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Cossacks are the Bulwark of the State

The director of the National M.A. Sholokhov Museum-Reserve A.M. Sholokhov took part in the III All-Russian scientific-practical conference with international participation “Cossacks of Siberia from Yermak to the Present Day: History, Language, Culture”, which was held on October, 25-28, 2012, in the Tumen State University and was devoted to the 430^th anniversary of Siberia accession to Russia and formation of the Siberian Cossack army.

“The name of ‘Sholokhov” is not the last one to Cossacks. It can even be called sacred”, – as one of the organizers and participants of the conference, the leader of the Centre on the study of 74 the Siberian Cossack culture, G. Zaitsev said.

A.M.Sholokhov in his speech noted a great contribution of Cossacks to the development of Siberia and protection of the country borders: “Siberian Cossacks, covered with the glory of the legendary campaign of the Don ataman Yermak Timofeyevich, made an invaluable contribution to the development of the vast and rich land, whose importance for the historical and present-day Russia can not be overstated. The very presence of Cossacks and their descendants united the vast areas and contributed to strengthening the power of the empire to be breathtaking for our enemies. The study of the past and present of the Siberian Cossacks by the scientific community is an important and noble task”.

The forum was joined by more than 200 people. They were Cossack ethnographers from 16 regions of Russia, from Ukraine and Kazakhstan, who are professionally engaged in studying problems of the Cossacks, and Cossack practical workers dealing with revival and formation of the Cossack community in Siberia, the Urals and outside areas. About 50 reports were made at the conference. In total the conference received about a hundred papers including those by the museum-workers of the National M.A. Sholokhov Museum-Reserve. They are included in the collection book of the forum. The common thread of all the messages was the theme of “Cossacks are a Bulwark of the State”.

“Russia was founded by Cossacks, – said Leo Tolstoy. – If it had not been for the Cossacks, the borders of the country would have been different, – A.M. Sholokhov noted in his speech at the conference. – At the same time, the stratifying events – participation of Cossacks in the revolution of 1917, the Upper Don rebellion, which the novel ”The Quiet Don” was based on, – imposed a negative halo on the Cossacks. Nevertheless, I am sure: Cossacks have a really strong and proud spirit, and they will overcome any difficulties”.

The grandson of the great writer told about the modern experience of presentation of the Cossack culture within the concept “Open Air Novel” of the Sholokhov Museum development”, when the exhibits and expositions are the villages and stanitsas, natural sights. The Cossack farmsteads, where the reconstructed mode of life of the end XIX – beginning XX centuries shows an everyday life of the Don Cossacks, which Sholokhov finely depicted in his novel “The Quiet Don”.

Tatiyana Nektova