Even
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The Even are a Tungusic people widely distributed across large parts of eastern Siberia. Between 1830 and 1840, some groups of them migrated from the North of the Sea of Okhotsk southward to Kamchatka, where they settled in the central part of the peninsula, in what is now the Bystrinsky District. As an indigenous hunting people, they used reindeer for transportation. In the last century, they developed reindeer herding into their main economic livelihood. During several expeditions to reindeer and fishing camps, indigenous knowledge about nature use was recorded.
Even belongs to the Tungusic languages. The dialect spoken in Central Kamchatka has been documented for learning materials. In narratives, the Even people recount their worldviews and former shamanistic traditions. Crafts and art – especially the manufacture of clothing – have been extensively documented for the indigenous community. These records are also shown together with museum collections.
Together with dance teachers from Esso and Anavgaj, dance and song festivals were organized in Kamchatka, followed by tours abroad. In 1999, the ensemble Nulgur toured Germany. After a tour of Switzerland, the youth ensemble Or'jakan took part in the closing ceremony of the exhibition “Shamans of Siberia” in Stuttgart in 2009.