9 August commemorates the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, established by the UN General Assembly. Each year, Rosneft and its subsidiaries carry out projects to support indigenous peoples in the regions where they operate.

Preservation of the culture and way of life of the indigenous peoples of the North is one of the key areas of Rosneft’s social policy. Support from oil workers improves the living conditions of indigenous families living in the areas where the Company’s production activities take place. As an example, in the Taimyrsky Dolgano-Nenets Municipal District, Vostok Oil is providing ongoing support for a regional initiative to relocate indigenous residents from substandard and dilapidated housing to residential buildings that are better suited to the living conditions in the Far North.

Rosneft is committed to supporting communities in celebrating national holidays that hold significant social and cultural importance for indigenous peoples. Thousands of attendees at ethnic festivals across the country gain insight into the distinctive culture of the northern peoples through national arts, folklore and sports competitions.

On the eve of the holiday, Krasnoyarsk played host to the second festival of northern culture, organised by Rosneft enterprises—Vostsibneftegaz and Slavneft-Krasnoyarskneftegaz. The guests were treated to a series of performances showcasing the rich cultural heritage of the region, including traditional ethnic dances, national art, and insights into the nomadic reindeer herders’ way of life. They also had the opportunity to visit a traditional Evenki raw hide tent.

In Taimyr, RN-Vankor oil workers organised an educational event in the form of an ethnographic dictation. The event offered attendees the opportunity to test their knowledge of a range of topics related to the local culture, including national chronology, names of dishes and specialities of northern cuisine, ceremonial dances, items of clothing and musical instruments of local ethnic groups.

The annual festival of indigenous culture, The Wealth of the Uvat Taiga, is held in the Tyumen Region with the support of RN-Uvatneftegaz. Festive events and excursions were held on the territory of the ethno-cultural centre Uvas Mir Khot (“House of Northern People”), which was created and is being developed in collaboration with the enterprise. The centre plays host to a number of national festivals, cultural events, concerts, interactive excursions, local history and language lessons, and workshops throughout the year. The House of Northern People has become a popular tourist attraction, with over 4,000 guests from across Russia visiting in 2023.

The Masi Ulen festival, a significant event for the Nanai people (the indigenous population of the Amur Region), will be held with the support of the Komsomolsk Refinery. The festival will feature competitive events in a range of national sports, including archery, Chakpan game, Tomyan triple jump and others.

In Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area—Yugra, Samotlorneftegaz provided support for the organisation of the research and practice conference, “Indigenous Peoples. Environment. Oil. Law”, as well as a professional skills competition among reindeer breeders for the Yugra Governor’s Cup. The International Exhibition & Fair “Treasures of the North. Masters and Artists of Russia” in Moscow also provided an opportunity for representatives of indigenous peoples to participate.

In Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Area, several Rosneft enterprises provide support to indigenous minorities. As part of the Eco-Arctic 2024 environmental forum, events in observance of Reindeer Herders’ Day were held at 14 locations with the support of RN-Shelf-Arctic. Over the past seven years, more than 40 reindeer herding farms have participated in the national events organised by the enterprise. Kharampurneftegaz took part in the Fisherman’s Day celebrations in the Purovsky District. SevComNeftegaz always extends its warmest wishes to the children of the Dianki Koi community on the occasion of the National New Year.

With the support of RN-Purneftegaz oil workers, the agricultural community of Kharampurovskaya purchased the necessary equipment to establish new fish breeding lines. The Kharampur community has initiated the breeding of whitefish at the recently established fish farm. The release of the fry into the vast waters of the Pur River will make a significant contribution to providing the Nenets Forest people with the muksun, broad whitefish and other fish species that form the basis of their diet.

RN-Yuganskneftegaz, RN-Uvatneftegaz, Taas-Yuryakh Neftegazodobycha and other Company enterprises provide financial support to indigenous communities and families. The enterprise provides the camps with a range of essential resources, including fuel and lubricants, construction materials, equipment, snowmobiles, boats and other necessary items. RN-Uvatneftegaz oil workers have donated over 140 units of equipment to the families of indigenous minorities in the Uvat District over the past few years. The donations have been made in response to the need for improved management in the harsh conditions of the North.

