Reviving ancestral traditions
In south-eastern Siberia, a nomadic people are trying to preserve their way of life against the march of modern society. The traditional culture of the Evenk, who excel at reindeer herding, hunting and fishing, has been eroded through contact with Western civilisation.
"The idea is to enable Evenk children to stay with their parents, instead of wrenching them from their families at the age of six and sending them to boarding school.”
For eight years Alexandra Lavrillier, a brilliant French ethnologist, has been fighting alongside them to save their heritage, setting up a nomadic school that will give Evenk children the chance to receive a modern education without having to sacrifice their ancestral traditions.
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Alexandra Lavrillier was one of three Laureates whose work was presented to the French public in 2008. The nomadic school she founded is changing the lives of its students and raising interest in a rich and endangered pastoral culture.
- Project Location
- Related Links
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George van Driem
Record the disappearing languages of the Himalayan region
Chanda Shroff
Develop traditional hand embroidery to create sustainable income
- Other 2006 Laureates
- Contact Information
Dr Alexandra Lavrillier
c/o Association Sekalan
24, rue Vieille du Temple
75004 Paris
FranceTel: + 33 1 42 71 03 81
sekalan@mail.ru sekalan@club-internet.fr
