Videos | Cold United

What’s Permafrost ?

On 11.16.09, In Climate, Events, Photos, Videos, By Silandi

On Nov. 4, 2009, in Yakutsk, the capital of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), a group of three people descended into the world’s deepest ice vertical tunnel, Shergin’s Shaft, that had been buried and forgotten for more than half a century. It was the important historical, scientific, cultural event called “The Storm of Shergin’s Shaft” designed to get a few rare samples for permafrost researchers and show a new way to observe never-melting, frozen soil layers.

The Evenk round dance

On 11.10.09, In Cultures, Lives, Videos, By Silandi

Indigenous Peoples of the Russian North

The numerically small indigenous peoples of North, Siberia and the Far East are a subset of the indigenous peoples of the Russian Federation. (more…)

Tagged with: Ainu • Buryat • Chukchi • Enzen • eskimo • Evenki • Evenks • Eventi • Ewenti • Far East • Indigenous Peoples of the Russian North • Jakutien • Jakutsk • Khakassians • Khanty • Nenets • Russia • Siberia • Tungus • Tunguz • Tuvans • Yakut • Yakutia • Yupik

Nunamiut Eskimo Dance

On 11.09.09, In Cultures, People, Societies, Videos, By rpiereck

This video was shot during Fairbanks’ 2009 annual Festival of Native Arts, where artists from all around Alaska and the Outside come to celebrate their native heritage by showcasing arts and crafts, dances, native games, and other cultural activities.

These are Nunamiut dancers from Anaktuvuk Pass, one of the coldest towns in Alaska. The Nunamiut are inland Eskimos, who hunt caribou rather than whales. Anaktuvuk Pass is only accessible by airplane, or by going through the bush in the winter, using snow machines or SnoCats.

They performed a couple of dances, most of them from 30 seconds to 1 minute long. Sometimes I wished they went on for longer as they were quite entertaining, you could tell the dances told a story and I wish I understood their language. On all dances the males stomped one foot on the ground to the beat of the drums, while the women did not stomp. Their drums were large but light, made of some animal skin (possibly caribou) stretched over a round wooden frame. They were the only instruments used by the performers.

Looking by the number of people on stage it looks like most of the village came down to perform; the total population is only 249!