You can cast a spell on an adult, ward off illness from a baby, become invisible, or turn into a bear. And all this with the help of clothes. Traditional Komi clothing was varied. This was due to settlement over a very large territory with different climatic zones, contacts with neighbors, and also due to the fact that clothes were supposed to tell about their owner. But that was not the only important thing.

September 30 marks the 160th anniversary of the birth of Kallistratus Jakov. On this occasion, we continue publications dedicated to the outstanding Komi writer and philosopher. We have prepared for you excerpts from his autobiographical novel “Through the System of Life” (1912–1914), in which Zhakov talks about his ethnographic trips to the Komi, Inven Permians and Udmurts (the author uses the outdated ethnonym “Votyaks”).

Sur is a traditional light intoxicating drink that can be compared to beer. But for the Komi it had a special meaning, and over time it became as much a national symbol as Scotch whiskey, and was also overgrown with many legends. However, the history of sur goes back much further. Researchers refer to references in ancient religious texts and are looking for clues to the appearance of the drink in contacts between nomadic tribes and farmers hundreds of years BC.

Eight years ago, on July 26, 2018, one of the loudest, longest, and most importantly, successful protests in Russia began - against the construction of a landfill at Shies station. Soon the uninhabited village with the Komi name became known not only in the country, but throughout the world. Journalist and editor of Komi Daily Elena Solovyova, who has written extensively about the protest, recalls what it was like and views it through a decolonial lens.

Indigenous women in Russia face the same problems as ethnic Russian women, but their situation is complicated by structural and institutional discrimination, systematic neglect of their needs and paternalistic state policies towards indigenous peoples. First, let's look at the identification of indigenous people in Russia. According to Russian legislation, the right to indigenous status is given to a citizen based on meeting three criteria.

We often hear that colonialism is not a thing of the past and that its legacy continues to influence the modern world. But what if it has adapted to a digital society and largely determines its economy? It is this thesis and the idea of ​​data mining as a new form of colonialism that is being developed by London School of Economics professor Nick Couldry and State University of New York at Oswego professor Ulises Mejias.

Scientist, Doctor of Philosophy Nikolai Zyuzev has been in Syktyvkar pre-trial detention center-1 for a little over a year. Not long ago, on June 10, he celebrated his 70th birthday in his cell. We found out what happened to him since his arrest and what he needs now. Sociologist and philosopher Nikolai Zyuzev was detained more than a year ago. There has been no movement in his case since September last year.

In Komi, the decline in industry continues, and medium and large enterprises are under threat of bankruptcy. JSC Vorkutaugol is on the verge of closing down, the companies Kosyuneft and Pechorneftegaz have serious problems in the oil and gas sector, the Zheshartsky LPK and the Syktyvkar LDK have serious problems in timber processing, and the state company Komiaviatrans has accumulated serious debts.

On June 28, the annual gastronomic festival “Cherinyan Gazh” (“Fish Pie Festival”) will be held in the village of Byzovaya, Pechora district. On this occasion, we decided to recall another traditional Komi dish, Pechora salted fish. And at the same time they tried to understand why it is not so easy for fish with a scent to find a place and admirers in modern society. Open doors, windows, vents - and enjoy.

We didn't agree! Therefore, we continue the conversation with journalist, activist and art manager Natalya Ermolina about why women stopped giving birth, why we need feminism, by what chance can one become an LGBTQ+ activist, is there life after fifty and why small nations are stronger than large ones. This is the second part of the interview with Natalia. You can read the first one by following the link . Attention! There are swear words and expressions in the text.

How to be yourself when the memory of Vepsian ancestors, love of Ukrainian songs, Old Believer thoroughness, Karelian craving for freedom and the desire to learn the Moldavian language coexist within you?

Maria Butina and Stanislav Kochev became candidates from United Russia in the State Duma elections from Komi. And although they come from the same party, different departments seem to be promoting them.

In the Komi Republic they are trying to stop one of the most large-scale reforms of local government in recent years. The Communist Party of the Russian Federation has submitted documents to hold a regional referendum against the liquidation of rural settlements and the transition to a single-level management system. If the reform is fully implemented, many decisions will no longer be made at the level of villages and hamlets, but in regional centers and municipal districts.

Helsinki-based artist Pavel Rotz works with themes of memory, deportations, war and disappearing identities. A descendant of Ingrian Finns, he has been researching the traces of the Gulag, family history and the experience of forced migration for many years. At the Venice Biennale, Rotz presented the “wandering Ingermanland pavilion” - a project about a people scattered around the world and about a memory that cannot be completely repressed.

Victory Day has long been appropriated by Putinism. May 9 parades justify Russia's military expansion, and solemn speeches about victory over Nazi Germany justify the invasion of Ukraine. But could it turn out that under the slogans of “denazification” the Russian authorities will come after ethnic activists? Nikolai Vokuev discusses this in his column. A national holiday is often a way to enact myths that are significant to the state in the form of a ritual.