Legal Nihilism
We are living in a transitional world, where the laws are changed rapidly. So, insensibly came to our life the Federal Law 131 from 06/10/2003 “About general principles of organization of self-governance in the Russian Federation”, where the municipal bodies are empowered with independence of local self-governance in the frameworks of the authorities, its organizational isolation from the system of the state authority bodies, the guarantee of local self-governance by the state, the possibility of exercising local self-governance taking into account historical or other local traditions and the possibility to empower local self-government bodies with certain state authorities under the condition of delivery material and financial funds essential for implementation of the transferred authorities. Local self-government in Russia is in the making, its legislative base is not developed yet, economical and financial resources are very insufficient and are mostly guided by the federal standard acts.
So, the present situation of the Russian legislature is very unusual, characterized, on one hand, by the effort of the Russian Federation to come onto international level of legal provision, on the other hand, by the destruction of the settled legal system. Law passing couldn’t form optimal legal basis, as many laws passed at the federal level contradict each other in some parts. All this has negative effect for application laws in practice; in its turn it showed that the citizens are socially unprotected, especially the categories that became the most vulnerable and helpless in the conditions of fast destruction of the system of state control.
Absence of legal basis in the field of support, development and assistance of indigenous peoples of the Altai Republic is aggravated by many factors, the main of which is the absence of a reliable mechanism of implementation of federal legislation that leads to reduction of efficiency of such legislation, causes legal nihilism. Ethno-cultural peculiarities of development and enforcement of the legal basis is one of the most important conditions for solution of various social and economic, political and spiritual problems of development of the Altai Republic.
Poverty of the population, economical failures and failures with keeping promises reveal the state actions aiming to meet the basic needs in food, medicine, clothes are at the lowest level. And as the economic basis for satisfaction at least these needs is not developed, these problems cover all the rest.
In other words, in such circumstances the regional policy in the field of indigenous issues is just a shadow of the state policy, but can’t be considered as a policy able to protect its regional interests, let alone the municipal bodies: their independence in passing normative documents concerning indigenous peoples is almost impossible. It’s not because this is forbidden by the “higher” laws, on the contrary, all the regions now are allowed to follow their way of self-development and self-control.
I hope on the efficiency of the worked out prospect of development of indigenous peoples, but the projects and the reality do not always meet and give results.
For the development of the public sector, which is not state monopoly, a mechanism should be created which will make the municipal authority to guarantee sufficient and stable services for people and public organizations. It means trade unions, charitable, religious organizations should have the right to be a partner not only for rendering different services, but in the process of planning, assistance, support and working out different programs.
For the last years there have been passed a number of laws essential for public organizations and filling their activity with certain content. All these laws in complex let provide legal regulation of this sphere.
The state should guarantee and protect the most important constitutional right – right on keeping human dignity in practical activity. Improvement of the system needs a range of activities, such as:
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Working out the program of development of villages, region, communities, informational centers together with local self-government bodies;
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Reforming taxation legislation taking into consideration implementation of the main lines of the state family policy – privilege taxation;
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Improvement of legislation on social protection of the family by the state;
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Granting loans for families having many children, etc.
To protect the rights of indigenous the following laws were passed: Federal Law #49 from 07/05/2001 “About guarantees of rights of indigenous peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East of the Russian Federation”, #104 from 20/07/2000 “About general principles of organization of the communities of indigenous peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East of the Russian Federation”, #82 “About the guarantee of the rights of indigenous peoples of the Russian Federation”. But with coming into force of the Federal Law #122 from 22/08/2004 almost all the positive moments like privileges and privilege taxation were abolished.
The law “About territories of traditional land-use” aims to keep traditional lifestyle of indigenous people, guarantees saving of the territories of living and of economic activities of indigenous peoples, which is very important after the new Forest Code comes into force on 01/01/2007. At the same time the mechanism of implementation of this law is not created, either at federal, or at regional and local levels of state authority. Referring the territories of traditional land-use to the specially protected territories by the Federal Law contradicts the Federal Law “About specially protected territories” which doesn’t contain such a term as a territory of traditional land-use. The data of the Federal Law cause legal collision, which makes impossible application of norms in practice in the field of protection of rights and liberties of indigenous peoples.
