The end of the expedition. Photo: Viktor Kulikov / Nenets Autonomous Area Branch of the RGS
On April 6, the snowmobile expedition «Into the History of the Arctic», organized by the Nenets Autonomous Area Branch of the Russian Geographical Society, finished in Naryan-Mar. In 11 days, the participants traveled 1,803 km through the harsh expanses of the Bolshezemelskaya Tundra. The objectives of the project were to popularize the natural resources, historical, and cultural heritage of the peoples of the Arctic, as well as to develop a new tourist route and collect information about people who have connected their lives with the Russian North.
The participants of the expedition «Into the History of the Arctic» were Alina Andrianova, Deputy Chairman of the Nenets Autonomous Area Branch of the RGS; Yuri Tyulyubaev, a member of the Russian Geographical Society, a specialist in tourism; Viktor Ovchinnikov, a Class I rescuer; Viktor Kulikov, a photographer and a «hunter of the Aurora borealis»; and Aleksey Araslanov, an extreme tourist. On March 27, in Naryan-Mar, they began their «Bolshezemelskaya circumnavigation», the route of which ran through the settlements of Kharyaginsky, Khorey-Ver, Karatayka, Amderma, Ust-Kara, Vorkuta, Kharuta and ended at the starting point.
The “Arctic Tambourine” in Ust-Kara. Photo: Viktor Kulikov / Nenets Autonomous Area Branch of the RGS
One of the key tasks of the expedition was the launch of the «Arctic Tambourine» campaign dedicated to the 180th anniversary of the Russian Geographical Society. The musical instrument of the peoples of the North, which went on a trip to the Russian regions of the Arctic, was chosen as its symbol. Together with the participants of the snowmobile run, it traveled 1,000 km through the Nenets Autonomous Area. Residents of the settlements through which the route passed left their names on the tambourine.
In Vorkuta, at the local museum and exhibition center, the artifact was handed over to Nadezhda Kozhevnikova, a member of the Komi Republic Branch of the RGS. The tambourine will then travel to the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Area. As the organizers of the event noted, this symbol of the tundra should unite the inhabitants of the Russian North, reminding that the Arctic is a common home for all who inhabit it.
The funds of the museums of the settlements through which the expedition passed were replenished with a unique panel with a special stamp. It was issued in honor of the outstanding scientist, Arctic and Antarctic researcher, First Vice-President of the Russian Geographical Society Artur Chilingarov.
A special stamp cancellation took place on December 12, 2024, in Naryan-Mar. For this event, the Nenets Autonomous Area Branch of the RGS initiated the development of a special stamp. It shows the date marking the 30th anniversary of Artur Chilingarov’s election to the State Duma of Russia from the Nenets Autonomous Area.
The “Arctic Tambourine” in Vorkuta. Photo: Viktor Kulikov / Nenets Autonomous Area Branch of the RGS
The expedition delivered to Amderma a desk of the Hero of the Russian Geographical Society dedicated to Arthur Chilingarov. Now the best students will study at the commemorative student table.
Another gift for the educational and cultural institutions of the region was the local history lottery «Our NAA». It was developed by researcher Alena Kozhevina, integrating 90 questions on nature, history, literature, and geography of her native land into the game format. An interactive set of 15 flashcards combines learning and entertainment, helping the residents of the district to get to know their small homeland better. The project supports the mission of the Russian Geographical Society to preserve the memory of the heritage of the North and to tell new generations about it.
As part of the lectures of the regional branch of the RGS, in each locality on the expedition route, residents were told about the activities of ethnographer and cinematographer Leonid Kapitsa, who devoted his life to studying the way of life of the peoples of the North and became a pioneer of ethnographic cinema. In particular, in 1929, he launched the «Northern Territory» project, which told about Nenets reindeer herders. His films were a true chronicle of the vanishing cultures of nomadic northern tribes.
Unfortunately, most of Leonid Kapitsa’s works have not survived to this day, but the film «K ostrovam i beregam Barenceva morya» (eng. «To the Islands and Shores of the Barents Sea»), shot in 1929 with the cameraman Pronin in the Khabarovsk Region, is of particular importance for the region. This is a real window into the past: unique footage may have captured the ancestors of the current inhabitants of the Bolshezemelskaya Tundra.
Unveiling of the desk of the Hero of the RGS in Amderma. Photo: Viktor Kulikov / Nenets Autonomous Area Branch of the RGS
The history of the Arctic is being written here and now — in reindeer herders' camps, in oil fields, in village schools, and cultural centers. When locals leave the name of their native village on a tambourine, and schoolchildren play local history lotto, they become part of a united historical canvas, which includes films by Leonid Kapitsa and a stamp with a portrait of Artur Chilingarov. The Arctic is not a museum exhibit, but a living world in which the past meets the future. And as long as we remember those who lived on this earth, loved and cherished it, we have tomorrow.
«The Arctic teaches us the main thing: there is no future without the past. Through such projects, we not only preserve memory, but weave it into the present day, so that every child of the tundra knows that their roots are pride, not the dust of archives,» said Matvey Chuprov, Chairman of the Nenets Autonomous Area Branch of the RGS.