Vladivostok to Host Opening of ‘Soul of Russia. The North’ Exhibition on 17 August

The ‘Soul of Russia. The North’ exposition will take place as part of the ‘Far East Street’ exhibition in Vladivostok on 17 August. The opening programme of the House of Indigenous Peoples of the North will last two days and include a business and cultural programme. The pavilion will remain open during the 8th Eastern Economic Forum, which will be held on the campus of Far Eastern Federal University on 10–13 September. The opening of the ‘Soul of Russia. The North’ exposition is part of the plan of events of Russia’s chairmanship of the Arctic Council in 2021–2023, which are managed by the Roscongress Foundation.

“The Russian government will continue to support the country’s Indigenous peoples. Preserving the customs, traditions, and way of life of these peoples is one of the cornerstones of our multinational state. This is a crucial part of the culture. The funds required for such work have been earmarked in the budget of the Russian Federation. The ‘Far East Street’ exhibition is one of the ways to tell the whole world about the Russian North and the Far East. All the Far Eastern regions are represented here at the embankment, but we are dedicating a separate pavilion specifically to the Indigenous peoples, their rich culture, unique traditions, and distinctive character,” Russian Deputy Prime Minister and Plenipotentiary Representative of the Russian President in the Far Eastern Federal District Yury Trutnev said.

The thematic pavilion ‘Soul of Russia. The North’ will present the applied art of Indigenous peoples using modern architectural forms and high-tech solutions. The exposition will be divided into multiple zones. The interactive zone ‘Introduction to Indigenous Peoples’ will include an installation with information about each group of Indigenous peoples living in Russia: their numbers, language, religion, way of life, traditions, and territory of residence. There will be two steles with additional information about the folklore and customs of the small-numbered Indigenous peoples on the left and right of the screen.

The main hall will have an array of multimedia projection screens and a photo exhibition that tells about the life and national traditions of Indigenous peoples.

In the tourism zone, guests will learn about active recreation and travel in the Arctic, while the fishing zone will introduce them to the traditional sea hunting methods of Indigenous peoples. The souvenir zone will feature unique handicrafts.

“Unique nature, cultural heritage, original traditions, and creative and strong-willed people – this is what the Russian North is all about. I am certain that the events planned as part of the ‘Soul of Russia. The North’ pavilion will draw additional attention to Indigenous peoples, special aspects of people’s lives in the vast expanses of the Far East and the Arctic, and unique crafts, and enable them to exchange experience and find friends and like-minded people among the Forum’s guests and participants,” Minister for the Development of the Russian Far East and the Arctic Alexey Chekunkov said.

During the business programme of the opening of the exhibition, experts will discuss topical issues concerning the government’s policy towards Russia’s Indigenous peoples. A seminar on interethnic relations in the Primorsky Territory is also planned jointly with the Assembly of the Peoples of Russia in the Primorsky Territory. In addition, a meeting of the Public Council of the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation will take place on the sidelines of the event.

The exhibition guests will view presentations about the history and culture of the Indigenous peoples of the Primorsky Territory, Khabarovsk Territory, and the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), the Code of the Northern Peoples, and projects of the Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North. In addition, they can attend master classes on arts, crafts, and northern dances, as well as a concert by creative groups.

Participants in the exhibition’s business programme will include President of the Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North and Russian Senator Grigory Ledkov, President of the Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North of the Khabarovsk Territory and Vice President of the Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North in the Far Eastern Federal District Lyubov Odzyal, Deputy Chairman of the Union of Indigenous People of the Primorsky Territory Vera Kavetskaya, and Member of the Coordinating Council of the Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) Dariya Martynova.

The exhibition is being organized by the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East and the Arctic and the Roscongress Foundation.