International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples “Aboriginal Day”.

On August 6, 2023, the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples “Aboriginal Day” was held at the U Kutkha ethno site. An exhibition of arts and crafts and various thematic areas were presented for residents and guests of the Kamchatka Territory.

At 17.00, the holiday began with a gastronomic festival – the competition “Ecological Cuisine of the Northern Peoples of Kamchatka”, which was held by ethno-blogger, artist of the KORITEV ensemble Karina Kozub. 5 hostesses took part in the festival-competition: Albina Morilova (Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky), Natalia Kornicheva (Vilyuchinsk), Larisa Indanova (Anavgai village, Bystrinsky district), Lyudmila Ilyina (Vilyuchinsk city) and Lilia Aslapova (Kamchatsky city). Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky). They prepared the best national dishes reflecting the traditional tastes of the indigenous people of Kamchatka. The audience not only got acquainted with the variety of dishes, but also learned which peoples cook them, from what ingredients.

The presentation of the dishes was presented in the native languages ​​of the indigenous peoples of Kamchatka. Bear meat, hearty flat cakes, delicious fish salad, cedar needle syrup and much more were tasted by the jury, evaluating not only the taste of the dishes, but also the traditional way of preparing them.An exhibition of decorative and applied arts was held near the stage. The craftsmen presented malachai, mittens, handbags, souvenirs, dolls in national clothes, jewelry, mugs, knitted toys and much more. Also, the craftsmen held master classes, those who wished to create beautiful ethnic souvenirs as a keepsake.

Yevgeny Zhaminov held a wood carving master class, the Chanterelle workshop on creating postcards and original pendants, the Lepilka workshop on amulets in ethnic style, and Ekaterina Fedotova on bead weaving.There was a separate playground for the young guests of the holiday. Master Yevgeny Zhaminov and Nazar Shcherbakov (participant of the ARTZAVOD project) played various fun games with the children. Models of volcanoes made of chipboard were also prepared for children, which could be painted with paints in any color. Face painting worked nearby, young viewers were offered to create drawings in ethnic style on their faces.

At 18.30 the concert program began. The Governor of the Kamchatka Territory Vladimir Solodov delivered a welcoming speech. He congratulated everyone on the holiday and wished well-being, love for traditions and not to forget about the continuity of generations.Members of the jury – Chairman of the Association of Indigenous Minorities of the North of Kamchatka Krai Andrey Metelitsa and TV and radio presenter Valeron were invited to the stage to present diplomas for participation in the gastronomic festival-competition “Ecological Cuisine of the Northern Peoples of Kamchatka”. They thanked all the participants for the excellent dishes and announced the decision of the jury.

The winners and owners of cash prizes were: 1st place – Albina Morilova for the Itelmen dish Ԓilum – fish salad with pine nuts, berries and seal fat. 2nd place – Lilia Aslapova, she presented “Nomad’s Lunch” – boiled venison and cakes from Ivan-tea. 3rd place – Natalya Kornicheva for fish and wild garlic body.The concert part continued with bright performances by the honored folk art group of the Even folk ensemble “Nurgenek”, the folk youth national ensemble “KORITEV”, soloists Lilia Aslapova and Anatoly Sorokin. The audience greeted each number with thunderous applause and ovations.

During the holiday, the native speech of the indigenous inhabitants of the peninsula sounded. The hosts and participants of the concert greeted everyone in Itelmen, Koryak, Even and Chukchi languages. Thanks to this, there was a complete immersion in the culture of the natives of Kamchatka.At the end of the holiday, the artists and spectators danced round dances together with the public association “League HARAvod. Circle of friends”. The main program was completed, but everyone was so charged with the atmosphere of the holiday that they didn’t want to leave at all!

The Kamchatka Folk Art Center thanks Rashid Shamoyan, General Director of Shamsa-Holding LLC, for providing gifts to children during the operation of the playground.The organizers of the holiday: the Ministry of Culture of the Kamchatka Territory, the KGBU “Kamchatka Center for Folk Art”, with the support of the NGO “Friendship of the Severyans” in the Kamchatka Territory, the Association of Indigenous Minorities of the North of the Kamchatka Territory, and the ethnovillage “U Kutkha”.