An image from Days of Yakutia in Toronto, Canada.

What a great news! Sardana Savvina let me know that two Yakutian films are going to participate at The Imagine Native Film + Media Arts Festival in Toronto, Canada. They will be screened at Bell Light BOX Movie Theater on October 22nd and 23rd, 2011.

If by any chance you appeared to be in Toronto on those days, don’t miss the chance to visit the film festival and watch Yakutian movies. You won’t regret ever! Check the screening schedule.

Further, find films description and get energized by the While the Wind Blows movie trailer with a song performed by the famous Yakut rock band “103″ and Varya Maksimova.

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Event: Nikolay Evstifeev’s “Winter Road. The Land of Fierce” Documentary Public Screening at Diamond House Cafe in Yakutsk, Russia.

Time: 08.00 pm (UTC+09:00), Sept. 14, 2011.

Location: Diamond House Cafe (EPL Diamond’s Trade Center), Yakutsk, Russia.

About the documentary check the post “A Siberian Documentary: The Winter Road. The Land of Fierce…”

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Good news for world music admirers and fans of the Ayarkhaan trio. July 24, 2011, Albina Degtyareva‘s Ayarkhaan Trio performed at the BBC Proms (Royal Albert Hall) in London, UK.

“Three Sakha women from Siberia blew the audience away with their unearthly sounds of jew’s harp and animal imitation. It was truly amazing,” Misha Maltsev reports.

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The 2nd day of Ilya’s Elanka – Buotama – Lena Pillars trip was also dedicated to fishing, but on the Buotama River, a Lena River tributary. The 1st day, as you know, was spent in the village of Elanka.

The Buotama River mouth is located just in front of the Bulgunnyahtakh village (a neighboring settlement north off Elanka, a few minutes by a ride) on the east side of the Lena River.

Further, find more photographs taken by Ajar Varlamov and some facts. Read the rest of this entry…

This is the video from the Live Music of the Silent Film event arranged by Kostas Danilov for cine amateurs in EPL’s Diamond House Cafe in Yakutsk (Yakutia / Russia) a couple of weeks ago.

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Today is May 3rd, 2011 and we’ve got heavy snowfall in Yakutsk, Yakutia / Russia. Nature says the Lena River is about to open and the spring flood to come soon. Indeed, that’s the usual weather we go through every May.

Above is the video made on the main square. Below see more pictures of today’s snowing in Yakutsk.

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Hooray! May is at hand! It’s time for Yakutian men to hunt for ducks…

Rumours went out. Some say that duck hunt might be prohibited due to games migrated from radiated Fukushima, Japan. Some say it will be allowed, but strongly recommended not to eat ducks. In any case, hunters will go out into the wildness and shoot their gamebirds.

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Here in historical videos, you can see how Yhyakh (Ысыах in Russian), the Yakut national holiday, was celebrated in the 1960s. For the long period, the Soviets prohibited the Yakuts to hold its traditional summer event, but eventually, since 1941, allowed.

Yhyakh is the celebration of the summer solstice. Dedicated to the spirits of Ajyy and nature revival. Followed with the rising sun worship ceremonies, abundant food, kumis (also spelled kumiss, koumiss or kumys; it’s the horse milk) drinking, national sports games, horse races.

Further, please, find the second historical video. Read the rest of this entry…

YAKUTSK, March 21, 2011 – Today ALROSA Airlines’ cargo plane delivered 30 wood bison (10 males, 20 females) at Yakutsk Airport in Russia’s Siberian region of Yakutia from Edmonton, Canada.

Direct flight lasted 8 hours. The plane landed at Yakutsk Airport at 01.00 pm. The temperature was -5C. Many officials and mass media representatives met the IL 76 cargo plane with Canadian buffaloes.

Further, please, see more info, photos and video.

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Enjoy khomus (Yakut Jew’s harp) music and images of Yakutia in the amazing video slideshow created by Marianna Leontieva in 2008. The author lives in Moscow and she called the video “Khomus… A Yakutian’s Nostalgia…” Think, no additional info is required.

By the way, Yakutsk will host the 7th International Jew’s Harp Society Congress on June 23-26, 2011. It will be held right before the Yasyakh national holiday celebration in the area of Ys Khatyn near Yakutsk. My god, my fingers are crossed, don’t want to miss this must-be-awesome event.

Download the Congress Program (pdf, 525 Kb).