Bakaldyn Festival Unites Evenki Communities in Neryungri This June
The city of Neryungri will host the international Evenki festival Bakaldyn from June 18 to 20. Preparations for the upcoming event were among the topics discussed during a working visit by Sakha Republic head Aisen Nikolayev, who held a meeting in the administrative center of Neryungri District on February 10.
This year marks the centennial anniversary of the village of Iengra, a settlement where a unique Evenki linguistic environment has been preserved. The village has repeatedly hosted national festivals such as Ikėnipkė and Huktyvun (Reindeer Herder's Day).
Participants in the International Evenki National Festival Bakaldyn in Neryungri will include representatives of the Indigenous small-numbered peoples of the North—primarily the Evenki, who live in compact communities across 10 federal subjects of Russia and in nine municipal districts of Yakutia, as well as delegations from China and Mongolia. In addition to traditional rituals, exhibitions, and concerts, the festival will also feature a business program.
Yakutia is home to representatives of 135 nationalities and ethnic groups. Indigenous peoples of the North—including the Evenki, Evens, Chukchi, Dolgans, and Yukaghirs—live in 70 settlements across 21 municipal districts of the republic.