Stating the fact that the laws on indigenous peoples are only declared but not fulfilled because of the absence of the mechanism of implementation, we want to hope and believe that the voice of people will be heard by the officials.
Olga Kachakova
An Essay
Unexpectedly, I visited a place I heard a lot and always dreamed about. This place is the Altai Republic, the country of blue mountains, rapid rivers, clean air and interesting people.
The Altai Republic and the Khakasia Republic have common boarder, but the boarder is mountainous and difficult to traverse. That’s why these two peoples meet seldom. People from Altai come to Khakasia mostly to learn at the Musical College. Khakas people come to Altai to see the beauties of the nature.
These close peoples, almost brothers, little know about the history and culture of each other. However, the history, culture and the languages of both the peoples are very alike and have the same sources.
Today the close contacts of the past are lost. Moreover, in the 20th century the development of the peoples followed different ways. I made sure in it myself and saw the difference with my own eyes.
In the last century Khakasia experienced a great economical development with concomitant positive and negative consequences. There is development of mining, forest industry, construction of the railway, the largest in the world Hydro-Electric Station, metallurgical works, coal mines. On relatively small territory of the Khakasia Republic there live 650 thousand people. If we add constantly migrating groups of illegal workers and traders of cheap Chinese goods, this figure will rise, I think, on ten thousand.
Now in Khakasia there are built good roads to almost the remotest villages, that allow the arriving population to settle far from the center of the republic. Only impassible taiga and high mountains save fauna from complete destruction. In summer and autumn in taiga, circled by roads, there is no place where you can’t meet people, from early spring they go for damsons, fern, berries, then for mushrooms and cedar nuts.
In the Altai Republic there are much more untouched places of nature. Probably, due to local population and difficult landscape here were not constructed any big plants, hydroelectric stations, developed industrial mining. Maybe this was one of the main reasons to avoid building a railway, development of highways. And this was the main cause of saving the balance of the population. By the number of aboriginal population both republics are approximately equal: a bit over 60 thousand of the Khakas people and about 62 thousand of the Altai people, plus Kumandins, Tubalars, Telengits, Chelkans. But in persantage the Khakas people compose about 9 % of total population of Khakasia, the Altai people – 30%.
As we see, this is a double-edged weapon. On one hand, there is development of the region, on the other – reduction of the percentage of indigenous people, that results in such negative effect as assimilation of small people, diminution of representatives of ethnic groups in legislative bodies, which, in its turn, leads to impossibility of lobbying any legal norms essential for these peoples. As the Chairman of the Government of the Khakasia Republic was an elective office until recently, the candidates from indigenous ethnic groups couldn’t reach it for a simple reason: the voters elect following national basis. The Ministers in the government get their portfolio according to their closeness to the Head. For the Khakas people the ministries of culture, health, the Committee on International Relations are left. Of course, there are no economical instruments in such ministries.
In the capital of the Altai Republic we have visited many ministries and authorities, and I’ve seen the democracy there is in favor. I’m not sure, in our republic the minister of economy or transport will agree to meet with a public organization with the same ease as it happens here. In the Altai Republic they speak a lot about disappearing of the native language, but even in the capital small children often speak their native language with each other in the street, which, unfortunately, you won’t hear in the Khakasia Republic any more. And this is again the result of different ways of development. Now the historians of Altai discovers for people unknown before layers of history. The layers, which were ignored, probably deliberately, by the official science. And the people could suddenly see how rich and powerful their past is, the people became proud of their ancestors. The man unbends, as his spirit strengthens from the spirit of the ancient traditions. His idols become not Kolobok and Yemelya (from Russian fairy-tales), but Ochi-Bala and Manash-Baatyr. He starts to understand that he is a descendant and bearer of the knowledge of an ancient civilization. The history, the language and the spirit of the people are the three whales on which the Man should stand. If he loose one of these supports, he will loose everything. Fortunately, it is understood today and has always been understood by the best sons and daughters of every people. It was them who rang all the bells disturbing the spirits of people, not allowing them to slumber and fall asleep forever. Both the Altai and the Khakas peoples had such people in the sight of friends and enemies. And they died first, and lived forever in people’s memory.
