The Russian-Evenk dictionary, edited by Boris Boldyrev, has been republished with the support of the Irkutsk Oil Company (IOC) and the Marina Sedykh Charity Fund. The presentation of the new edition took place at a press conference in Irkutsk.

The event was attended by Marina Sedykh, Igor Silantyev, the Director of the Institute of Philology of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Nina Veysalova, the President of the Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia, and the Far East of the Russian Federation on Education and Languages; and Olga Kurilenkova, Head of the Department of Public Relations and National Relations of the Governor of Irkutsk Region and the Government of Irkutsk Region.

The dictionary was reprinted as part of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages and contains 20,000 words. The first print run consisted of 200 copies, with the possibility of additional print runs in the future.

The dictionary is planned to be presented and distributed at the regional festival of indigenous peoples of the North called “Northern Argish,” which will take place in August, as well as at other all-Russian events. There are also plans to send books to the Irkutsk Region, the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), and the Krasnoyarsk Region.

As Marina Sedykh noted, IOC has been cooperating with associations representing indigenous peoples of the North for over 17 years. Work to preserve traditional ways of life will continue.

– The company operates in the Irkutsk Region, Krasnoyarsk Region, and the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). These are the territories where the Evenks live. We signed our first cooperation agreement with Nina Veisalova in 2008. At that time, she headed the Union for the Promotion of Indigenous Peoples of the Irkutsk Region. All this time, we have been constantly supporting the communities of indigenous peoples of the North, creating joint projects to preserve their culture and language, holding exhibitions, publishing books, and shooting films and educational videos. For example, the project of videos for social networks “The Evenk Alphabet: Speaking in Our Native Language” aroused keen public interest. We have adopted a program to preserve the traditional way of life of the indigenous peoples of the North in the territory where the IOC Group operates. It is designed to last four years, Marina Sedykh noted.

Nina Veysalova, Vice President of the Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North and the Far East of the Russian Federation for Education and Languages, expressed her gratitude to the company and emphasized the importance of such projects for the preservation and study of the language. According to her, two indigenous minority peoples live in the Irkutsk region - the Evenks and the Tofalars - who need support and partners who understand their problems.

– The dictionary, published with the support of the Irkutsk Oil Company and Marina Sedykh Charity Fund, is a worthy continuation of our extensive joint efforts to study native languages and preserve the culture of the Evenks in today's globalized world, where young people most often choose Russian as the language of interethnic communication. To motivate young people to study their native language, we need useful educational projects like this, emphasized Nina Veysalova.

The company pays special attention to projects aimed at preserving the culture and language of indigenous peoples. Previously, IOC funded an all-Russian School for Young Leaders of Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia, and the Far East in St. Petersburg, which was attended by 50 representatives of different nationalities from 28 regions of Russia. Following the event, a collection of literary works by authors from the Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia, and the Far East “Voice of the North” was published in three languages: indigenous, Russian, and English.

With the support of IOC, the book “Evenk and Tofalar Tales” was published in the native languages of the Evenk and Tofalar peoples, with a Russian translation. The company also provided assistance in the production of the films Guardians of the Katanga Land and Ivan Safonov's Taiga Lessons about the inhabitants of remote villages and settlements in the Irkutsk Region. The films have been repeatedly recognized at regional and Russian festivals. In addition, eight projects dedicated to the development of indigenous cultures were implemented as part of the company's grant support.

Irkutsk Oil Company (IOC) is one of the independent producers of hydrocarbons in Russia. The Company was established in 2000 and conducts geological study, exploration and development of subsoil blocks in the Irkutsk Region, Krasnoyarsk Region and the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). The company ranks in the top 5 best employers in the Energy, Mining and Processing category and is in the top 50 of the hh.ru employer rating.

IOC and Marina Sedykh Charity Fund supported the reissue of the Russian-Evenk dictionary