Training Program for Indigenous Peoples

Interns of the 10th group
In the middle of February the tenth group of interns completed their training in the Youth Information Legal Center of Indigenous Peoples “NEVOND” on the program “Development of Public Initiatives” in the course “Education in the Field of Human Rights and Rights of Indigenous Peoples”. These were indigenous representatives recommended by indigenous public organizations and local self-governmental bodies of the settlements of the Karelia Republic.
For the period spent in Petrozavodsk the interns studied basics of human rights and rights of indigenous peoples, as well as the mechanisms of their protection at international, Russian and regional levels.
This was made through acquaintance of the audience of the course with international documents on human rights, national minorities and indigenous peoples, Russian legislation regulating legal status and rights of small indigenous peoples in Russia, activity of non-commercial organizations and public unities and, of course, with regional peculiarities of regulating these issues. Besides, the interns of the Center had a good possibility to know better the history and culture of peoples of Karelia, to learn about activity of state authority bodies, to participate in public and cultural life of Petrozavodsk and the Karelia Republic.
In the framework of the study a lot of meetings and excursions were held. There were meetings with the staff of the Ministry on National Policy and Connections with Religious Unities of the Karelia Republic, the Institute of Language, Literature and History of Karelia Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Science, National Library of the Karelia Republic, deputies of the Legislative Meeting of the Karelia Republic, judges of the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court of the Karelia Republic. The interns also knew about the activity of the Council of Non-Governmental Organizations under the Chairman of Legislative Meeting of the Karelia Republic, In course of the project together with regional bureau of support of TACIS and Norwegian Barents Secretariat there were held informational seminars on grant programs. Specialists of the Republican Center of National Cultures and the Foundation of Development of Social Technologies taught the interns on the rules of projects and search of financing. Moreover, the interns acquired skills of working with PC and the Internet.

Meeting with the First Assistant of the Minister of the Karelia Republic on National Policy and Connections with Religious Unities Yelena Antoshko

Meeting with members of Administration of the Organization of Veps Culture Svetlana Pasyukova

Thanks to the Ministry of Culture and Public Relations of the Karelia Republic and the Republican Center of National Cultures, the interns of the Center visited exhibitions, cultural events held by national cultural organization and folklore groups. Unforgettable impression was made by the play “Lemby” in the Karel language performed by the National Theatre of the Karelia Republic.
Being at the Center, the interns from different places met each other, shared impressions, established working contacts for the future. They received a lot of literature on the issues discussed.
As I see it, such training courses allow indigenous peoples to cooperate more closely with each other, exchange information and experience, share the acquired knowledge with the countrymen in the regions, thus promoting human rights and rights of indigenous peoples and making big contribution to development of this field.
So far sixty five indigenous representatives from different regions of the Karelia Republic passed training in the Center. We invite interested people to participate in the upcoming courses.
Evgenia Shustova
Youth Information Legal Center of Indigenous Peoples “NEVOND”


Internship in Youth Information Legal Center of Indigenous Peoples “NEVOND”



