Kabardino-Balkarian State University celebrated the Day of Indigenous Peoples of Russia.

Kabardino-Balkarian State University named after Kh.M. Berbekov hosted an event dedicated to the new national holiday—Day of Indigenous Peoples of the Russian Federation. The date was chosen deliberately: on April 30, 1999, a law was passed enshrining legal guarantees for these ethnic groups.

Students and guests of the university traveled across the national map of Russia. The focus was on peoples whose ties to their native lands go back thousands of years.

Audience members «met» the Shapsugs—an ancient population of the Black Sea region, whose dialect of the Adyghe language is famous for its rare consonants. Then came the Yukaghirs of Eastern Siberia, whose ancient pictographic script is similar to Native American writing.

Participants learned about the Kets of Krasnoyarsk Krai, the only speakers of the extinct Yeniseian language family, and the Negidals of Khabarovsk Krai, whose language is now on the verge of extinction.

The meeting concluded with a presentation on the Kereks, the smallest ethnic group in Russia (according to the 2010 census, there were only four people). A surprising detail: among the Kereks, a female shaman is considered more powerful, and family lineage is traced through the maternal line.

The organizers emphasized that the Shapsugs, Yukaghirs, and Kereks are united by a deep connection with nature and a steadfast commitment to preserving their identity. The cultures of these ethnic groups are precious pages of the unified book «Russia,» and their preservation is our common goal for strengthening the spiritual unity of the country.

The meeting was initiated by the Department of Youth Policy and Social Issues at KBSU.