BSSN Reaches Russian Villages
A Travel Journal By Victoria Gofman
“Aleut International Association Newsletter, Volume 2, Issue 3, September 2007”

I am on the last leg of my long haul flight to Kamchatka. Familiar cone-shaped tops of volcanoes welcome me to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the capital of the region. The program of my visit has not been finalized. My grandiose plan to travel to two villages, one in Koryakia and one on Bering Island, in four weeks in August was labeled as unrealistic, a polite way to say that I was a lunatic. 

As the plane touches the ground my heart sinks somewhere deep inside as I realize that the timer is on: I have four or five weeks to meet with the government, to visit villages, to decide on BSSN partner-organizations, and to put everything on the track to success.

My nervous self and my heavily overweight bags are met by a gentleman holding a sign with my name. He is Vladimir Gudeyev, a local businessman, a lawyer, and the president of the Kamchatka Region Union of Tribal Fishermen. As we drive away from the airport, we begin a conversation that will continue through my stay in Kamchatka touching upon myriad of subjects, from Russian politics and Native issues to the life in Alaska. Little did we know on the first day we met that we would be on the road to the airport many more times than anyone could have anticipated.

Hotel Avacha, a Soviet style hotel that was recently remodeled, is my home base for a while. Too bad the bed was not part of the refurbishing. A pleasant surprise is the wireless Internet access in the rooms. Other new western-style amenities are room service dining, credit card payments and courteous and polite staff - very nice!

Petropavlovsk has not changed much since my last visit in 2003: the same breath-taking setting and a city that needs a lot of attention and TLC.

My arrival date coincides with Indigenous Peoples’ Day, a holiday celebrated by local indigenous organizations. Evgenia Tynetegina heads the department on indigenous affairs in the Office of the Governor. She graciously invites me to join her family and friends going to the celebration which includes a picnic and a concert in Elizovo, a suburb of Petropavlovsk.

The celebration, organized by the Elizovo Indigenous Peoples’ Association, takes place in a wooded area. A log is used as a bench for the audience; a spot cleared of trees and covered with gravel serves as an improvised stage. Greetings, speeches, recognitions for public service, and music are amplified by PBS and hover over the crowd and the forest in stark contrast to the sounds of nature that one would expect in these surroundings.

Finally the official part is over and the performers line up to enter the “stage”. Evgeniya’s family, dressed in traditional Koryak clothes, is ready. I set my new camera to video to capture the dance. Later, looking at what I shot I realized that even the simplest camera requires reading instructions before attempting to use it. Needless to say I do not have a video of the dance.

On the way to the celebration, Evgeniya told me how much she enjoys traditional dancing and singing and how important it is to teach children so that their culture stays alive. Here, she is leading her flock in a fun and graceful dance. She radiates joy and the girls mirror her feelings.

By the time the concert winds up, the feast of salmon fish soup is ready. Every group or family sets up their own table. Our “chef” is Vladimir Dobrynin. Vladimir is one of the founders of AIA and he is from Nikolsoye on the Bering Island. He and his wife prepared the meal. Their salmon soup is heavenly.

The first official meeting is with Evgeniya at her offices. Her can-do attitude combined with regional government’s support is promising. My spirits are lifting. After a couple of hours and a few phone calls, I leave her office with a coveted ticket on a sold out flight to the village of Tymlat in the Karaginsky district, scheduled appointments with the deputy Governor, and the Head of the Health department. She contacts the Karaginsky District Head of Administration to ensure that they will take care of me and provide transportation to Tymlat.

Kamchatka regional government is in transition. Recently Kamchatka and Koryakia formed a single administrative entity: Kamchatsky Krai (region). The new Governor, Aleksey Kuzmitsky is restructuring his cabinet. Deputy Governor, Alexander Drozdov, is one of the newcomers. AIA had good working relations with the previous government and would like to develop similar cooperation with the new cabinet. With these thoughts, I head to my meeting with Mr. Drozdov.

Vladimir Dobrynin joins me at the office of the deputy Governor. After a short introduction to Bering Sea Sub-Network, Mr. Drozdov takes over our conversation and talks about new Governor’s plans to bring much needed improvements to Petropavlosk and to the region. While expressing some reservations about expected project results, Mr. Drozdov shows appreciations for the cooperative opportunities that BSSN activities will afford to communities. The conversation ends on a positive note. I consider my mission accomplished, and I am off to pack my bag for my trip to Tymlat.

My real adventure begins on the day of my departure to Tymlat. Every day droves of people traveling to villages all over Kamchatka show up at the airport hoping that the weather is going to be good, that the planes are ready to go, and that the far away airports are ready to receive these planes. If things do not align, flights get cancelled. The process is the following: people arrive at the airport at 9 am; a woman in the information booth instructs them to wait for an announcement; at about 9:30 am the announcement advises that the information on the flight will be available at 11:15 or something like that; at 11:15 they announce that the flight is delayed and the next information will be provided in an hour; at 12:15 they repeat the previous announcement or say that the flight is cancelled and all passengers should report to the airport at 9 am on the next day. This scenario repeats until the plane flies. Information by phone, Internet or any other communication is not available.

I am lucky to take off to Ossora, the district center, on my second attempt. The flight is short and smooth. I am pleasantly surprised with a meal. In Ossora, the Head of the District Administration meets me at the airport and invites me to his office to discuss my visit. I am to continue my journey with his son who lives and works in Tymlat. People are somewhat intrigued that Tymlat was chosen for an international project. There is a real interest and genuine support.