New Home of a Library
Khiydenselga village has comfortably settled on the bank of the Ladoga in a place where the Yanis River flows into this largest lake in the European part of Russia. The views from the bank are amazing. Many islands, big and small, huge areas of clean water, stones on the lakeside, in the sky seagulls are whirling. In the village there live hardworking people who some time in difficult post-war times came here to build a sawmill and to work for it. In those times the village was called a settlement of town type (‘posyolok’) Sawmill. Times have changed, but it has not become easier. The settlement is called a village (‘derevnya’), and some educated people say this is because it doesn’t have an administration. And if it doesn’t – it is a village. Although old people don’t like such a name, they say they built ‘posyolok’, a working, forest-industry settlement, were occupied with timber processing, produced saw-timber of high quality for export, and now the became a village.
The name has changed, but the life there hasn’t stop, goes on its way. The mill works giving people the possibility to feed their families. Although the wages are not big, they are paid regularly and in time. People from other village work there too – from Lyaskelya and Harloo. The mill bus brings the workers to the place of their work, and after a shift returns them to their villages where the work cannot be found at all.
In Khiydenselga there is secondary school where more than one hundred children of local population study. Kindergarten “Duimovochka” welcoming opened its doors not only for local children, but for those from Lyaskelya. In that village the kindergarten has been closed for many years already, but is so needed today. In our village we have an ambulance station. Post office is working regularly. There are shops. Besides, there is a club in the village built in 1960s, which for a long time was pleasing and welcoming people of all ages. Cinema gathered there a lot of people, and when Indian films were shown there were no free places. A spacious dancing hall remembers noisy holidays, New Year celebrations and discos. But everything has changed now. Ten-fifteen years ago the boiler-room of the club was closed after the radiators were frozen and cracked. Then films were no longer shown. Without heat and care the building started to destroy.
A library located in the outhouse of the building was kept a bit longer. Electrical radiators were hardly helping in cold Karelia winters and the flowers were frozen regularly, each spring new ones had to be planted. And in autumn, in the period of long rains, with the nature the ceiling in the corridor was also crying. The front step, like a toothless mouth of an old woman, was yawning with broken footsteps. The glaze in the toilet fell down. But a wet and cold microclimate did not assist a good keeping of the books.
The library seemed to pass on soon, as it is known that our officials think about culture in the last turn. No funds, no possibilities, the club is not included in any balance – these were the reasons, with which librarians, readers were “fed” by officials of different levels.
“Saving the drowning is the task of the drowning themselves”, the librarians Lubov Rakutina and Tatyana Ristanen armed with this popular saying. The proclaimed the action “Help the Library”, organized the collection of funds of the readers, visited the private shops asking for material support, the mill, local administration. People made their small contributions, as much as they could. The director of the shop “Delfin” Ludmila Kalach could give for repairing 200 rubles, all the other just sympathized calmly. There were so little funds that it was unreal to start the mending.
Then the destiny turned to the librarians. There was found a building where the library could move, a more convenient one, without high steps and long corridors. But it also needed some repairing after the fire. People of the village didn’t stay indifferent to the difficulties of the librarians. A great contribution to the possibility of the library to move was made by Close Corporation “Ladozhsky Saw-Mill” and personally Nikolay Kalganov. Gratuitously he gave lumber, Christina Hammarstrem from Sweden gave €100 for paint, brushes, nails, administration of the village acquired electric wiring. With the strengths of the librarians and local people all summer and autumn a huge work on repairing and moving of the library fund was done.
The remarkable day was 3rd December 2006. For its housewarming party the library invited its favorite readers, colleagues from Pitkyarantskaya Regional Children’s Library and everybody who helped it. A lot of warm words were told, a lot of presents given. Children from Orthodox School gave a touching song, women’s club “Aino” – a huge cake, which was then eaten all together with tea. The club of readers “Sudarushka” performed chastooshkas and favorite songs.

We want to say many thanks to all who helped the library in that difficult time, who realized with their work and contributions what seemed impossible – the library improved the conditions of its life. Now it is a beautiful, comfortable, warm book house, where the readers and the workers feel convenient. Many thanks to the Head of Lyaskelya settlement Nina Zarechnaya, who made much effort to approach this important and joyful event. There is a great number of problems in the village, that’s why the new house of the library is a very pleasant and positive event. Life will never stop where the source of culture is.
Tatyana Ristanen
Khiydenselga


