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The Don and Yamal Have Become Closer

A ceremony of signing cooperation agreements between the National M.A.Sholokhov Museum-Reserve and three institutions and organizations of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Territory took place on May 5, 2017, in Stanitsa Vyoshenskaya.

In the assembly hall of the Museum Peoples’ House, the agreements were signed by: O.A.Anistratenko, Director of the Museum-Reserve, and on the other part – L.L.Yevdokimova, Director of the Centre for External Relations Development of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Territory, V.I.Stepanchenko, Ataman of the Ob-Polar Cossack Line of the Siberian Cossack Troop of the Union of Russian Cossacks, and N.K.Ryzhkov, Ataman of the Ob-Polar Departmental Cossack Society of the Siberian Cossack Troop Society.

Anticipating the ceremony A.M.Sholokhov, Deputy of the State Duma, one of the initiators of such cooperation, said:

“The event of today can be considered significant: Cossacks have met in the Don region after centuries elapsed. Yermak once set out from here to join Siberia to Russia, and now Cossacks of Siberia have come to the Don. In this, we can see quite real historical purports, we can see a kind of a symbol of the unity of the nation, of the people.

The Cossacks have carried their traditions, experience and culture through ages. Herein, much significant is the example of Nekrasov Cossacks, who though living in Turkey have remained faithful for their belief, their Cossack spirit.

I remember the year 1990, when Vyoshenskaya on “Sholokhov Spring” was visited by the representatives of all the 11 Cossack troops of Russia. The stanitsa flourished with stripes of different colours. The facial features of some of the Cossacks arrived bore a resemblance to the appearance of some distant Russian peoples. And they sang the same Cossack songs though in their own way. Isn’t this a symbol of unity, isn’t this the strength of mind!

The present event shows that Cossacks see their goals and objectives clearly, and that is why they unite their efforts.”

O.A.Anistratenko, Director of the Museum-Reserve, remembered, that the cooperation began in April 2014, when the Museum-Reserve of M.A.Sholokhov jointly with the Novocherkassk Museum of the Don Cossack History organized a

travelling exhibition “The Word and Glory of Russia” in Salekhard. It showed the role of Cossacks in expansion and protection of the country’s borders, the important historical events in the life of those free warriors. One of the exhibition sectors was devoted to the working biography of M.A.Sholokhov, a glorifier of the Don Cossacks. “What is taking place now is a milestone in our relationship”, – she noted.

In a reply the representatives of the societies and institutions of Yamal thanked the hosts for invitation to the Don country, Stanitsa Vyoshenskaya, the primordial Cossack land. They said it was a great honour for them to visit Sholokhov country and further cooperate with the Museum-Reserve.

In the People’s House the guests were shown a small exhibition devoted to the Siberian Cossacks. It concerned the issues of the Siberian Cossacks revival, bringing Cossacks to civil service, development of the Cossack cadet movement, interaction with the Russian Orthodox Church, and others.

According to the program of visiting the Don country the Siberians attended the homeland of the writer in Kruzhilin Village, the Museum structures in Stanitsa Karghinskaya and Stanitsa Vyoshenskaya, where the Nobel Prize winner lived and worked, they visited the memorial places and went sightseeing about the Sholokhov District.

The Siberian guests took part in the annual literary ethnographical holiday “Steed is the Dearest for Cossack” (Cossack battle arts of Vyoshenskaya).

The strong cultural ties will help to bring closer the interests of the people of the Don region and Yamal.

Alexey Kochetov