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Power of traditions exhibition project

The Power of Traditions project was timed to coincide with the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, celebrated in Russia on 9 August.

The partners in the project are Sakhalin Energy, the Sakhalin Oblast Literature and Arts Museum of Anton Chekhov's Book "Sakhalin Island", and the Sakhalin Branch of the Botanical Garden-Institute at the Far Eastern Division of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Engagement with elders, native speakers, and experts plays an important role in preserving the culture and languages of the indigenous minorities of the North of Sakhalin Oblast. This work is exemplified in a book on the traditional knowledge of the Nivkh people. "The Power of Traditions" is a book published by Sakhalin Energy on the basis of notes kept by Efrosinya Shkalygina, an elder of the Nivkh Koivongun family and a resident of the village of Chir-Unvd in Tymovsky District. For many years, the author had been collecting sketches of wild plants along with descriptions of their properties and medicinal and ceremonial uses. The book is a compilation of Efrosinya Shkalygina's diary entries.

The presentation of the book "The Power of Traditions" in the run-up to the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples and the opening of an exhibition by the same name offer a great opportunity to shed light on the contribution of indigenous ethnic groups to the history and culture of the region. Bringing together traditional household items and folk art and crafts from the collections of Sakhalin museums, the exhibition demonstrated the essential role that plants play in the life of the indigenous peoples of the North of Sakhalin Oblast.

The exhibition project also featured interactive workshops, lectures, masterclasses, and guided tours. These were conducted by experts from the Literature and Arts Museum of Anton Chekhov's Book "Sakhalin Island", the Sakhalin Regional Museum of Local Lore, guest craftsmen, representatives of indigenous peoples, and employees of the Botanical Garden-Institute of the Far Eastern Division of the Russian Academy of Sciences.