Children are Our Future
For the last time they say a lot about demographic situation in our country. Very low rate of birth. The population is getting older. That’s why the government is taking measures supporting families with children. From this January there is enforced a Federal Law “About additional measures of the State support of the families having children”. This is a law about maternal capital. It covers both, families with own children and families with adopted children. Children’s allowances are also growing. It means, the country needs children and cares about them!
Absolutely different is the situation in Lyaskelya village of Pitkyarantsky Region. The birth rate in our village is the highest in the region. But there is no kindergarten there. We have to wake children very early in the morning, bring them in an old cold bus and take to the kindergarten in the neighboring village Hiydenselga seven kilometers away from home. But there are many preschool age children in our village. The bus makes to trips. With the first trip it carries very small children – up to three years old, with the second – the older ones. The older children don’t cry as if they understand that nobody, except their parents, cares about them. In October it happened that the bus broke on the way to kindergarten and the children were sitting and waiting when the driver repair the bus. Luckily it wasn’t very frosty then and the bus didn’t stop on the railway crossing. The state of our roads is known by everyone. And the bus makes its usual trip on ice-covered road and in snowstorm…
But there were times when the village had everything necessary for life. For children the doors of two kindergartens were open. Kids, whose parents worked at the plant, visited their plant kindergarten, and children of people working in the collective farm – a wonderful two-floor kindergarten. Life was boiling in the village. A pulp and paper plant was working, famous with its paper not only in our country, but abroad… But perestroika began, the paper became noncompetitive. The century old plant ceased to exist leaving about 400 people unemployed. Sauna closed, the house of services stopped its functioning, kindergartens disappeared…
But there are some positive changes in the village. The secondary school is working where more than 300 children are studying. There is a nice computer classroom. For children the house of creative work is open, which has different circles. The House of Culture is open, the doors of which are open for everybody. There is a library in the village, and the main thing – children are born. Children are our future, that means the village also has future. The village will live!
Ludmila Kiseleva
Lyaskelya




A Small Village Impilahty is Standing among Rocky Banks…

A small village Impilahty
Is standing among rocky banks,
It is surrounded by expanses
Of vast Karelia forests.

This unique place is located in Pitkyarantsky Region on the side of the Ladozhskoye Lake. The legend of the name of the village is connected with the lake. Long ago a herdsman from a poor family and a girl called Impi loved each other. Her parents were rich and resisted this love. So, a herdsman and a girl decided to escape. They left on boat by lake. A storm started, the waves were crashing against the rocks… In the morning everything was calm. Only a ribbon from her hair was slowly swaying on the waves. And people called this place Impilahty, that means in translation from Finnish – Girl’s Bay, to keep memory about a wonderful love.
Standing on the bank of the bay you feel that some time ago on its rocks lots of pretty small houses were standing facing the lake. There lived mostly strangers: Finns, Karels, Russian, Belorus, Ukrainians, Tatars, people from Vologda, Mordva, Poles, they all settled here after the war to develop these lands. Collective farms were multinational, lived with the same problems, families were friends to each other.
Although those houses don’t stand on the bank any longer, only the foundations, but the village is still living and flourishing and people are working there for the good of their land.
In the center of the village there is a building of the House of Culture, where you can come and rest after the working day, circles are working there, on weekends there are discos held for the youth. And from 1999 on its basis there was established a women’s club “Sudarushka”. A wonderful woman, the former director of the club, Galina Ivanova united women “under her wing”. Unfortunately, she is not with us any more, but Sudarushki always remember her with good words. For seven years every Sunday they hurry to the House of Culture to rest from house work, to share with joy and troubles for creation of a high spirit for the all coming week. Every woman is of different character, age, but for these years they became so close as one big family, they are united with a single purpose – rebirth of traditions to sing songs, weave, knit, no celebrations is held without them.
Sudarushki became initiators of the competition “Whose yard is better?” which has been carried out in the village for seven years from April to September. Impilahty people participate in it with great pleasure, clean their yards, gardens, farms, and the competition is finished with the holiday of yield.
In the club there are women who think that healthy lifestyle is a way to long life. Every day from autumn to spring they walk for several kilometers and many countrymen joined them, so the club “Moving is Life” was organized. Youth have whose example to follow. And our village is considered one of the best in the region not in vain.
It can be interesting in many other respects. On the edge of Impilahty there is a high rock “Peak of Love” from where you can enjoy a spectacular view of the village farms, of dark forests stretching to the horizon just somewhere brightened with fields and the bay where many pretty small houses were standing some time ago. You inhale fresh air deeply and think that it was worthy to be born for this.
Yelena Ivanova
Impilahty


National Identity – Is It Needed?