Rosneft enterprises in Siberia and the Far East provide indigenous communities with access to winter motor roads and ice crossings that are constructed for operational purposes. Oil workers are committed to supporting research, social and charity projects that contribute to the preservation of traditional ways of life and the unique culture of indigenous peoples.

In 2024, Vostsibneftegaz will mark a decade since the inception of its grant programme. During this period, the oil workers supported 29 scientific works in the fields of ecology and ethnography. These included projects to study the population of wild reindeer, which form the basis of the ecosystem and the management of indigenous peoples; the Siberian sable and rare lesser white-fronted goose; the ecosystems of the Tunguska Reserve; and the scientific and practical substantiation of the production of bread for the northerners from Jerusalem artichoke. This year, the Vostsibneftegaz grant enabled scientists to continue their research into musk deer and other rare species of animals and birds in the Evenki District of Krasnoyarsk Territory.

RN-Vankor is committed to the preservation of the national culture and traditions of the indigenous peoples of the Taimyr Peninsula in the Vostok Oil project area. The oil workers have developed and donated a series of interactive audio speakers featuring national folklore to local educational establishments, including schools and kindergartens. The speakers are dolls representing the five ethnic groups that inhabit the peninsula: the Dolgans, Nenets, Nganasans, Evenks and Enets. Furthermore, with the assistance of oil workers, distinctive Russian-Dolgan and Russian-Nenets alphabet books were published with illustrations by young residents of Taymir, showcasing the natural phenomena, animals, and the daily lives of the peoples of the North.

Samotlorneftegaz has developed a unique digital educational platform, Camp nursery school. The digital infrastructure is now operational in six nursery schools. Modern technologies have enabled the enhancement of the quality of distance learning for nomadic children without severing their connection to their families residing in remote areas.

In line with the grant project of the Komsomolsk Refinery, the Achambori School of Traditions delivered a series of educational lectures and excursions, as well as workshops. The programme included lectures on the ethnic music of Priamurye, an exhibition of Evenki amulets and Nanai dolls, and classes on national sports. Last year, workers at the Komsomolsk oil refinery implemented the Master–Apprentice project. The grant provided training in the art of national sewing, during which the instructor also taught participants the Nanai language. Subsequently, video tutorials and thematic phrasebooks were created.

Vostsibneftegaz is helping to develop a new set of teaching materials for the Evenki language. The enterprise also provided support for the publication of the alphabet “Evenkia: from A to Z”, the monograph “New Projects for the Revival of Evenki Language and Culture”, the musical album of the folk ensemble Togokon (“Ogonyok”) and the digital Evenki-Russian dictionary “Evedy-Luchady Tureruk”.

Verkhnechonskneftegaz has provided its endorsement to the publication of a Russian-Evenki thematic dictionary. The purpose of the dictionary is to preserve the endangered dialect of the Upper Lena Evenks, who live in the Kachugsky District of the Irkutsk Region, which has not been studied by linguists. At the IX regional contest “The Best Book of the Year”, the dictionary was awarded a special prize “For preserving the linguistic traditions of the indigenous peoples of Siberia” in the nomination “Traditional culture of the indigenous peoples of Eastern Siberia”.

RN-Purneftegaz assisted in the compilation of a collection of methodological materials, Trends in Nomadic Education, which includes development programmes in the Nenets language, unique practices and classroom outlines for the pre-school education of pupils from nomadic groups of northern peoples. Teachers working in nomadic kindergartens in the district have also been trained.

With the support of the Taas-Yuryakh Neftegazodobycha, a book dedicated to the anniversary of the foundation and establishment of the Taas-Yuryakh settlement as a compact territory inhabited by the indigenous peoples of the Mirny District of Yakutia has been published. The rural school, which is attended by children of indigenous minorities of the North, has previously benefited from the construction of a sports stadium and an assembly hall.

At the International RUSSIA EXPO, with Rosneft’s support, a number of national folk art groups performed at VDNH. Additionally, numerous guests of the Company’s pavilion participated in workshops on national handicrafts, led by representatives of indigenous minorities.

Rosneft
Information Division
August 9, 2024

Keywords: Social News 2024