We are living in a transitional world, where the laws are changed rapidly. So, insensibly came to our life the Federal Law 131 from 06/10/2003 “About general principles of organization of self-governance in the Russian Federation”, where the municipal bodies are empowered with independence of local self-governance in the frameworks of the authorities, its organizational isolation from the system of the state authority bodies, the guarantee of local self-governance by the state, the possibility of exercising local self-governance taking into account historical or other local traditions and the possibility to empower local self-government bodies with certain state authorities under the condition of delivery material and financial funds essential for implementation of the transferred authorities. Local self-government in Russia is in the making, its legislative base is not developed yet, economical and financial resources are very insufficient and are mostly guided by the federal standard acts.
So, the present situation of the Russian legislature is very unusual, characterized, on one hand, by the effort of the Russian Federation to come onto international level of legal provision, on the other hand, by the destruction of the settled legal system. Law passing couldn’t form optimal legal basis, as many laws passed at the federal level contradict each other in some parts. All this has negative effect for application laws in practice; in its turn it showed that the citizens are socially unprotected, especially the categories that became the most vulnerable and helpless in the conditions of fast destruction of the system of state control.
Absence of legal basis in the field of support, development and assistance of indigenous peoples of the Altai Republic is aggravated by many factors, the main of which is the absence of a reliable mechanism of implementation of federal legislation that leads to reduction of efficiency of such legislation, causes legal nihilism. Ethno-cultural peculiarities of development and enforcement of the legal basis is one of the most important conditions for solution of various social and economic, political and spiritual problems of development of the Altai Republic.
Poverty of the population, economical failures and failures with keeping promises reveal the state actions aiming to meet the basic needs in food, medicine, clothes are at the lowest level. And as the economic basis for satisfaction at least these needs is not developed, these problems cover all the rest.
In other words, in such circumstances the regional policy in the field of indigenous issues is just a shadow of the state policy, but can’t be considered as a policy able to protect its regional interests, let alone the municipal bodies: their independence in passing normative documents concerning indigenous peoples is almost impossible. It’s not because this is forbidden by the “higher” laws, on the contrary, all the regions now are allowed to follow their way of self-development and self-control.
I hope on the efficiency of the worked out prospect of development of indigenous peoples, but the projects and the
At the beginning of the article I mentioned the difference between the development of two sister Turkic ethnic groups. I want to come back to it now.
My idea is very simple: economical development may result in assimilation of a small people with all its consequences: lost of traditions, language, land, etc. At the same time, stagnation in the development of the people today is impossible. The unsolved dilemma for Russia. What shall we do?
Let’s look at the experience of other countries, where the relations between large and small ethnic groups are built otherwise. We will not consider Japan, where people of Ayn are suffering cruel assimilation. The most progressive experience of such relations belongs to American countries. And if to apply their relations, we can understand that forming ethnic parks with self-government can be the optimal variant for indigenous peoples of Russia.
On the islands belonging to Australia there is official ban for tourists’ visits, ethnographers, reporters and others without permission of the leaders of the tribes living on the islands.
But I don’t think such a law will settle down in Russia earlier than in fifty years.
As well as the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples will carve its way for a long time.
But we don’t have so much time to wait.
The tourist industry is approaching Altai, soon the gas pipeline will be contracted. All this will lead to industrial development of the territory, roads and railways construction.
Then an active migration from other regions will start.
If we won’t think about ethnic parks today, it can be too late tomorrow.
Lev Nerbyshev
Motherland
“Motherland!
Let others shout she is ugly,
But we like her,
Although she is not a beauty…''
Yury Shevchuk
The life of the village is closely connected with gold-mining industry. In the period of ''stagnation'' the life of
people was not bad, they worked, ran farms, believed in tomorrow’s day.