If traditions, customs and way of living are transferred from generation to generation, the people has big chances to save its identity and originality.
During our studies on the courses we read, compared and analyzed legislation including laws concerning indigenous peoples. The results didn’t keep me wait long, and I decided to make a survey of the population of the Karelia Republic aiming to know if the national identity of peoples living in Russia is being saved.
It’s not a secret, that as indigenous peoples of Karelia Karels and Veps are recognized. But in whole in Karelia republic very many other nationalities are living. Thus I asked representatives of different nationalities, among whom inhabitants of Petrozavodsk and other settlements.
The results of the survey I decided to present in a table and analyze it.
There is a tendency of representatives of Veps, Karels, Belorus, Moksha, Jewish, Finns to consider themselves and register as Russian.
Representatives of older generation of each asked peoples keep and try to hand down their culture and traditions to younger generation. The response is not always expressed. The reason for that is absence of perspective and concernment of some traits. However, if an event with representatives of their people was necessary to organize on the territory of the Karelia Republic or outside it, people aged 14-30 would have a great desire to take part in it. Sometimes they are stopped by absence of command of their language, and many of them (Karels, Veps, Belorus, Moksha) just learn words to perform a song or tell something.
Leading people representing national minorities on the territory of our subject are Georgians and Armenians. They are younger nations and now they are in the golden age: representatives of all ages of this group know their native language, fell themselves as bearers of their culture, traditions, customs. They gather with pleasure for meetings of their people, and at the same time they are glad to communicate with new people, speak their native language in a family and take an active part in cultural policy of the Karelia Republic, for example, “National Palette of Karelia”.
Every people has its peak of development. It can be maintained and saved, if there is a desire and capacities to search the ways of decision. In the 21st century it is necessary to pay special attention on revival, saving, development and propaganda of culture of all peoples.

I’m Veps and know that for the last ten years the population of Veps has reduced drastically. Analyzing age groups of Veps it can be stated that the older generation commands language and culture, younger is interested in culture of their ancestors, but don’t command conversational Veps language. Young people live in the city, and not all of them have the possibility to get into the language environment, in a village. Accordingly, not everybody consider themselves the bearers of the culture and refer themselves as Russian. Thus, we are losing representatives of a unique ethnic group. At present it is sad to state, but Veps are disappearing people. We want to believe that people will think about it and will not lose their historical roots, their ancestors!
I think that informational and state support for development of culture in the Karelia Republic exists. Informational one is represented by the Ministry on National Policy and Relations with Religious Unities, Mass Media. The state support – the government passes a certain number of laws, but unfortunately, few citizens can use them and apply in their practice. Why? The survey showed people just don’t receive informational support (especially in villages), and in mass media it is difficult to select the information. No Internet, in the villages there is almost no press with passed laws and with new amendments, because it is expensive.
Informational legal courses helped me a lot, and now I know where I can find certain laws, what is the situation on the territory of the Russian Federation in the field of national policy, how the work of international structures dealing with protection and promotion of human rights is organized.
If you think that some problems are paid little attention in the country, don’t postpone its decision! Do organize a group of companions in your town or village and try to find the way out from the situation. And remember – deciding a small question of your region, people, you solve the destiny and national identity of the rest of the people.

Anna Anhimonova
Chairperson of the Karelia regional public organization “Union of Veps Youth of Karelia “Vepsan Vezad”



