.
Time for growing, when the first newborn reindeer see the light of day, the tundra starts to flourish. Not only is it a time of joy but new and bigger challenges await us.
The newborn reindeer will survive and that signifies life in the tundra!
The Red Chum is in Kanin again
Since April 2003, the project “The Red Chum” has been launched again in the Kanin Peninsula”. ZAO “Archangelskgeoldobycha” has taken the part of the sponsors.
The project saw its beginning from the reindeer husbandry enterprise “Voshod”. The guide Vasilij V. Latyshev with his wife shall leave for the tundra in the middle of the month. According to schedule the specialists of the Red Chum should be dropped off at the point where the 4th brigade will be located in the middle of June.
Specialists from the SGMU in Archangelsk had requested to work as medical personnel. The competition for the position of a cultural worker will be announced in the surrounding SMI .
The first stage consists of procuring the necessary products, special clothes and equipment.
News in Brief
* The family-tribal community “YA’ Erv” sends young reindeer herders to study in Kautokeino (Norway). Training for the position of specialists at the slaughtering complex takes six months. Ivan Vyucheiskij and Marina Vylka will be leaving for this training.
* For the traditional celebration of the North, a delegation from Yasavey visited the Lovozero settlement in the Murmansk Oblast.
* The delegation included: Igor Semenov, a specialist in the Association; Alexandra Lageiskaya, chairperson of the structural division of the settlement Iskateli, member of the Movement’s Council; Alexandra Odincova, an enthusiast in the Movement from the settlement of Bugrino; Tatyana Ledkova, Deputy of the settlement Council which makes decisions for the social and economic life of the Bugrino inhabitants; Egor Barnicyn, a brigade leader in the reindeer brigade SPK “Kolguev”; Herman Barnicyn, former reindeer herder of the SPK “Kolguev”.
Winners of the races with reindeer teams
On Sunday the 23rd of March, the traditional races with reindeer teams came to an end. The organizers were: The Management of the agricultural NAO Administration, Commission dealing with the affairs of peoples of the North, NAO Administration, and Yasavey. The sponsor of the races was the oil enterprise “Severnaya Neft”.
Due to unfavourable weather conditions, only one-third of the registered participants took part. This time the enterprises such as SPK “Vyucheiskij and OPH did not participate. In essence only two reindeer husbandry enterprises competed between themselves and they were the enterprise SPK “Harp” and the family-tribal community “Ya’ Erv”.
This year the reindeer herders said, the track was again not at its best:
Loose snow, potholes. In addition to this there were those who rode on snowmobiles next to the team which frightens the animals very much and makes them nervous.
But in spite of all this the races did take place and the winners were announced in the drives for men and women.
Yasavey congratulates most heartily the winners. We hope that it will not be long before the participants in the races will receive the prizes they deserve.
1st photograph (left)
Anton Ledkov, age18, had the fastest team and has been in the reindeer husbandry business since the age of 15. He is a reindeer herder in the 7th brigade of SPK “Harp”. To be young does not mean that you have to be green!
2nd photograph (left)
The second to cross the finish line was the team of Grigorij S. Rochev. A quiet and confident person. He has been working with reindeer for more than 20 years. He is the brigadier in the first brigade of SPK “Harp”.
3rd photograph (left)
The third team belonged to Maxim A. Vylka the brigadier in the fourth brigade of SPK “Harp”. A descendant of reindeer herders, he is 38 and single. He began to work in the reindeer husbandry sector as soon as he got out of the army.
1st photograph (right)
Ekaterina A. Ledkova took first place among the women. She is also a wonderful mother to her three children. She works at the SPK “Harp”.
2nd photograph (right)
The second team to arrive was that of Zoya S. Ledkova. A good housewife and a loving mother of eight children. Works in the SPK “Erv”.
3rd photograph (right)
Iraida G. Rochev won third place. Remained behind her husband Georgij Rochev by just a hair. Works at the “Harp”enterprise.
Information Centre Seminar held in Moscow
As of the 11th of March to the 14th, a seminar was held in Moscow or regional information centres. The organizers were The Information Centre of RAIPON and FE, RF.