At the end of 1980-s our country set into perestroika. Not only the stereotypes of mentality were broken, but all the
principles, including economical ones. The country was shaking with fever, and our business together with it. Irregular
payments of salaries began, which were much needed because the growth of the salary couldn’t be in time with the violent
growth of inflation in the country.
We didn’t avoid it too. Many people
started to leave their old refuges looking for better lives for themselves and their families, because a lot of working
places were liquidated. The dredges were temporarily standing ''paralyzed''. The population was in poor condition. But little
by little the economics started improving.
People survived the difficult times by a miracle were recovering, but still we can’t say we live well. There are plenty of
problems both economical and social, and they are solved with much difficulty, and sometimes not solved at all. Gold seems to
be needed for the state, but the places of its mining, where indigenous peoples live, do not have enough communication with
other regions and the center. The roads are very bad, most of the bridges are in breakdown condition, the telephone is only
at the post office, and in case of emergency it is very problematic to call for an ambulance or other services.
In Talon the school was closed. And it is known that when a school is closed the village disappears, because people want
to give education to their children and stay close to them.
Destruction doesn’t need much effort, it is much more difficult to build or reconstruct. Little time is left till the
day, when Talon can disappear from the Earth. But further development of the riches of our land sooner or later will demand
to build a village here and it will need much more funds than now for saving this place.
Alexander Bakashev
How to return Kezer?
At present on the expanses of the steppes and in the mountain valleys of the Central Asia there are saved more than 4000 monuments erected in different periods: from the Bronze Age to the present time.
The tradition of veneration of the most expressive in the view of art monuments undoubtedly arose in great antiquity. Researchers remark special attitude of many Asian peoples to ancient megaliths, steles and statues, in which people see something mysterious and inexplicable. That’s why many peoples’ superstitions and rituals connected with ancient sacred objects are quite diverse. At the same time, archeological and ethnographical material of the Central Asia prove not only the veneration of the stone figures, but also superstitious fear expressed in premeditated damage of the statues, burying them and covering with heap of stones. Many researchers wrote about dual attitude of the peoples of the Central Asia to ancient Turkic sculptures. In Altai this phenomenon is found everywhere.
The sculpture Kezer found in Kuraiskaya Steppe belongs to the category of the most famous memorials of Gorny Altai. It became the symbol of Turkic times in Altai. And this is nonrandom: the sculpture is made in classical style and looks very impressive. The ancient artist represented a stern warrior skillfully showing the features, beard, mustache, as well as a head-dress, a vessel, a decorated belt, weapons and a bag. Now Kezer is kept in the funds of Gorno-Altaisk Republican Museum of Nature and History.
The population of Kurai village was against Kezer-Tash to be dug out and taken to the museum. It was erected in the eighth century A.D. by our forefather. But nobody listened to them, Kezer-Tash was removed and taken away, where it was kept for quite a long time in the depository of the museum, and only last year it was restored and put at the entrance to the museum.
As the older generation who saw Kezer says, he stood guard over the Kuraiskaya Steppe, connected us with our ancestors, remembered us about our culture and traditions, his figure embodied hospitality of the Altai people. And after he had been removed, Kuraiskaya Steppe became deserted. Many local people tried to returned it, but didn’t succeed.
Much time has passed since then, but nobody from our village forgotten about him, songs are composed and plays are performed about him. Nobody have also forgotten that he was taken against the will of the people and that he must be returned to the motherland, Kuraiskaya Steppe.
Irina Sumachakova
Hunting is an ancient occupation of the northern Altai people
Hunting was an ancient and the main occupation of the northern Altai people. At present time hunters go hunting alone, but before our ancestors preferred collective hunting. And that was natural, the collective way of hunting made possible and quite secure their long staying at severe mountain taiga not only in primitive communal period but in tsar times.
The season of hunting for northern Altais started in autumn, in the middle of October. Autumn season finished in the middle of November. After a short break the hunters prepared and left for the main winter season running till the end of March.
