The Aleuts. Modern Culture and Crafts, Folklore Groups, and Professional Art

The modern generation of Aleuts attempts to preserve and revive their cultural heritage. In 1996, the Kamchatka Center for National Cultures united all the national communities and the regional Association of Indigenous Minorities of the North into the Association of Commander (Island) Aleuts. In 1999, it was renamed into the Ansarko Aleut Association, and its goal is to preserve the cultural heritage of the Aleut people. Currently, the schoolchildren in the village of Nikolskoye study their native tongue. At the end of the 1960s, the Aleutian Folk Museum was opened, and a folklore ensemble was created in 1994. The newspapers “Aleutskaya Zvezda” and “Aborigen Kamchatki” are published in Russian. The programs of the TV company “Kamchatka” routinely cover the activities of the Aleut community, its holidays, rituals, and customs.

In 2013, in the village of Nikolskoye, on the site of the old cultural center, an ethno-cultural center was erected on the federal budget. The main task of the Center is to preserve the historical and cultural heritage and language of the Aleut people. Along with a museum, exhibition areas, and rooms for folk crafts seminars. The complex also includes dancing and singing halls, a large assembly hall, a cinema, and a cafeteria. The seating capacity of the Center is 150.  

The “Chiyan” family ensemble, created in the 1980s, plays an important role in the preservation of folk traditions. In 1988, at the All-Russian competition of family ensembles in Leningrad, the ensemble was awarded a laureate diploma, and in 1990 it was among the winners of the Second International Festival of Folk Art in Kyiv. Gennady Yakovlev, the founder of “Chiyan”, a choreographer and expert on Aleutian culture, сonducted classes on such ethnic dances as balans, tulukizakh, aleutochka, quadrille. The singing female group “Komandorskie Samotsvety” performs at various events. On the Day of Aleutian Culture, other creative groups (“Angikh,” “Sam Tununis,” and “Unangan”) also perform for the public. The Center also offers classes on Aleutian songs, language arts, and crafts, and senior Aleuts share their experiences there via public talks.

Weaving from plant fibers is another facet of the traditional culture. This craft was restored thanks to Rosa Lyapunova. It was during an expedition that she suggested reviving it to Nina Kiyaikina. In 1990 Lyapunova sent a brochure with illustrations, and in 1991 Nina Kiyaikina began weaving from grass. In 1990, the craftswoman traveled to North America and studied with the American Aleuts.  Nina Kiyaykina runs an arts and crafts studio and leads a weaving group at the Ethno-Cultural Center.

There are also attempts to revive the tradition of bone and stone carving; the popularity of traditional Aleut parties and other national forms of leisure is growing as well.