When spring is coming to Yakutsk, right to the city called once as the coldest in the world, we, residents, have many options for outdoor activity.

We say “Spring has started,” when the temperature is already above minus 25 degrees Celsius. Like right now. While I am writing it, the current degree is minus 11.

Nice weather for snow-related funs. Let’s list them. Skiing, ice skating, snowboarding, snowmobiling, dog sledding, ice fishing, ice racing, and etc, etc, etc. Yes, definitely there is always space for shashliki (Russian BBQ). But… you know… it’s a standard set of must-do-outside things.

Last two years a new fun appeared, surpisingly, among real men, who turned out to be big boys in their souls. This is igloo construction.

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Mira Maximova is a talented Sakha composer, who currently lives in China. Many might know her as a YouTuber ExUmira2. On her channel there are a lot of songs written and performed by her. A few years ago China closed the access to YouTube and now she can’t upload her new songs.

Recently she sent me the song Osuokhay, Sakha Round Dance Beyond Time & Space and asked, if I can post it on the website. Sure, Mira. That’s what I am doing now. Moreover, I made a slideshow with my photographs.

Further find information on the song dedicated to the Sakha traditional round dance known as Osoukhay.

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Huraay, Yegor Makarov (http://www.muuskhaia.ru/), prominent businessman in Yakutia, shared this video with me. He said, The world needs to know the Yakut horse.

The Yakut horse is a breed originated on the territory of the Republic of Sakha-Yakutia in North-East Siberia, Russia.

See how awesome they are in the extreme cold winter in Yakutia, Russia’s biggest Siberian region.

It is just a few episodes of Yegor Makarov’s new documentary. A teasing video was done with the help of talanted cameraman, Yuri Berezhnev. The film is not completed yet. They are working on it.

Meanwhile, you might wish to check what I have already on my blog under the tag Yakut Horse.

Feel free to share this video. Let’s spread a word about the Yakut horse.

Olga Monastyreva is a contemperary Yakutia-born artist, who lives currently with her beloved in Belguim. In the town of De Haan, they’ve got the fine art gallery “Artepol” (www.artepol.be). Btw, the gallery is depicted in her penultimate painting.

See how fascinating her paintings are. Inspired by Russia’s Siberian republic of Yakutia, her far-away cold wintery homeland. Olga spent her childhood in the town of Khandyga located on the Aldan River in the eastern part of the Republic of Sakha-Yakutia.

Once Olga described her canvases as Dreams. They look that way, indeed!

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Russia elects its President today, March 04, 2011.

Today I managed to have visited three voting sites during the first half of the 2012 Russian President election. By the way, Yakutsk is electing its mayor as well.

See photographs of how people is choosing its leader in Yakutsk, Siberia / Russia.

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Russia’s Republic of Sakha-Yakutia is pretty proud of being the land, where mammoths could be found nearly every year.

Recently, the Yukagir community area in Yakutia’s Arctic zone has brought many valuable findings for the world of paleontology. Eight years ago, it was the intacted Yukagir mammoth head and foot. They were shown at 2005 World Expo in Japan. A few years ago, there was already an ancient horse remains found. Read the related post with photographs.

Last year was prominent with two events. In August, the well-preserved corpse of an ancient bison was discovered at the same place in permafrost. In Novermber, the wooly mammoth baby nicknamed Yuka was delivered on snowmobiles from the Yukagir area, Russia’s Arctic, to Yakutsk. A story is here.

And… today… thanks to the Academy of Science of the Republic of Sakha-Yakutia… I had an unique chance to photograph how Russian and international scientists had been conducting examination on palentological findings – the Yuka wooly mammoth baby, ancient bison and horse – in Yakutsk, Russia, precisely at Institute of Geology of Diamonds and Precious Metals, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Science.

Take a look at photos and learn more about the Yuka wooly mammoth baby and the event. Read more…

Anabar is a short name for Anabarsky District, one of the northernmost region in the Arctic zone of Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Siberia, Russia.

See the set of Anna Opsipova‘s photographs taken on films during her visit to the reindeer herders’ camp in Anabar. Just a few pictures, but they are very expressive.

Images were done, when outdoor temperature was much, much below -40C.

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Wolves Unleashed to screen in New York City

Breaking News!!

Wolves Unleashed, a documentary film about wolves in Yakutia wildlife, will screen at the Winter Film Awards show in New York City on Saturday February 11th, 2012.

Screening time is 11 am. Venue location is the Roy Arias Studios and Theaters, 300 West 43rd Street, New York.

If you are in the area please show your support!!

See the official trailer Read more…

The current post is sequal to the previous one, “Olonkho, Sakha Heroic Epos, In Timofei Stepanov’s Painting The Upper World.” This time we post images of crafts and attributes of the Sakha (Yakut) people’s past daily life.

Yes, photographs were taken in The National Fine Arts Museum of the Republic of Sakha-Yakutia in Yakutsk, Siberia / Russia.

In the following images you’ll see crockeries for horse milk, female horse saddles, talisman-like crafted calendars, female clothes, belts, other national clothes and… mammoth tusk crafts.

Each picture shows that the Sakha people is the nation that cultivates and breeds horses.

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Love visiting National Fine Arts Museum of Republic of Sakha-Yakutia (www.sakhamuseum.ru) in Yakutsk, Russia. Many paintings, sculptures, installatons.

Hereby, I am eager to show parts of one painting done by the well-known Yakut artist, Timofei Stepanov. Read more…