Our ancestors – hunters, while getting ready to go to taiga for hunting, didn’t tell anybody about it. During the preparations, religious bans came into force in the hunters’ families, the home praying applying to the protecting spirits and asking for luck in hunting was done. Regarding the hunting itself no jokes, boasting or lies were allowed. The hunters dressed everything clean.
On the eve of going to taiga a hunter treated his home fire and protecting spirits with meat, tolkan and other food. Tubalar hunters address to the spirit Shanyru before hunting. In 1935 in one old hunter’s place there was found unknown image of Shanyru called “bolgi”. This image was hung in the front corner of the dwelling, and above it on the birch stick three bags made of birch bark were stuck, in which grains of barley were sewed up as a deposit of the future food for Shanyru. Every bag has nine stripes of the bark of acacia.
The moment of leaving home for hunting was also connected with different omens and beliefs. Having left the house, the hunters couldn’t return even if it was very needed. However, Shors, Kumandins and Tubalars thought it necessary to come back if their way was crossed by a woman, and left only on the next day. Tubalars walked or rode around their yurta clockwise when leaving. The hunters left after the midnight, in the darkness passing the well-known, close places, and on the sunrise they were quite far away from their village and made the first halt. They went slowly, one by one, following one footprint, tracking in the snow in turn. They went in silence, trying to keep decency and seriousness. If you left the house and joked, “don’t wait for good”, the hunters said.
When the men were hunting, the women and everybody who stayed at home had to observe certain rules: they couldn’t have fun, play, curse, laugh loudly otherwise the hunters will not have success.
On their way the hunters treated the revered mountains, rocks, rivers splashing them with tolkan dissolved in water. Having arrived to taiga to the area of hunting, the hunters chose the place for the camp, usually it was under a big tree with thick and wide crown called “bai-barak”. This term referred to such a tree and a sign of honor and respect to it, and addressed the tree with treat.
Tubalars hung ribbons (d’yaloma) on the tree, usually three: blue, yellow and white. Between them they usually tied up a skin of a white hare or of summer squirrel, sometimes the tail and the head of a capercailye, and splashing with tolkan they applied to the tree with good wishes. Then they started to put a tent. For this they removed the snow from the ground, cut the frozen ground with axes into pieces, and then on all this area they made a big fire to melt and dry the ground.
The hunter’s tent for winter hunting is called by Tubalars “kastak ayeel”. The entrance of the tent was always faced the river or a brook. The hunters with dogs had more success even in less favorable by the weather days.
Tubalars hung a killed animal on special straps attached to a hunter’s bag.
On their return to the camp the hunters dried the clothes, cooked. If anybody was lucky to kill a valuable animal, he shouldn’t speak about it. He left his prey somewhere not far from the camp. Arriving to the camp such a lucky man was exaggeratedly calm and reserved. All the rest understood him and became lively. That evening this hunter was released from all the duties in the camp. During the dinner somebody of the hunters, as if it were casually, asked the lucky hunter about the place where the prey was found, and the latter, as if unwillingly, showed the direction waving with his hand. After that the talk is continued in a usual manner, while some people go to the showed place and bring the animal.
Hunting a sable, the hunters follow especially many different bans and restrictions. Tubalars didn’t cut firewood with an axe, but broke them with hands. Tubalars and Chelkans stretched the skins taken off from the animals on the wooden frames, where they dried, and then put it in a box made of birch-bark or a bag.
At the end of hunting (when the food finished) the hunters shared the prey, thanked the masters of the taiga and the fire which wasn’t quenched all this time.
