Voices of Khakassia

Leonid Yeremin, 38. Kazanovka village, Askizsky region. Employed at the Institute of Sayan-Altay Turkology.

I was attracted to Khakassia from Petersburg because of archaeology, and I loved it so much here that I moved for good. There are many reasons for living a long way from the noisy capitals, but for me, as a historian of Khakassia and the Khakass people, it really is a matter of preserving what remains of this exceptional culture. 

The question of preserving ethnicity and its heritage is a matter of preserving the language. And the prognosis is rather dismal on this front – things essentially come down to the next generation. The reality is that the majority of Khakass do not teach the Khakass language to their children, as they don’t see any need for it.

Living in the countryside is not prestigious; everyone wants to move to the city, where assimilation is unavoidable. In a short period of time – several decades – they will be talking about dissolving Khakassia into Krasnoyarsk region... And yet Khakassia had thousands of years experience living between militaristic enemies, including Russia... It was from the Khakass that the Cossacks learned the art of diplomatic negotiations.

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Mikhail Verkhoturov, 22. Abakan. Editor of Khakass Regional Site.

For me, Khakassia is primarily its capital, Abakan. I was born and educated here and started a business here with my friends. I don’t really have any desire to leave Khakassia; Abakan gives me everything I need to live. 

In my work, I conducted a poll last year at one of the schools here. It turns out that about one-third of the students dream of leaving as soon as possible for “the big cities.” But I would not like – for example – the fact that, in large cities, it takes half-an-hour to two hours just to get somewhere. That is simply irrational. And we have all the modern comforts here: bars, theaters, restaurants, cafes, several internet providers, all kinds of media, sport halls, etc. Add onto this the excellent air quality and natural environment that begins right in Abakan and you will see that there simply is no better place to live.

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Irina Nagibina, 34. Krasnoyarsk. Press officer for Sberbank.

I spent my childhoood in the little city of Chernogorsk, outside Abakan. When I finished high school, I left to study in Krasnoyarsk. The reason was simple: at that time there was nowhere in Abakan to study to be a journalist. 

I go visit my parents often and can say that, in the cities, except for various national decorations found on some brick homes, essentially nothing truly Khakass remains... But if you go several kilometers from the city center, then you will encounter the real Khakassia, where traditional food and clothing has not been forgotten... 

As a matter of fact, when I was in school, they used to give me a Khakass makeover for holidays – a special dress and two long, black braids. I doubt I would ever want to return to live in Khakassia... the living standards are just too low, and there is much less opportunity to realize one’s potential.

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Artur Karamashev, 30. Moscow. Lawyer.

I was born in rural Khakassia. I remember how local kids used to pester me by asking, “Are you Russian or Khakass?”

The fact is, I only spoke Russian and none of the local guys knew Russian. Later, I learned my native tongue as well.

In the little villages, everyone conversed in Khakass in school, even with teachers. In larger villages, everyone talked in Russian. When I arrived in Moscow, I could think in two languages. But, having lived in the capital for a while, I now find that I only think in Russian.

I was baptized at 12 or 13. And I had a church wedding. Actually, when they do marriages [in Khakassia] there is a rather whimsical mixing of Russian and Khakass customs. Everything is stirred in together. I think you would not be able to find many people in Khakassia who know how to conduct ceremonies in keeping with all of the traditions and customs. 

Personally, I could not really identify specific Russian influences on myself, since I simply was raised into them. Yet there have been some Khakass bits woven in: reading of fairy tales, books, conversation. 

It makes me very sad that most of the current generation, especiallly those kids living in cities, don’t know their native language. Yet I should mention that there has been a tendency in the Khakass Republic in recent years to study Khakass culture. I really considered myself to be a Khakass only after the USSR collapsed, and especially in recent years, since we started hearing this slogan, “Russia for Russians,” and things like that. Because of this, I have increasingly frequent thoughts about leaving Moscow for Khakassia.

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Irina Andriyanova, 26. Novosibirsk. Pediatrician.

I am a doctor and am also quite interested in natural medicine. I regularly travel to Khakassia to collect plants – Kurile tea, wild marjoram, cowberry, St. John’s wort, currant, bilberry, mint, juniper, wild rosemary, clover and many others.  I simply love the Khakass steppe and mountains. There truly is no other place like it. I first went there out of an interest in photographing Khakass landscapes. I would stay, of course, in a tent in the wild, so I did not have too much chance to interact with locals – there are not many living out there... I could not live in Khakassia, yet I also could not imagine my life without it. The plants I gather there grow in other places, but I still go back there every summer... Why? I don’t know. Something draws me back there. If for some reason I can’t go there in summer, I suffer all the next winter.