Modern Culture and Crafts, Folklore Groups, and Professional Art

Currently, a multidisciplinary network of institutions for all types of cultural activities has been created in the Khanty-Mansi autonomous area - Ugra.  Of 436 cultural institutions, 375 (86%) focus on the development of traditional culture, art, creativity, and folklore of the minorities, including the Khanty.

State and municipal museums are implementing projects focusing on introducing people to the traditions of the North. They hold interactive open-air events dedicated to the traditional calendar holidays of the Ob Ugrians. For example, the open-air Ethnographic museum “Torum Maa,” presents comprehensive interactive projects under the general name “Museum of Living Culture.”

Some of the projects are aimed at preserving traditional holidays and rituals of the Ob Ugrians: the ritual of offering to the Moon “Tylasch po-ri,” “Wagtail Festival,” “Raven Day,” and others. These projects provide an opportunity to get acquainted with various aspects of the traditional holidays of the Ob Ugrians, albeit reconstructed in an urban environment.

Various forms of interaction with visitors (theatrical introductions, ritual elements, master classes on the topic of the holiday, games, etc.) make it possible to include all visitors of all age categories in the festive atmosphere. There are many permanent interactive exhibitions: “Ethno-Camp” (dedicated to the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples), “Summer Crafts of the Ob Ugrians,” the series “Family History in the History of the Country: the Path of Life,” and others.

All the libraries of Ugra have book collections in indigenous languages. The libraries organize cultural and educational events, familiarize the audience with the spiritual and material culture of the peoples of the North, and hold educational events.

The House of Folk Art of the area is implementing measures and activities aimed at identifying, studying, preserving, developing, and popularizing objects of the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of the Ugra peoples including the Ob Ugrians.

One such activity is working with the Register of Objects of the intangible cultural heritage of the peoples of Ugra. The Register includes topics on oral folk art, performing arts, festive and ritual culture, techniques, and technologies. In 2016, the project “The Bear Games Ritual of the Northern Khanty” was recognized by experts as the intangible heritage of the Russian Federation and included in the Catalog of Objects of Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Peoples of Russia.

In the municipalities of the Khanty-Mansi autonomous area – Ugra, there are about 30 folklore ensembles with over 300 participants.

The Khanty have developed professional painting and literature. The list of Khanty writers includes Eremei Aipin, Vladimir Vodin, Maria Voldina, and Roman Rugin. The well-known artists are Gennadiy Raishev and Mitrofan Tebetev, among others.

In recent decades, several new state institutions have sprung up to assist with the issues related to the cultural heritage of the indigenous peoples of the Khanty-Mansi autonomous area - Yugra: Ob-Ugric Institute of Applied Research and Development, Ugra State University, Theater of the Ob-Ugric Peoples “Sun,” etc.

Many topical issues of modern life of the Ob Ugrians are reflected on the pages of the newspapers “Khanty Yasang” (in the Khanty language) and “Luima Seripos” (in the Mansi language), and are covered by the state television and radio broadcasting company “Ugoria.”

Such public organizations as the district association "Saving Ugra", the Youth Organization of the Ob Ugric Peoples of the Khanty-Mansi autonomous area - Ugra, the Union of Traditional Folk Crafts Masters of the Khanty-Mansi autonomous area - Ugra, the Council of Elders of Indigenous Minorities of the North of the Khanty-Mansi autonomous area – Yugra play a major role in the preservation and representation of the ethnic culture of the indigenous peoples of the Khanty-Mansi autonomous area.