Olonkho - a masterpiece of mankind

The presentation of Yakut heroic epos took place in the Sakha Academic Theater. Now in a new quality: as we know, UNESCO proclaimed Olonkho as a masterpiece of an oral non-material heritage of mankind.

The President of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) Vyacheslav Shtyrov, officials of the Republic Government, deputies of the Parliament participated in the event.

Youths and girls in national clothes welcomed visitors on main staircase to the sounds of olonkho sung by Ustin Nokhsorov, Gavril Kolesov, Procopy Yadrikhinsky, Sergey Zverev and others.Then an expensive gift waited them on hall entrance: a complete set of olonkho “ Kyys Debiliye ”, a disc and a book. The president welcomed guests with a speech, and he noted that last year became significant for our republic: celebrating of the 60 th anniversary of the Great Victory, the 50 th anniversary of a diamond-extractive industry and, at last, a recognition of the Yakut epos as a masterpiece:

- Olonkho was passed on from one generation to another by tradition. And we living in XXI century, should keep it!

Then Chairman of the Olonkho Association, the national writer of Yakutia Savva Tarasov, the deputy of Il-Tumen Alexander Zhirkov, the co-chairman of National committee of the Sakha Republic(Yakutia) on affairs of UNESCO Elizabeth Sidorova, a head of the Olonkho department of the Institute of humanitarian researches of the Sakha Republic(Yakutia) Science Academy Agafya Zakharova and others came on a stage.

The president handed the association UNESCO certificate, and minister of culture and spiritual development of the Sakha Republic(Yakutia) Andrey Borisov presented a magnificent choroon (a special vessel for a national drink kumys ), having told the following:

- On behalf of art workers of the Sakha Republic I present you this kumys cup - the symbol of Olonkho. The olonkhosut s spirit kept in it!

Also we saw real olonkhosut s: Daria Tomskaya from Verkhoyansk and Peter Reshetnikov from Taatta received from Vyacheslav Shtyrov the state grants at a rate of 33,000 roubles, also celebration in honour of State prize winners of the Sakha Republic took place: there were director of the Institute of humanitarian researches of the Sakha Republic(Yakutia) Science Academy, Dr. of historical sciences, academician Vasily Ivanov, editor of NVK "Sakha" Evdokiya Izbekova, the head of the Olonkho department of the Institute of humanitarian researches Agafya Zakharova.

Cultural program of the evening included dramatized presentation with Sakha theatre actors, performance of violinists company from the Higher school of music, exhibitions prepared by workers of National library and Institute of humanitarian researches.

The exhibition of works of the Yakutsk art school last and this years students involved big attention of public (the teacher is V.V.Bochkarev). Among tiny masterpieces of bone and wood carvers creations stood out works of K.Petrov (1999): "Shaman", "Algyschyt” and "Olonkhosut” were next to alive. However, it couldn't be another way. A spirit of word lives in them, its force...

But this wasn't the end of celebrations. Republican forum opened On February, 27 in House of Archy . And it will be the beginning of 10 years of Olonkho in educational institutions of Yakutia. The epos was unseparable from life and consciousness of Sakha people, in blood and flesh of Yakuts in the old days. But last decades saw its unpopularity among rising generation. But it's " Everything we have"! Everything that our ancestors stored for many centuries, and that we are obliged to pass to our descendants.

Written by Kjunnej Yeremeyeva.
Translated by a student of Yakutsk State University.
Resource (in Russian): GazetaYakutia.Ru, Feb. 28, 2006.