Learning Native Languages Through Epic Tales

The methodology for teaching native languages and ethnic culture through the study of folklore, demonstrated using the Veps epic Virantanas, was presented in the Leningrad Region during an educational event held at the House of Friendship of the Leningrad Region. Participants included teachers of native languages from general education schools and universities in the Leningrad Region and St. Petersburg, representatives of executive authorities, leadership of the House of Friendship, the regional branch of the Assembly of Peoples of Russia, the All-Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia, and the Far East, members of the “Family Readings” project of the Leningrad Regional Public Organization “Veps Community,” language activists, poets, and translators.

Acting Director of the House of Friendship Sergey Novozhilov and Chair of the regional branch of the All-Russian Public-State Organization “Assembly of Peoples of Russia” for the Leningrad Region Elena Yermolina emphasized that such projects strengthen the unity of Russia’s multinational people. Svetlana Chernyshova, Chair of the Association of Teachers of Native Languages of Indigenous Minorities of the Russian Federation, joined the discussion via video conference to share experiences on preserving native languages and the projects implemented with support from the Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia, and the Far East.

At the seminar titled Living Heritage: Methodology for Teaching Native Languages and Culture Through the Study of the Epic Virantanas, Veps language teacher and Deputy Principal of General Education School No. 1 in Lodeynoye Pole District of the Leningrad Region, an area of concentrated Veps indigenous population, Nadezhda Fokina presented her original methodology. Participants enthusiastically engaged in an interactive session, A Journey into the World of the Epic.

“The proposed methodology is multifunctional. Every ethnic group has some literary work, and it is entirely possible to study one’s native culture and language through folk epics, tales, and other literary creations,” noted Yegor Kondratov, a history and natural sciences teacher at Lodeynoye Pole General Education School No. 1.

“Many teachers make a fundamental mistake when they teach a language as if the students—whether adults or children—already know it. Here, it is essential to teach the language as if it were a foreign one. Otherwise, there will be no results,” remarked linguist and ethnologist Maxim Kuznetsov, a researcher at the Laboratory for Multivariate Humanitarian Analysis and Cognitive Philology of the Federal Research Center “Kazan Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences.”

Veps poet Viktor Trifoyev, also present, thanked everyone dedicated to not only preserving the Veps language but also fostering its development. “There was a time when speaking Veps was forbidden, and now I write poetry in my native language and perform before young audiences,” Trifoyev shared.

A lively discussion took place during the roundtable moderated by Anna Melnikova, head of the Resource Information Center for the Northwestern Federal District. The discussion focused on the unique aspects of Nadezhda Fokina’s methodology and its potential for further study of native languages and immersion into the culture of one of the indigenous peoples of northern Russia.

“The Veps Community organized a significant event for teachers of native languages, ethnocultural associations, NGOs, and other interested participants. Nadezhda Fokina, a teacher from Lodeynoye Pole School, has created valuable methodological materials. We hope they inspire educators and all participants to pursue new creative ideas because preserving native languages and cultural heritage for future generations is our shared responsibility!” concluded Galina Ushmaeva, an expert from the Resource Center for National Relations.

The event Methodology for Teaching Native Languages and Culture Through the Study of Folklore Using the Example of the Veps Epic Virantanas was held as part of the All-Russian project EthnoPractices: Promotion and Development, implemented by the Resource Center for National Relations with the support of the Presidential Grants Fund and within the framework of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages. Co-organizers included the Veps Community of the Leningrad Region, with support from the State Budgetary Institution of the Leningrad Region “House of Friendship of the Leningrad Region” and the Resource Information Center for the Northwestern Federal District.