The Cultural Space and Oral Culture of the Semeiskie

UNESCO: Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity - 2008 URL: Description: The Semeiskie communities are formed by a group of so-called Old Believers, a confessional community originating from the time of the Instigation of the Russian Orthodox Church in the seventeenth history is marked by repression and exile. During the reign of Catherine the Great, believers in the old system from various regions of Russia had to move to the Transbaikal region in Siberia, where they still live today. In this remote area, they have preserved elements of their respective culture, forming a distinct group identity. The cultural space of the Semeiskie, east of Lake Baikal, represents a remnant of cultural expressions from pre-seventeenth century Russia. The community, totalling around 200,000 persons, speaks a south Russian dialect featuring borrowings from Bielorussian, Ukrainian and Bouryat. The Semeiskie still practised ancient orthod