Unforgotten Traditions

Karels are one of indigenous peoples of the Karelia Republic – a region very rich with traditions, special culture. Among the elements of Karelia culture of the past national cuisine has been saved better, which witnesses the habitat of Karel people, their housekeeping activities and connections with neighboring peoples. Traditional Karel cuisine had been formed for many centuries, from generation to generation skills of cooking were inherited. Thus, in the memory of experts the names of traditional dishes and technologies of their cooking are saved.
Last year on the basis of Republican Center of National Cultures by the initiative of regional public organization “Union of Karelia People” an ethnic cultural project devoted to national cuisine “Karjalaini stolaliina” (“Karelia tablecloth” in translation) was prepared and implemented. The project was held in Petrozavodsk and regions of the republic – the places of dense residence of Karels. The participants were a folklore group “Kezrajaine” (“spinner” from the Karelia language) and citizens of villages of Karelia. According to the words of the head of the project, Lubov Nikitina, the main goal is saving and development of Karel traditions, culture and language. Because, besides master-classes on cooking traditional food and tasting dishes of Karelia cuisine, the members of the project collected information about rituals of Karelia meal and traditions of Karelia hospitality. Afterwards a DVD was issued in the Karelia Language with a film-travel in Karelia villages, where the ways of cooking national dishes were explained followed by customs, folk songs and proverbs.

Ethno-cultural project “Karjalaini stolaliina”
In course of the project in March 2006 during the week of Maslitsa the participants traveled to the village Syargilahta, where they performed a visit of a son-in-law to his mother-in-law for pancakes. The matter is, in Karelia there was a tradition (adopted from Russian, by the way): on Wednesday of Maslenitsa week son-in-law necessarily came to his mother-n-law and she had to treat him with traditional Karelia pancakes – “chupukat”. The film shows how mother-in-law is cooking pancakes: knead paste, at the same time she is telling in the Karel language the way of cooking – in clabber she adds salt, sugar, flour, eggs, mix and bake pancakes for her dear son-in-law. And soon the guests are entering the house, but… Here a usual for former Karelia situation in played: son-in-law is Russian and mother-in-law is Karel. They don’t understand each other, and son-in-law is making fun of the “mother”.
We can also remember a trip to Vidlitsa village in May of the same year. I myself took part in that trip! Vidlitsa fishermen were waiting for the guests and caught a huge zander for our visit. The guests were scaling fish, peeling potato and cooked traditional fish-soup. All the activity was accompanied with traditional songs and proverbs.
It’s interesting to note the name of the project – “Karelia Tablecloth”. The word “tablecloth” in the name is nonrandom, as in folk tradition it play a specific role. Neither on weekdays nor at weekend Karels allowed to sit at the table uncovered by a tablecloth. The respectful attitude to a tablecloth and a table reflects Christian beliefs of Karels, their thrift: a tablecloth was white (a sign of holiness and cleaness). A tablecloth was used as long as possible and after that – into the fire, not for rags: it is sacred!
The leaders of the project hope to continue creation and support of similar projects in the future. Because nowadays it restrains full destruction of ethnical environment of Karels, helps to keep and develop traditional culture and attract interest to creative activity of people.
Arina Nikitina
Petrozavodsk


“Babka Yozhka”* of the Year

Annually all over the world there are competitions of beauty: “Miss Northern Beauty”, “Miss Russia”, “Miss of the World”, and only in the Karelia Republic, in Vidlitsa village of Olonets region, there is a competition, the participants of which are… who do you think?.. Babkas Yozhka. But don’t be afraid, these women are absolutely harmless. Just according to a tradition. On 6th January the participants of the competition for some time redress into Babka Yozhka. By the way, men also can perform in this role.
Everything is done in the evening outside. You can wonder, aren’t they cold? It’s winter! We can assure you that none of the audience was frozen and none of Babkas Yozhkas suffered.
So, it’s 6th January, street, evening, the decorations on the New-Year tree are blinking with colorful lights. On a specially constructed scene the celebration is opened by a Gypsy and a masker. They invite the participants to the scene. Babkas Yozhka demonstrate their extraordinary dresses and greeting the audience each of them hold a small game.
Our women are known by their ringing voices and ability to perform a song on any theme with irony. And facing the expectations of the audience, they certainly sing two chastooshkas on up-to-day theme.
And let’s remember what cannot any Babka Yozhka stay without? Of course, without a broom. And with this thing there are wonderful competitions held. One of them is riding a broom. The main thing in this competition is who can sit more people on her broom and together be the quickest to go round the New-Year tree. Besides, Babkas Yozhka are competing in accuracy, one who will hit a barrel with a broom will be the winner.
And the program of the holiday is finished by a traditional dancing of Babkas Yozhka. It can be performed with a broom, with audience or alone.
Certainly, all the participants without exceptions are rewarded presents, and one of Babkas Yozhka – the best – receives in addition the honorable title of Babka Yozhka of the Year.
You can “sit at the seashore and wait for a good weather”, but you can create a mood yourself, and the life will be much more interesting then.
And in conclusion I want to wish to have more good people, good holidays and in whole good spirit.
Irina Voinskaya
Vidlitsa