Participants: Dmitrij Berezhkov from the information centre “LACH” AKSNSS and Fe, RF in the Kamchatka oblast; Lyudmila Kanyukova from the information centre “Yasavey Manzara”, Yasavey; Tatyana Korzh from the Youth centre “Phoenix Amura”; The KMNS Association in the Habarov krai; Sergei Gavrilov from OOSMO Murmansk oblast, settlement of Lovozero; Andrei Halkachan from the information centre of the Association KMNSS, Magadan oblast; Liliya Taibarei from the Student Information Centre AKMNSS and FE RF, St. Petersburg.
During the first day of the seminar, Vladislav Peskov the director of the RAIPON Information Centre presented to the participants the entire spectrum of work carried out within the centre: the organization, colleagues, plans. This was followed by an introductory exchange whereby the representatives of the regional information centres talked about their work.
The 13th of March was the day for meeting with the representatives of the “LACH” Information Centre and Magadan. The “LACH” Information centre has a large amount of working experience and they have much they can share with others to give away their secret of achieving success through fruitful work. There is no doubt that the IC “LACH” has reached a position which is higher by many degrees. The criteria for success: initiative, operability, the desire to create and they have all that in their hands. They are great guys, keep it up and we will try to catch up with you.
The 14th of March was the opening of the information youth centre in St. Petersburg. It is ideal that it has been opened at the base of the Herzen Institute of the Peoples of the North, RGPU. The vice-principal of the RGPU - S.A. Goncharov, received some welcoming words addressed to him by the representatives of the General Consulates in St. Petersburg. Darya Kudryashova - vice-president on youth policies of the RAIPON and FE RF described the development of youth programs.
This project has been ratified by the Council of Ministers of the Northern Countries. Equal access to information of the MNS representatives in a large megapolis and faraway settlements stated Liliya Taibarei, director of the information youth centre in St. Petersburg.
The students of the educational establishments presented the following projects:
* Centre for psychological adaptation for students from indigenous minorities in the North, Siberia and the far East RF in St. Petersburg”, Elena Chvygai, INS Herzen RGPU:
* Campaign for a healthy way of life among students of the MNS in St. Petersburg”, Nadezhda Varganova, Institute of technology for traditional crafts of minorities in Russia;
* International educational and training programs and participation by students from the MNS”, Elena Ledkova, student of the State Arctic Academy.
During the day, the organizers arranged an excursion around the Institute for the Peoples of the North; visited the museum, faculties, watched the presentation by a group called “aurora borealis” from the institute.
Results:
* The representatives of the information Centres agreed on a “Network of RAIPON and FE RF information centres;
* interesting and beneficial information has been acquired;
* experience obtained by many centres is fully acceptable in the remaining regions;
* a proposal was made to carry out similar seminars on an annual basis and the theme for the next seminar has already been specified “Professional journalism for beginners”;
* assistance by regional IC in publishing a special edition of a youth magazine “The World of the Indigenous Peoples”.
EXHIBITION
On the 26th of March, in the building of the City Exhibition Centre, an exhibition took place entitled “Kolguev Island as created by the artists Ady Rybachuk and Vladimir Melnichenko”.
They exhibited their works at this exhibition dedicated to life on the island and its inhabitants. Visitors could see faces, countenances of saints and the landscape of the island.
The exhibition was also visited by people from Kolguev present and former.
Novelty!
March witnessed the arrival of an ethno-ecological calendar for the year 2003. The names of the months in the calendar are translated into the Nenets language with a detailed explanation of the signs for each month, dates to be remembered are indicated as are Nenets puzzles. Each page is illustrated with photographs and ornaments.
The author of this idea is Irina L. Hanzerova, journalist, artist, author of broadcasts in the Nenets language.
Financial support for publishing this ethno-ecological calendar was made available by Yasavey from non-budgetary government funds for the support and development of minorities in the NAO.
A Competition of Drawings
I n the information bulletin No. 9 for the year 2002 there was information from RAIPON FE RF about a competition of drawings on the subject “What makes you healthy” and “What is harmful for your health”.
It was pleasant to see at the exhibition in the Institute of the Peoples of the North in St. Petersburg drawings by our people.
It should be noted that the competition in our Okrug included only children from the Nizhnyaya Pesha settlement.
We would like to draw your attention to drawings made by participants in this competition.
“Rainbow in a waterfall” by Vera Vokueva, age 16.
“The tundra spreads bright carpets and invites guests to see its offerings” by Lyudmila Dyachenko, age 11.
“Skiing race” by Elizabeth Olkina, age 16
We wish the best of success to these young people and hope that their drawings will be noted in the competition. This we will know in about two or three months from now.