© UNESCO IITE

Website Explores Indigenous People of the Russian Arctic

"The UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education, with the support of the UNESCO Intersectoral Platform "UNESCO's Contribution to Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation", has developed a web site and open-access informational and educational resources based on the traditional knowledge of the indigenous peoples of the Arctic and the Far North of Russia.

The six multimedia modules in this program were developed with the contribution of experts and representatives of local communities. The introductory module outlines the natural and geographical features of the Arctic and the Far North, provides a brief sketch of the development of the region and the description of the indigenous peoples, who consider nature not as something apart from themselves but as a part of their communities. Specialized modules describe the most common modes of adapting to environmental changes by regional representatives of major types of traditional nature resource use:

• Tundra Reindeer People
• Chukotka Marine Hunters
• Fishermen, Hunters and Herders of Kamchatka and North-East of Russia
• Hunters and Herders of Eastern Siberia
• Hunters of the West-Siberian Taiga

The target audience of the project are teachers and students, representatives of local communities and indigenous peoples, and the general public. All information on the web site is available in both English and Russian languages. The site is accessible at the UNESCO IITE web portal with the use of any platform and mobile device.”