*Babka Yozhka (or Baba Yaga) – a negative character of Russian folk fairytales, an old woman living in a forest and trying to eat the main hero.


Is It Easy to Live without Potato?


Potato was brought to Russia almost three hundred years ago, but now it is spread everywhere, grows even not far from the Polar Circle. I myself have seen potato beds at the population of the Solovetsky Islands. In Karelia every respected gardener necessarily plant at least some ridges of this culture – “the second bread”.
But there were times when people lived without potato, and rather successfully. And I’d like to dream about plunging into that time.
I mean the creation on the territory of Veps a museum-tourist complex – “Veps Settlement of the 12th century”.
Why that very time? By the 12th century Veps ethnic group had formed, the tribe of Ves is mentioned in Russian and foreign written sources. This is medieval times, about which a usual man doesn’t know very much. A settlement usually located on the side of a lake. And I would choose a side of the Onezhskoye Lake, but not necessarily Sheltozero village.
When a modern man comes to such a settlement, he must fully plunge in the past.
How was a house of the 12th century equipped? How was it heated? Was the stove alike the modern one or at least the stove of the 18th century in a Veps house? You will know all these things entering the house. You will be met by the hosts, and probably their children.
What cloths were used to make dresses, what were they colored and decorated by?
About all these things the hostess of the house will tell you and dress the guests in traditional clothes. The guests can learn about a usual day in life of a usual Veps family of the 12th century. The day begins with sunrise and ends with sunset. The room of the house is lit by splinters, which the hosts prepare together with the guests. The host will take the guests to the smithy. He will show how nails or small decorations can be made from raw iron and will certainly forge some nails to remember. The hostess will go to milk the cow, and the guests will try to churn butter.
Then it’s time for meal. What is eaten in this house? What did ancient Veps eat? Rye or barley flat bread, milk or mushrooms, berries, fish, maybe some vegetables? The table is laid for the guests, the hosts will tell about the rules at the table and then will treat them. What did they eat from, with? Did they have separate plates? You will certainly see, hear and try everything. After the meal the host will invite you to his pottery, where with his help you can make a small pot using ancient technology or maybe a whistle.
Together with a hostess you can try to bring some water with a shoulder yoke to a big cask or to weave something on a loom. Was the loom alike the modern one or was it vertical? And you can also learn to hackle flax or knit mittens from horsehair with one needle.
The hosts’ children will take you to the stable where you can just caress a horse or try to handle with a harness and ride. Was a horse harnessed in the same way as now? The children will show you their toys, tell about and teach you to play some of their games.
You will not notice how the evening will come. The hostess will sing you some wonderful and beautiful ancient songs and the host will tell about the beliefs of their people.
A day full of amazing events will finish, it’s time to leave hospitable hosts. But those who don’t want to leave so quickly will be allowed to stay for several days. You can live in a neighboring house, cook for yourself, catch fish for dinner or bake some bread according to an ancient recipe.
I think such a settlement will be popular not only with tourists, but with local population as well. Before to suggest something, it is necessary to study in details history, ethnography and a number of other sciences. This is work for the staff of Sheltozero Museum, for students-historians, linguists.
These are additional working places for the local population because such a settlement will need a lot of workers. This work will be permanent and, in my opinion, rather interesting and creative.
Such a settlement will help to save the Veps language, because knowledge of the Veps language must be an essential condition for employing. The hosts can speak the Veps and Russian languages with guests, naming the objects in two languages or maybe teaching them to some words and phrases. Local people can witness how their ancestors lived, some of them will see it for the first time, some will recollect forgotten skills and learn them. Schoolchildren will see what “natural economy” is not from the books but in practice. I think that the ability to live in harmony with the environment will help them in the future.
I believe this settlement can attract a lot of tourists arriving in Karelia. Modern tourists want very much to “touch the grassroots”, and the Veps settlement can offer it. This is also an undoubted rest from noise and problems of a big city, that is very important in our strained times. Maybe someone will want to stay with us forever, learn the language with us, everyday life or just to live next to us?
And then we can say that being in Karelia without visiting the Veps Settlement means not to know a half of its culture. And the route can be called “Is it easy to live without potato?” For some people it is easy, for others – not.
Marina Scherbak
Petrozavodsk