We are on the pier and I see a small boat that sits a few feet below the pier. There are no stairs and no safety devices that I can see. Horror feels my brain as I realize that some sort of jumping into the boat will be necessary. Several more people are awaiting departure. The loading begins. Men assist women and a girl. They “lower” us into the boat one by one. Local women look like they are totally comfortable with the process.

Once the shock of getting into the boat settles, I find myself standing and clutching my designer bag in the middle of a grime-covered open deck with no seating other than a small wooden bench. My companion and a local guide for the trip, Victor Romanuk, points out that the white jacket I have on is a mistake too. His business interest is focused on extreme tourism and he fondly talks about the adventures of hunting and prospects for increased economic impact in the community. He often works as a guide for foreign hunters and has had many American clients, most of them lawyers and doctors from the lower 48. In his somewhat skewed perception of American life, he does not understand that most Americans cannot afford to pay $15,000-20,000 for a week-long adventure tour with private guides, helicopters, and boats. Three and a half hours fly surprisingly fast as Victor keeps his story going.

The village of Tymlat, he explains, while only 40 kilometers from the district center Ossora, is accessible only by boat or by helicopter. There is no road. The boat we are on belongs to a fish processing plant recently built near the village.

After the collapse of the system of Soviet subsidies, the economy and standard of living in the village took a steep nose dive. The privately owned plant, the Tymlatsky rybokombinat, built in 2000, brought employment opportunities and resources to provide for basic needs. For example, the staff of the village community services department is on the plant’s payroll.

I am hosted by the plant’s management. A small guest room in the office building is clean and warm. Other conveniences are outside.

Another building houses a small eat-in kitchen. It offers home-style cooking and there is a hot pot of soup and hearty dishes steaming on the stove day and night. It is self service and people can come at any time. A pleasant and hospitable woman who works at the plant shows me around and serves me a meal. This is apparently for management only. There is a larger food hall for workers.

The plant compound is like a town with its own life following the cycle of salmon- red, chum, pink, silver and king.

It brims with local and seasonal workers in summer and falls into hibernation in winter. Surroundings are serene and peaceful. Tymlat Bay is calm with lazy waves rolling softly on the beach. I take pictures of seagulls, shells, and sunsets that surprise me every day with a twist of new shade of color or play of rays, or unusual reflection. The weather is spoiling me – it is warm and sunny most of the time.

On the next day, August 16th, Roman Nikora, takes me to the village in his heavy-duty Toyota truck that dives into and climbs out of water-filled craters almost the size of the truck itself. That excitement reaches its culmination when Roman drives into the river, swiftly crosses it, and enters the village- explaining later that when the tide is low there is a shallow spot.

I am accompanied by Victor who talks non-stop while showing local attractions and taking pictures documenting my visit. My first meeting is with a Koryak elder, Vasiliy Tynakyav. He is in his sixties. As I describe BSSN, he asks questions about the structure and makes suggestions on how to make training for coordinators more efficient. Then, our conversation veers off to more general subjects. Vasiliy is very interested in learning more about Native organizations in Alaska.

Our conversation continues over lunch in his apartment. Tatyana Ivanovna, his wife, invites us to the kitchen where the food is spread on the table. It surprises me that other than a bowl of berries it is all store-bought food. I am very grateful for their hospitality – there are no restaurants of cafés in the village.

Vasiliy speaks passionately about the need to preserve Koryak language, traditions, and craftsmanship. He pulls out a box of treasures: wood carvings, furs, and a scaled model of a Koryak dog sled that he made. The dog sled has hundreds of parts that are all intricately tied together in such a way that the sled is light but steady and durable. Vasily wants to make sure that the younger people have the desire and opportunities to learn traditional ways. He kindly agrees to say a few words for a video clip. His message is that preservation of culture and traditional ways of living is impossible without preservation of the environment, which is a huge task that requires joint efforts of all peoples of the Bering Sea and BSSN is a good project to foster this cooperation. I am very grateful for the opportunity to spend a day listening to and learning from this elder.

August 17 is my second day in Tymlat and I am eager to meet more people. The meeting takes place in the village Administration, in the office of the Head. The building still bears Soviet era symbols- hammer and sickle. The room is decorated in festive balloons and ribbons. Spiridon Kolgov, the village Head, explains that he also performs wedding ceremonies in his office, and today he officiated a wedding- which explains the décor. So we begin our discussion sitting under balloons and signs with good wishes.

I ride back to my “hotel” at the plant with the Sopalov family. Valery Sopalov is rather interested in working in BSSN but has some concerns about job stability that the project like this cannot guarantee. He currently works as a school property manager. Good jobs are hard to find in the village and no one, he reasons, would want to quit his or her permanent job to take on a temporary assignment.

Valery stops at a patch of tundra lush with berries where his wife and kids can gather some while he and I continue to navigate through high grass toward the plant. His compact but all-wheel drive car struggles in the difficult terrain and I am amazed at his driving skills. We arrive at the camp safe and sound.

This is my last evening in Tymlat and I try to soak the gorgeous sunset into my
memory.

The same boat that brought me in will take me be back to Ossora. In Hawaii they say that a rainbow brings good luck. On this morning, I wave farewell to Tymlat under a rainbow arching above the mountains.

I have a good feeling that the luck should stay with BSSN in this village. There are more people going this time, so the deck is crowded. I don’t care anymore about my formerly white jacket. Perched on my suitcase, I let my thoughts dissolve into the view.

After some nervous waiting and guessing whether all of the stars are properly aligned for the plane to fly, I board the plane that takes me be back to Petropavlosvk.