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In the article the materials from “Hunting of the Altai People” by L. Potapov were used
Sergey Kyzayev
Chelkans
Chelkans (Soo-Kizhi) is one of sub-ethnic groups belonging to northern Altai people. As all Turkic peoples, they led nomadic life. For the last 300-400 years the place of their living was mainly the basin of the river Koo (Russian name – Lebed) and the contiguous territory of Kuznetsky Okrug. In conditions of nomadic life Chelkans were looking for a convenient place for life and traditional activity. Today Chelkans are included in Altai people, with their language kept as a dialect of the literary language. The oral speech has much common with ancient Turkic languages, especially with those of Uigur-Oguz group; Kumandin and Chelkan dialects together with Khakas, Kamasin, Shor, Chulym, Sary-Uigur languages compose Khakas sub-group of the ancient Uigur-Oguz group, and the languages of modern Altai people of the Central and Eastern Altai together with the Kirghiz language refer to Kirghiz-Kypchak group.
By the regulation of the Government of the Russian Federation Chelkans, Tubalars and Telengits are referred to small-numbered peoples. The Government of the RF made the correct step and wise decision on saving indigenous small-numbered peoples of the Altai Republic, as their languages are endangered, and when a language disappears, the people disappears with it.
Today in the Altai Republic 40% of the youth don’t command their native language, among them are the children living in the places where the main population is Russian. The use of the Altai language is narrowing, its prestige at schools is falling down, as the Altai language is considered useless outside the Republic. If we don’t save our language today, the people will disappear with its history, culture, traditions.
Another problem is the land, the territory of living of the aborigines, saving the habitat of indigenous peoples of the Altai Republic. Land, nature, their riches are the habitat of the people. The environment of the aborigines must be saved, as the destruction of social and cultural environment of any ethnic group will result in worsening of all the living conditions.
At present the destiny of this people is very hard from the point of view of their social-economic situation as well as the reduction of the population, low level of living, growing unemployment.
Demographical processes in the country, changes for the market economy, for legal state, civil society had ambiguous effect on the situation of the population of the Altai Republic, especially small-numbered peoples. Social-economic crisis, economical problems, worsening and cutting down of the habitat, rise of unemployment, destroyed medical service in the villages, absence of roads have threatened small ethnic groups of northern regions of the Altai Republic to become extinct genetically and physically.
Once big ethnic groups (Chelkans, Tubalars, Kumandins) in our republic are disappearing now. Disappearing is the history, the culture, traditions, original economy.
The demographic situation of northern regions of the Altai Republic was influenced by the development of industry resulting in total felling of cedar. Even after the ban on its felling the extermination of the rest is still continued on the territory of dense residence of indigenous peoples without taking into consideration historical, cultural and psycho-emotional peculiarities of their development.
Now the situation of indigenous peoples of the Altai Republic is more complicated by the maladjustment of their lifestyle and human values to the forming market in its almost uncontrolled form.
The territory of the Lebed River in 1920-1930-s gave dozens of leaders, who worked not only in Turochak Region, but in Gorno-Altaiskaya Autonomous Oblast.
Three deputies of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR were Chelkans: Ch. M. Kondarakov, M.M. Barbachakov, A.M. Kondarakova.
Lebed land grew four scientists from the students of Kurmach-Baigol School: Petr Kuzdekashev, Candidate of Philosophy Science, Yakov Pustogachev, Candidate of Historical Science, Yekaterina Kondarakova, Candidate of Historical Science, Oksana Pustogacheva, Candidate of Pedagogical Science.
Chelkans are hunters, beekeepers, fishers by origin. However, when a people doesn’t feel themselves the masters of their native land, they lose self-respect, and this loss is irreplaceable.
Alexander Krachnakov
Ust-Koksa Region
Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow
Indigenous population of Altai in the past consisted of several ethnic groups formed on one Turkic basis. Despite linguistic, anthropological, economical and other peculiarities, all the population of the region form Altai ethnic unity. It is not a mistake to call this unity Altai people.
Among Altai ethnic unity the leading role belonged to Telengits, that included the majority of Altai people. Ethnonym “Telengit” comes from ancient Turkic name “tele” with Mongolian affix of plural. However, not all Telengits of 17-18th centuries have ancient Tele origin. The ancestors of many of them come from ancient Turkic period and other Turkic unities. The habitat of Telengits included all the territory of modern Altaisky Krai, part of the territory of the present Kemerovskaya and Novosibirskaya Oblast, so called Roodny Altai in today’s Kazakhstan, right tributaries of the Cherny Irtysh which are located now on the territory of China. The territory of all the regions of the present Altai Republic, except Choya and Turochak Regions, was also inhabited by Telengits.