A Stranger Church
In fifty four kilometers from our capital Petrozavodsk in the valley of Martsialny Waters there stands a small church of Apostle Peter, a unique historical memorial of wooden architecture of Peter I times.
It was built according to the plans and design of the Emperor himself who in that period was fond of western Eoropean architecture, and the construction was headed by a Dutchman William Genin, a Catholic by his belief. That’s why the church, although Orthodox and consecrated in presence of Peter I, differs very much from traditional churches.
The church reminds “a foreign ship”, it is easier to imagine it somewhere in oak woods of Holland, as its design is so distinguishing. It unites the canons of Orthodoxy and Catholicism – Orthodox domes are headed with Catholic crosses.
Looking at the interior, we will see benches and racks, which were nonsense for those times. In Orthodoxy the parishioners have to stand the service on foot or to break their pride and kneel. But here the service was attended by Catholics, who set comfortably on the benches.
The main value of this church is an order iconostas with fourteen icons. The icons are divided by beautiful carving from linden. At the same time the iconostases are made in Orthodox tradition and the icons are placed on the shelves. The icons are like paintings! And it’s not a slip of the tongue, as western European portrait icon-painting was used for them. They are so realistic, that you can see folds of the clothes, ruddiness on the faces. And they are made with the paints taken from the nature. Ochre, cobalt, even bilberry and cloudberry were used.
In the plot of the icons marine theme can be seen as that time North War, the battle for the Baltic Sea was carried on. The Almighty Saviour instead of the Bible is holding the steering wheel of the ship and above His head there is a sea compass. Apostle Peter is showed on the background of a broken rock symbolizing the window to Europe where the sea and ships with tricolor flags are seen. There are also icons of Nikolai Wonderworker – the protector of seafarers and travelers, and of Ioann Zlatoust and Alexander Nevsky, who in their times were struggling for exit to the Baltic.
In the second line there are icons-medallions of round shape where the Way of the Christ can be observed. They are painted on canvas, which is also unusual for Orthodox churches. Different heads of angels, whose faces resemble the court circle of Peter I, are the sign of Catholic church.
Although the church of Apostle Peter differs very much from our Orthodox churches, it doesn’t inferior them in beauty and interior.
Such a wonderful stranger church is standing on our lands being the place of warship of believers.
Yulia Dyukar
Konchezero


