Photo credit: canadianmennonite.org
Russian regions celebrate International Day of the World’s Indigenous People on August 9, the Parliamentskaya Gazeta newspaper reports. It is dedicated to the first meeting of the UN Working group on indigenous issues, which took place in 1982. This day allows once again to draw public attention to the problems of small nations.
Nowadays indigenous peoples include 370 million people living in different countries. Russia recognizes as indigenous the people living in the territories where their ancestors used to live, who preserve the traditional way of life, crafts and farming. There are 47 ethnic groups in Russia, including 40 indigenous peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East.
Representatives of these peoples live in thirty Russian regions, over 65 percent of them live in villages.
The number of indigenous peoples is 5 percent of the total population of the planet, they account for 15 percent of the poorest people on Earth. This is one of the most vulnerable groups in need of support and protection.
A dictation in the languages of the indigenous peoples of the North was held in Yamal to mark the holiday. The History of the Yamal Land exhibition opened in Noyabrsk Museum Resource Center. The national ritual holiday Nomad-2019 was also held in Yakutsk for the 8th time. It brought together 1,500 representatives of the indigenous peoples of the North.
The Karelian circle dance became the symbol of the day in Petrozavodsk. Young residents of the city learned the figures of ancient dance and showed everyone the right moves. A rich program is planned in Surgut: an exhibition of works by folk artists, performance of folklore groups, master classes and a fair.
Russkiy Mir
