INFORMATION CIRCULAR

The Epic of the Sakhalin Nivkhs presented in Moscow

31 October 2013, Moscow. The epic of the Sakhalin Nivkh people was publicly presented today in Moscow. The book is of great value not only for folklorists and linguists, but also for specialists in ethnography and cultural history. It captures the national character, lifestyle, traditions, rituals and language of the Nivkh people, which in the present-day context may be irretrievably lost to future generations, if not properly perpetuated and reproduced. The epic of the Sakhalin Nivkh people crowns the long-term research by Vladimir M. Sangi, the author, whose works have been translated into many languages of the world. Vladimir Sangi is not only a known writer, holder of the State Prize of the Russian Federation, member of the Russian Writers’ Union since 1962, but also the actual creator of the Nivkh writing, who developed both the alphabet and the spelling rules of the Nivkh written language. Speaking at the presentation ceremony, Vladimir Sangi said: “The language and folklore of the Nivkh people have been studied for over a hundred years. But it is for the first time ever that the full text of my native people’s epic is being presented both in the Nivkh and Russian languages. This is a real treasure, a poem that has preserved the millenarian memory of our great ancestors.” Vladimir Sangi spent over forty years working on this epic of the Nivkh people – collecting, recording, systematizing and processing the folk legends, making interlinear translations into Russian and preparing detailed comments. He also produced illustrations for the book. Over the last three years, this fundamental work of the founding father of the Nivkh literature has been financially supported by Sakhalin Energy. “It is our hope that the publication of this book will help preserve the Nivkh indigenous culture and will contribute to the cultural heritage of mankind”, said Konstantin Voytsekhovich, Corporate Affairs Manager of Sakhalin Energy.

Notes to Editors:

The Nivkh people are an indigenous minority in the Russian Federation inhabiting the Amur River estuary and Sakhalin Island. They speak the Nivkh language, the written version of which existed since 1932 – initially on the basis of the Latin script, which in 1953 was replaced by Cyrillic. The Nivkh population currently numbers over 4,5 thousand people, of whom about 3 thousand are Sakhalin residents. Nivkhs maintain their traditional subsistence culture, relying on fishing, hunting seals and fur-bearing animals and breeding dogs.

Vladimir Mikhailovich Sangi is the founder of the Nivkh literature and a public figure, as well as the creator of the Nivkh alphabet and author of the Nivkh schoolbooks. He translated classics of Russian literature into the Nivkh language. Mr Sangi was awarded the Russian Federation State Prize and the honorary title of the Honoured Cultural Worker of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia). He is also a member of the UN ECOSOC International League for Human Rights.

Sakhalin Energy Investment Company Ltd. (“Sakhalin Energy”) is the operator of Sakhalin-2, one of the world largest integrated oil and gas projects. The Company has built and is operating an infrastructure for production, transportation and processing of Sakhalin hydrocarbons, including Russia’s first, and thus far only, LNG plant. The Company’s shareholders are Gazprom (50% + 1 share), Royal Dutch Shell (27.5% - 1 share), Mitsui and Co. Ltd. (12.5%) and Mitsubishi Corporation (10%). Sakhalin Energy is a leader in corporate social responsibility (CSR). The Company’s social and environmental programmes have been recognised by leading international and Russian experts.