Ust-Koksa Region borders in the south with Kazakhstan and with the regions of Kosh-Agach, Ongudai, Ust-Kan. Flora and fauna are diverse and rich. In the mountains there live marals, deer, bears, Uncia uncia. One of the most beautiful and clean rivers the Katun springs from our region.
I live in Bashtala village of Ust-Koksa Region of the Altai Republic. The main part of the population of the village are Russian and Altai people. In Soviet times collective farm Bashtala was a millionaire; we had 12 herds, many cows, horses, apiary. In the garden of the collective farm apple-trees, pear-trees, raspberry were growing. On the fields oats, barley, wheat were sowed. After disintegration of the Soviet Union, the farm, as everywhere, fell down, except maral-breeding collective farm Abaisky. Despite unemployment, inflation and high prices for everyday goods, people keep cattle and subsistence farming. The regional center Ust-Koksa village is 2 kilometers away from our villege, and many people of our village work there and have to travel there somehow, the buses don’t go. In the whole the region is prospective: on the territory of the region there is Katun State Nature Reserve, Nature Park Belukha, tourist business is developing, there some tourist centers. The village tourism “Selsky Dom” is also developing. The building of ski-complex is started in the region of Multa village. The airport has been reconstructed, in the near future it is planned to widen the runway to receive airplanes from other countries.
Boris Poposhev
Shunarak
Shunarak village is located on the territory of Turochak Region on the bank of a beautiful river Biya. People call our village as “forgotten by God”. The population here is about fifty people. Social objects such as school, village administration, medical service and shops are five kilometers away from Shunarak, in Ozero-Kureyevo village. For food, medicines people have to go to the next village. For a long time we have been told to change the place of living. But despite all difficulties we like to live in our small village, as not only we have problems, but others also have plenty of them.
One problem of our purlieu is the road, which goes by the village. When a car passes, it raises such thick dust, that you can’t see anything. A very sharp problem is drinking water taken from the Biya, because in spring the river is very dirty and undrinkable. The water mustn’t be taken, but the villagers continue to use it. In 2005 a brigade came to make a water-pump, but they didn’t finish because of absence of money. On the place, where the water pump was dug, there had been a burial ground of cattle before, as old people said.
Our children were walking on foot to and from school for three years. Their parents were very anxious about them, as they were walking along the road with much traffic. In 2006 with great difficulty we were given a bus to take children to school.
One more important problem I want to share is wolves. They come too close to the village and are not afraid of dogs. They slaughter cattle, at night they howl so that you feel terrified. We applied to the administration, but they told us to shoot them by ourselves. The question is how to shoot if we don’t have guns. What are chasseurs for then, who seem have to take measures not only to fight poaching, but wild wolves as well?
But in spite of severities and disadvantages of life, our village has a lot of advantages. People are good here, hospitable. Their occupation is fishing, cattle-farming, going to the forest for mushrooms, berries. We prepare firewood not only for ourselves, but for sale as well. People began to take land plots for building their own houses.
And we have a hope that in the near future the village will not only strengthen, but the conditions of life will improve. We want to hope very much that the village will revive with its traditions, customs and the language of the people living here. And we, the villagers, will take direct part in it. And the administration of the village and of the region is expected to assist rebirth of the village. People should feel support not only of each other, but of the administrative bodies. We want to save what we have and we want our children to know their language, customs, traditions. Little time will pass, and our kids will replace us in the active life of the village. The more problems we will solve today, the less they will have to overcome tomorrow. Then they will have time for some other business, they will start facilitating not only their life, but of all the society. Then their children also will have more possibilities for creative life. Meantime, we will believe our village will not vanish from the face of the Earth.
Natalya Aksantayeva
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