WE WON’T ALLOW TO SELL RIVERS, LAKES AND SEAS OF RUSSIA

We appeal to people of Russia feeling themselves not as silent population but as people ready to realize their constitutional right and spiritual duty to make decisions without shifting the responsibility on the government. The present legislation gives possibility with legal methods, with collective legal actions to initiate an equal dialogue with the government.
Having water reserve is a condition of survival of peoples and civilization in whole. Rivers, lakes, seas of Russia are stable sources of renewable reserves of drinking water and food (biological) resources not only for the present, but for future generations of Russian citizens. The value of water on the planet is growing from day to day.
That’s why water, due to its importance for lives of people and the country, must be state ownership and be a public wealth of people of Russia. Water Code must contain guarantees of the right of citizens on unlimited and free of charge access to water objects, and the duty of authority bodies is to provide this right. Private property of water objects is inadmissible.
On 1 January 2007 the new Water Code of the Russian Federation came into force, which abolished state ownership of water reservoirs of Russia and breaks the right of people on unlimited and free access to water.
The new code is aiming to withdraw from the state and public ownership water objects and transfer them to private ownership of juridical and natural persons. Water objects – rivers, lakes, defined areas of seas, bays, estuaries – are made property and goods. They can be rented, bought in private property, water objects are included in civil overturn (objects of purchase and sale). The owners of rivers, lakes, seas of Russia can be not only the citizens of Russia, but foreign citizens, stateless persons, foreign companies. The articles that waters of Russia are used and protected as the basis of life of people are excluded from the new code. The guarantees of the right of citizens on clean water and good environment are also removed. There are no real guarantees of the right of people on unlimited and free access to water objects. State authority bodies are released from the duty to provide the right of unlimited and free access of citizens to water objects.
Actually, the new code liquidated the state control of the conditions of water objects.
The Federal Law from 3 June 2006 No. 73 “About enactment of the Water Code of the Russian Federation” is an additional mechanism for removal of water resources form the state and people. This law makes alterations in the Civil and Land Codes, they make possible to transfer in private ownership reservoirs, which were available to all.
There are alterations in the article 261 paragraph 2 of the Civil Code of the RF. Before the right of ownership on a land plot was given only to bounded reservoirs located within the land plot – small ponds. Federal Law “About enactment of the Water Code of RF” abolished this criterion, and now all water objects without exception located on a land plot are transferred to the property of the owner.
This statement and the new Forest Code have created a possibility to receive in property vast forest territories with all water objects within it. Just for this purpose in the Civil Code an “inconvenient” term – “bounded reservoirs” – was removed.
Similar changes were made in the Land Code. Before in the list of agricultural lands only bounded reservoirs were included. By law in the article 77 the word “bounded” is excluded and replaced by the term “water objects”. That means that any water objects located within the land plot become its integral part. Agricultural lands can be in private property, handed down, be an object of purchase, sale and rent. Thus, any water objects within an agricultural land plot can be transferred to property of an owner of a certain land plot or to disposal of a tenant.
The mechanism of giving water objects of Russia to private property has covert form. First, a reservoir or its part is rented, then, the tenant basing on the statements of article 624 of the Civil Code of RF buys it in private property. As the rent is a concealed form of sale of reservoirs, the right to conclude a tenancy agreement is sold by an auction where the only criteria is the amount of money. Undoubtedly, the main buyers will be foreign transnational corporations, whose financial possibilities are unlimited.
Changes in the Civil Code guarantee the heirs of big landowners the right to receive, together with the land, all water objects located on it. Before passing the Water Code in accordance with part 2 article 1181 of the Civil Code, together with land plots only bounded reservoirs could be inherited. Federal Law “About enactment of the Water Code of RF” removed the word “bounded”, thus creating a mechanism to inherit with land plot any water objects located on them.
It is not occasionally that a new statement of the Tax Code about exemption from tax on heritage of next of kin was enacted simultaneously with passing new Water and Forest Codes. Now it becomes obvious who the legislators were caring about passing this statement. Heirs of land oligarchs are exempted from tax while inherited land plots and reservoirs equally with owners of 6-hundred-part gardens.
The State Duma has approved the Water Code. It happened in result of its approval by deputies of two fractions – “Edinaya Rossia”, having the majority in the State Duma, and LDPR.
However, in accordance with the Constitution of RF only we – the citizens of Russia, its people – are the only source of power in the country. Our rights and liberties are the highest value of the country. All governmental bodies: the President, the Government, the State Duma exist with the only purpose to provide and protect rights of each of us and all people of Russia.
We, the people of Russia, will not let sell rivers, lakes and seas of Russia.
Join the Civil Movement “Land of Russia is Public Property”!
Further about the movement you can read on the website http://russialand.info.

Olga Yakovleva
Member of Moscow Regional Board of Attorneys,
Honorable Barrister of Russia,
Materials of the paper of Civil Movement
“Land of Russia is a Public Property”

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Опубликовано на: 2007-05-03 (5246 Прочтено)