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Throat singing, fur coats made of deerskin and willow bark ropes

The 17th International Fair Treasures of the North was held in Moscow

19 september 2022

19.09.2022 // From 14 to 18 September at the Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy hosted the International Fair Treasures of the North. Masters and Artists of Russia 2022. More than 500 professional and amateur artists, masters of traditional and artistic crafts presented the original culture of the indigenous peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East of Russia.

The Chukotka delegation included artists, bone carvers, musicians of the Einetkun folk band, connoisseurs and preservers of the Chukchi language.

'On the first day of the exhibition, representatives of the delegation took part in the cultural and educational platform 'Children of the Arctic.' Antonina Kergitval gave a Chukchi lesson on birds, their voices and movements. Tatiana Terletskaya gave a workshop on making a toy northern bear. I gave a lecture on the traditional clothing of the peoples of Chukotka,' said Nina Terletskaya, Head of the Department of Fine and Applied Arts of the Chukotka Heritage Museum Centre.  

The Children of the Arctic stand at the exhibition was organised for the first time so that children from other regions of Russia could be exposed to the culture of the peoples of the North. Yamal was represented by children's groups: Tut sultam—Iskorka and Yaberena Numgi—Shining Star from Salekhard, and Nezhnost from the Tazovsky boarding school. They performed ancient songs and dances, and Yamal teachers gave interactive classes in the Khanty and Nenets languages.

Photo: aborigenexpo.ru

The exhibition programme traditionally includes national handicrafts workshops. For example, Yamal residents in creative workshops taught beadwork, woodcarving, bonework, sewing clothes and making household items from natural materials. For example, Evdokiya Tylikova from the Ovgort settlement showed how to weave ropes from willow bark and nettle thread, while Olesya Rusakova from the Kharampur village taught the original beading techniques. 

The exhibition also included the All-Russian Festival of Indigenous Cultures 'Nomad of the North.' Participants included performers of authentic motifs on ancient national instruments, masters of throat-singing, folk storytellers and dance groups.

Photo: aborigenexpo.ru

At the Arctic Style ethnic costume festival, visitors could see modern and stylised interpretations of folk costumes. Craftswoman Anna Semyonova from Yakutia showed two collections at once—Buuktaakh son traditional winter coat of the early 19th century and Khaladaai traditional dress. And the Nenets Area presented the Kanin collection, based on fur coats made of deerskin sewn according to the traditional cut of the Kanin tundra.

'For exactly a year, I have been nurturing in my head the idea of a new stage collection of Kanin fur coats. For a year, I didn't know how to get started with them, and it might have taken even longer if not for the forthcoming trip to the Treasures of the North Festival,' confessed Olga Vyucheyskaya, the author of the collection.

At the festival of culinary traditions titled 'Mother Earth. Indigenous Peoples. Bread. Sweets. Drinks', masters revealed the secrets of cooking northern delicacies, and then treated people to delicious dishes made from organic products.

As a memento of their visit to the Treasures of the North exhibition, Muscovites and visitors to the capital could purchase handmade souvenirs, such as wooden and leather goods, ceramics and embroidery, as well as folk dolls made by Veps from Karelia.

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