Debut of young ethnographers: research on traditions in Nanai District

"Six days work and the seventh day take stock. Remember your duty to the public and to science"

L.Y. Sternberg "Ten commandments of an ethnographer", commandment 4th

From August 19 to 23, 2024, a scientific ethnographic expedition to Nanai district took place. This trip was the debut for young researchers of the ethnographic sector - Vasilina Varvara and Daria Gracheva, who immersed themselves in field work for the first time. The staff of the Grodekovo Museum was stationed in the village of Troitskoye, from where they made daily trips to other villages - Jari, Naihin and Dada.

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Expedition activities are an integral part of an ethnographer's work, during which information is collected on a predetermined research topic.

The ethnographers working on the expedition recorded and refined previously available data on traditional crafts, rituals, economic activities, and arts and crafts of the Nanai people. For the first time, Varvara and Daria also collected material on the topics of their own research in the field: they met local residents, visited cultural institutions in the area where national traditions of arts and crafts and creativity are preserved, conducted surveys among the population, and worked with informants.

For example, during a survey of the population, the staff found out that in the village of Naykhin the family of Andrey Ivanovich Beldy and his wife Evgenia Vitalievna are engaged in revitalizing dog breeding traditions in Nanai District. This is a unique phenomenon for the local area, aimed, among other things, at popularizing the culture of traditional dog breeding and the culture of indigenous peoples in Khabarovsk Krai.

The outcomes and results of the expedition will be reflected in future scientific publications of the participants.