Larisa Vasilievna Zakharova

a senior research fellow of Scientific Research Institute of National Schools, Ministry of Education of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)

Zakharova, Larisa Vasilievna

Dear participants of the conference! Let me send you regards and wishes of successful work of the round table on behalf of the team of Scientific Research Institute of National Schools of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), which gave credence to me as a participator of the forum of scientists and teachers of Russia, studying the problem of endangered languages.

The Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) is known as the northernmost republic of Russian Federation. In this cold corner of the world every people created its own unique accumulated collective experience which have been formed within the natural environment of the peoples and translated from one generation to another one through the centuries.

Let’s turn to the facts. 982,9 thousand people (over 80 ethnic groups) live on the territory of the republic. Indigenous numerically small peoples of the North include Evenk, Even, Yukagir, Dolgan, Chukchi living in 69 settlements in 29 districts (uluses). In the places of compact communities of indigenous numerically small peoples of the North 61,1 thousand people (6,2% of the population of the republic) is concentrated, of whom 21 thousand people are represented by indigenous numerically small peoples of the North leading traditional economic activities, such as reindeer herding, hunting and fishing.

In the Republic of Sakha 5657 children of the school age live in total, including Even children – 2158, Evenk children – 3235, Yukagir – 165, Chukchi – 123. Reindeer herders’ children at present count 1809 people, including 1230 children of school age and 579 children of pre-school age, living in 49 nomadic families.

Languages of numerically small peoples of the North have been deprived of an opportunity of full value functioning. The whole generation of 20 year old young people was brought up, not having any command of the native language, customs and traditions. In the result, the youth has a feeling of spiritual discomfort; ethnic identity and mentality are degrading. The degradation of the young generation is also in process in other regions of Russia, where indigenous numerically small peoples live. The general trend of the loss of the native language is conditioned by the certain situation in the place, which has been regulated by conscious efforts of certain individuals or by ignored problems of development of the languages of numerically small ethnic groups.

In our republic native languages were preserved as languages of communication in 7 settlements, where compact communities of numerically small peoples live (Even language – Berezovka village of Srednekolymskiy District (Ulus), Sebyan-Kyuel village of Kobyayskiy District (Ulus), Topolinoe village of Tomponskiy District (Ulus), Andryushkino village of Nizhnekolymskiy District (Ulus); Evenk – in Iengra village of Neryungrinskiy District (Ulus), Tyanya village of Olekminskiy District; Chukchi – Kolymskoe village of Nizhnekolymskiy District). In the rest of districts the traditional way of life of indigenous numerically small peoples has been transformed and the native languages have almost been lost.

In this connection, in the places with Russian population predominating, the issue of improvement of the forms of the existence of the language of indigenous population and the search of the ways of its revitalization, development and preservation has been urgent. Since the beginning of the 90s, revival and development of national schools have started here, as well as all across Russia, which resulted in the studies of the native languages and cultures of indigenous numerically small peoples of the North. In multiethnic schools the length of the curricular is determined by the school educational component. In the schools, with Russian as the language of instruction, children of the peoples of the North are taught the native language as an elective subject (two hours per week). In many schools subjects with the regional specificity such as “National culture of the peoples of the North”, “The fundamentals of reindeer herding and hunting”, “National sewing and handicrafts”, “Native literature”, were introduced.

The problem of the day connected with the provision of schools with new curricula, programs, textbooks and methodological literature is still to be settled. The development of new models of textbooks, manuals for those having and not having any command of the language seems to be necessary. Reading books, written in the native languages, didactic materials, books of games for preschool institutions are to be published.

In the republic the education standard on the native languages was created, based on law of Russian Federation “On Education” and law “On the Languages of the Peoples of RSFSR”, which entitles the citizens of Russian Federation with the access to the secondary education in the native language. The basic level of the command of native languages serves as a national standard, which students are required to meet. The compilation of this document considered the common methodical concept of communicative and active approach to teaching languages. This concept reflects both scientific and practical needs, oriented at effective achievement of goals during the studies of the languages (practical, educational, pedagogical – via interconnected teaching of different speaking activities). Since the students of the schools of the peoples of the North have a poor command of the native language, many linguistic phenomena of the native language are perceived through the Russian language.

