80th anniversary of Vladimir Sangi, classic of nivkh literature

There is no living man who can count the skies

For the skies know no bounds, no beginning, no end:

Where gods rule their realms, where thunder resides,

Where the souls of the perished serenely ascend...

Excerpt from the poem "The Man of Yhmif"

On 18 March 2015, Vladimir Sangi, a classic of Nivkh literature, celebrated his 80th birthday. The Sakhalin Oblast Government and the Sakhalin-2 project operator prepared a dedicated project to mark the occasion. The project featured a variety of events in Russia and abroad.

Vladimir Sangi is the first writer representing the indigenous people of Sakhalin Island who call themselves Nivgun. When his first works saw print, the famous Soviet writer Konstantin Fedin said: "A singer of the Nivkh has emerged who reveals the soul and heart of his own people to another." Throughout his creative journey, Vladimir Sangi never broke this rule; his works are very autobiographical and documentary, all of them written with great respect for and deep reverence for his people. They reflect the connection between the past, present, and future of the ancient Nivkh people, their national character, way of thinking, distinctive world view, lifestyle, traditions, rituals, and language – something that can be irretrievably lost in the face of modern civilisation unless documented for posterity.

Bibliography:
• Nivkh Legends, 1961.
• Salty Spray, 1962.
• A Bird of Seven Feathers, 1964, 1967.
• The False Rut, 1965, 1966.
• The First Shot, 1965.
• The Legends of Yhmif, 1967, 1974.
• The Kevongs' marriage, 1975, 1977.
• The Month of the Salmon Run, 1985.
• A Journey to the Lunvo Camp, 1985.
• The Man of Yhmif, 1986.
• A Sea Poem, 1988.
• The Epic of the Sakhalin Nivkhs, 2013.

Public acclaim:
• Member of the Union of Writers of the USSR (Russia).
• Member of the International League for the Defence of Human Rights and Freedoms at the UN Economic and Social Council.
• Honoured Culture Worker of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia).
• Winner of the medal "For Valiant Labour", the Badge of Honour, and the Order of Friendship.
• Laureate of the State Prize of the Russian Federation.
• Winner of the Sakhalin Oblast Governor's Award and the Sakhalin Culture Fund Award.