On February 18, 2021, an online presentation of Nivkh legends and stories collection ‘Оҕолорго’ (‘For Children’) took place. The collection is translated into 7 languages: Nivkh, Yakut, Russian, English, Japanese, Evenk and Yukagir. The author of the legends is Vladimir Mikhailovich Sangi, the founder and classic of Nivkh literature. The author of the collection and the project is Alexander Nikolaevich Zhirkov, the first vice-speaker of the State Assembly (Il Tumen) of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia).
The Bichik National Publishing House has published a unique collection of literary tales, legends and stories dedicated to children of primary and secondary school age, the author of which is Vladimir Mikhailovich Sangi - the founder and classic of Nivkh literature, educator of the native people, author of the first alphabet, the first primer and textbooks on the language of the Sakhalin Nivkhs, a world-famous writer. Collection for the 85th anniversary of V.M. Sangi was compiled and prepared for publication by a friend of the writer, the first vice-speaker of the parliament of Yakutia, Alexander Zhirkov.
According to V.M. Sangi and compiler, a collection for children has been prepared in seven languages: Nivkh, Sakha, Russian, English, Japanese, and for the first time in Evenk and Yukaghir. The life and work of the talented Nivkh writer V.M. Sangi has been inextricably linked with the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) for many years. Vladimir Sangi is a close friend of a whole galaxy of such Yakut writers as N.E. Mordinov-Amma Achchygyya, V.M. Novikov-Kunnuk-Uurastyrap, D.K. Sivtsev-Suorun-Omolloon, S.I. Tarasov, S.P. Danilov, S.T. Rufov, A.V. Krivoshapkin and many others.
Back in the distant seventies of the last century, Vladimir Sangi shared the Nivkh story about the boy Kirisk, about self-sacrifice for the sake of the continuation of the human race, with the Kyrgyz writer Chingiz Aitmatov, on the basis of which he wrote his great work ‘Пегий пес, бегущий краем моря ‘ (‘Piebald Dog Running by the Edge of the Sea’), and our Yakut director Andrey Borisov staged the play, which is the best performance of the Sakha Theater, and to this day is held with great success in many theaters in Russia. Vladimir Sangi visited our republic many times. Semyon Titovich Rufov and Alexander Nikolaevich Zhirkov visited him on the land of Ykh Myth, the island of Sakhalin, his ancestral camp on the Chayvo Bay. Throughout his life, Vladimir Mikhailovich strived to preserve, increase and pass on to the young generation the ancient customs, traditions and culture of his ancestry. And this collection of Nivkh legends, stories and tales in seven languages is a tribute to the spiritual world of the ancient, courageous, mysterious and persistent Nivkh people.
The collection was translated into the Yakut language by A.N. Zhirkov, O. N. Koryakina and N.F. Vasiliev. The translation into the Evenk language was carried out by N.N. Kudrina, into the Yukaghir language by N.N. Kurilov, into English by S.V. Kholomogorov, A.A. Nakhodkin, V.G. Struchkov, M.S. Krivtsova, into Japanese by Y.N. Mikhailov, O. V. Shashkina, M. Olkhovik (Sakhalin State University). The book uses drawings by Nivkh artists K.Y. Tikhonova, A.N. Osipova and V.N. Osipova.
