According to Professor Natalia Koptseva, Head of the Culture Studies Department, a research like this has never been done in the Evenki municipal district before, and is of great significance for local indigenous people.
Statistics show that the percentage of the Evenki people speaking their native language is decreasing. In 1997 about 30% of the Evenki were fluent in their mother tongue. In 2018 - only 15%. The Evenki people do not use their native language in families anymore. They tend to quit reindeer husbandry and nomadic life in taiga, while many elements of their native language are related to the traditional way of life.
"During the field work, we recorded folklore, interviewed experts involved in the Evenki cultural heritage issues in the Tura and Baikat settlements. Now we are digitizing the collected photo-, audio- and video materials. All these will be included into a collective monograph "New projects for the revival of the Evenki language", - said Natalia Koptseva.
The results of the field research will be used to develop up-to-date methods and technologies for the revival of the Evenki language, and to create a positive attitude towards their ethnocultural indentity among young Evenkis. The formation of a first audio library of the Evenki language will be an important part of this work.
The research was funded by the "East-Siberian Oil and Gas Company", which provides financial support in two other Evenki-related projects implemented at the Siberian Federal University: "The Evenki reindeer" and "The Red Book of Evenkia".
Full article in Russian: http://news.sfu-kras.ru/node/20645