There are around 70 schools of numerically small peoples of the North in the Republic of Sakha. Modern schools are notably different from those which existed in the 70-80s. During the years of transformation of the educational system innovative projects were implemented in schools. Due to historical conditions of the development of numerically small northern peoples the schools, where their children are taught, are, as a rule, multiethnic. At present by the efforts of individual methodologist teachers attempts of integration of Russian Yakut population into the linguistic and cultural environment of northern peoples are taken, which leads to the harmonic development of cultures of Russian, Yakut and northern peoples.

Teaching of languages of numerically small peoples of the North is aimed at the education, through the language and culture, of a spiritually rich personality of high moral standards, loving his/her Motherland, people, language, culture, and having respect for traditions and cultures of other peoples.

While the curricula of the schools of numerically small peoples of the North are developed, ethnolinguistic context of the community, where school is located, is considered. In many schools four languages are taught: a language of a numerically small people as an ethnic marker, Russian and Yakut – as state languages of the republic and a foreign language – as a language of international communication.

In the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) the Concept of language education was developed. Urgency of the development of the Concept of language education in educational institutions is defined by many factors, one of which should be stressed - Specificity of the language situation in the republic, where two state (Russian and Yakut) and five official (Even, Evenk, Yukagir, Chukchi and Dolgan) languages function.

Modern language education requires interdisciplinary integration, multi-level and variation approach oriented at the international aspect of the command of the language.

The main principles and directions of the Concept of language education in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) correspond to the provisions of UNESCO Project “On the Way to the Global Culture” and develop the UNESCO concept on the language diversity and continuous multi-lingual education, preservation and development of the endangered languages, compliment the “Concept of Educational Sphere “Philology” in 12-grade school”, the “Concept of Education in Russian (Native) and Foreign Languages in 12-grade School”.

Thanks to the policy of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), the sphere of the use of native languages of indigenous peoples of the North is gradually widening. In most of the schools of numerically small peoples native languages are continued to be taught as a required course. Introduction of a new school subject on the national culture facilitated the representation of native languages of peoples of the North in the system of the general education both as a school subject and as a language of the culture.

The erosion of the spiritual basis of any nation and any people starts with the loss of adaptive abilities of the language, its erosion and language assimilation. Therefore, collaborative efforts of teachers, methodologists, researchers are required for the development of language personality of children of numerically small peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East. According to Y.N. Karaulov, the language personality means a personality expressed in the language, reflecting the world picture through the language, and determining the processes of perception and understanding. Since our Institute acquired the permission of the Administration of the Press of Dalnevostochniy District, from January 2006 every laboratory (6 of them in total) will start publishing quarterly magazines on these problems. The laboratory of schools of peoples of the North publishes the magazine titled as «Татчикарук». Since the decisive role in the regulation of the language situation is played by the education, we think, that this magazine will provide teachers and methodologists with an opportunity to exchange experience on teaching languages, literatures, cultures of peoples of the North.

In the conclusion of my presentation, I would like to say that our Institute is planning the opening of the Center of audio-visual means media of teaching for schools of indigenous peoples of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). Since curricula and textbooks alone are not able to provide conditions of mastering of endangered languages, literature and culture of the people, educational and methodological sets should be complemented with audio-visual means of teaching languages, literatures, cultures and history of the peoples of the North. Other types of activities of the Center should include scientific research, publication of educational and methodological literature on urgent problems of educational information and application of audio-visual means of teaching. All work is conducted in the intensive collaboration with the Federal Center of visual means of education of the Ministry of Education of Russian Federation.

Translated into English by O.A. Povoroznyuk

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