Yakutia To Host International Traditional Reindeer Herding Championship on 15–19 March

The Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) will host the International Traditional Reindeer Herding Championship on 15–19 March as part of Russia’s chairmanship of the Arctic Council in 2021–2023.

“The International Traditional Reindeer Herding Championship is of paramount importance in the context of the state’s efforts to preserve the traditional cultures of the Indigenous Peoples of the Arctic and will serve as an excellent tool for promoting the customs and lifestyle that have developed over the centuries. It’s impossible to ensure the sustainable socioeconomic development of the Arctic territories and create comfortable conditions for citizens living there without taking into account the experience and knowledge of the Indigenous ethnic groups who have originally lived in this territory. I firmly believe that the championship will help strengthen ties between representatives of the Indigenous Peoples of the North,” said Nikolay Korchunov, Chair of the Senior Arctic Officials and Ambassador-at-Large for Arctic Cooperation of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The International Conference ‘Sustainable Development of Reindeer Herding Amidst Global Changes in the Arctic’ will be held as part of the championship. Scheduled speakers at the conference include President of the Council of the Association of World Reindeer Herders Sergey Kharyuchi, Member of the Russian Federation Council and President of the Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North Grigory Ledkov, Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) Mikhail Nikiforov, and President of the Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) Andrey Krivoshapkin. The Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), the company A-Property, and the Istok Nomadic Tribal Community of Indigenous Small-Numbered Peoples of the North will sign a cooperation agreement on the sidelines of the conference.

In addition, the Council of the Association of World Reindeer Herders will hold an extraordinary meeting, and a project will be presented to build the Unique Iengra ethno-tourism complex.

“As part of the state programme to support the economic activities of the Indigenous Peoples of the North, RUB 450 million per year will be allocated from the federal budget over the next three years. These funds will, among other things, be used to promote reindeer farms and support small and medium-sized businesses. The championship’s business programme will include a discussion on the strategy for modernizing reindeer herding, opportunities for public-private partnerships in this regard, as well as personnel training issues. We expect the discussions to contribute to new promising approaches to the development of Indigenous Peoples and their economic activities,” Minister for the Development of the Russian Far East and Arctic Alexey Chekunkov said.

The championship features various types of competitions, including sled jumping, men’s and women’s reindeer roping, a combined relay race, reindeer catching, as well as a race on reindeer sleds. In addition, the participants will determine who is the best in professional Arctic skill competitions, including building a fire in winter, cooking fish soup on a fire, and dressing skins.

The cultural programme of the championship will include a premiere screening of the film White Angel of the Tundra, a meeting with students from the Arktika experimental boarding school, and a visit to the Pyanov Neryungri Museum of the History of South Yakutia.

The events of the International Traditional Reindeer Herding Championship and the International Conference ‘Sustainable Development of Reindeer Herding Amidst Global Changes in the Arctic’ are being organized in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) city of Neryungri and village of Iengra by the Association of World Reindeer Herders and the Ministry for the Development of the Far East and Arctic. The Roscongress Foundation manages the events of Russia’s chairmanship.

Russia is the chair of the Arctic Council in 2021–2023. One of Russia’s main priorities is to develop human capital in the region, including the Indigenous Peoples of the North. Russia devotes special attention to maintaining the sustainability and viability of the peoples of the North, promoting measures to adapt them to climate change, improving people’s well-being, health, education, and quality of life, and ensuring sustainable socioeconomic development throughout the region. The Russian side has initiated projects to digitalize the cultural and linguistic heritage of the Indigenous Peoples of the North, develop renewable energy sources, create an international Arctic research station that runs on carbon-free energy, and ensure biosecurity in the Arctic. In addition, Russia is preparing draft proposals on the traditional medicine of Indigenous Peoples and the development of creative industries in the Arctic, and is working on an initiative to create Digital Museums of the Arctic.