Expedition to a remote corner of Khabarovsk Krai - the amazing village of Arka
As part of the implementation of the State Contract of the Ministry for the Development of the Arctic and Northern Affairs of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) on the project "Digitalization of the linguistic and cultural heritage of the indigenous peoples of the Arctic", which became the main project from the Russian Federation in the Arctic Council during the chairmanship of the Russian Federation in the Arctic Council and received the status of an Arctic Council project, NEFU organized a third expedition, this time to one of the most remote and amazing corners - the village of Arka in the Khabarovsk Territory, where the indigenous northern peoples of the Evens live. The village of Arka is located 120 kilometers from the working settlement of Okhotsk, the population is more than 600 people.
From November 13 to 20, Lialko Zakharova, a representative of the research team for the implementation of the State Contract, a postgraduate student of NEFU, and a native speaker of the Even language, went to the Okhotsk workers' settlement and the village of Arka to conduct a linguistic expedition. Field work began with a visit to educational institutions in the Okhotsk settlement and the E. F. Morokov Okhotsk Museum of Local History, where the history of the Khabarovsk Territory is widely presented, including the history of the Evens' nomadism in this territory. In the village of Arka, L. Zakharova also visited the secondary school, since special attention is paid to the field of education. Then a survey was conducted among the indigenous people of Arka to identify the scope of social functions of the Even language and the intensity of its functioning in various spheres of communication.
A preliminary analysis showed that the language situation in the village is assessed as critical due to the gradual loss of the language. The language is preserved only among old-timers. However, a positive factor is the active work of educational institutions, the Even ethnocultural center "Maranña (Rainbow)", which actively support the language and contribute to its revival. The collected material is processed in detail, an analysis and digital description of the obtained materials is carried out on the linguistic platform LingvoDoc. The results of the study will be presented in scientific publications.
In working with informants and in general in expeditionary activities, assistance and great help were provided by Zadorozhny Aleksey Vladimirovich, head of the Department of Education of the Okhotsk Municipal District, representative on national issues, Sleptsova Galina Fedotovna, teacher of the Even language and literature, head of the ethnocenter "Maranna (Rainbow)", Alekseev Stepan Alekseevich, experienced reindeer herder, and Alekseeva Natalya Semenovna, owners of the Alekseev Ethnocomplex, Beznosova Tamara Aleksandrovna, experienced chum worker, who led a nomadic lifestyle all her life, Chirikov Aleksey Sergeevich, hereditary reindeer herder-brigadier, Danilova Maria Afanasyevna, reindeer herder-shepherd, as well as Borisova Evgeniya Afanasyevna, Even poetess.
Alina Petrovna Vasilieva,
researcher at the International Research Laboratory
‘Linguistic Ecology of the Arctic’ of NEFU
