“Peoples of the North” Move Into the Virtual Space
A scientific digital portal on Russia’s ethnic diversity is now in development.
Russia is set to launch a digital portal dedicated to the Indigenous small-numbered peoples of the North, according to the publishing house Nauka. The scientific platform is intended to help preserve cultural heritage and traditional economic practices. It will bring together information about communities that have lived for centuries in the harsh conditions of the Far North, Siberia, and the Far East—and that continue to practice ancestral ways of life today.
The website will compile academic research and reference materials on these Indigenous communities.
Literature for Endangered Languages
The portal is expected to include extensive tools for creating literature in the languages of northern peoples, aimed at researchers, educators, and language activists. It will also host audio and video recordings of native speakers of endangered languages. In effect, the platform will function as a virtual library designed to preserve disappearing linguistic and cultural heritage.
Russia officially recognizes 47 Indigenous small-numbered peoples of the North, Siberia, and the Far East, each with a population of fewer than 50,000 people. A range of government support measures is in place for these communities.
In regions where Indigenous peoples live, government-run information systems already operate to provide access to social services and allow applications to be submitted electronically. Digital technologies in Russia are increasingly being used to support the preservation of traditional ways of life and the cultural heritage of Indigenous peoples.
