The Semeiskie communities are composed of a group of orthodox so-called Russian Old Believers, which originated around the time of the Russian Orthodox Instigation in the seventeenth century and have settled on the Transbaikal since the reign of Catherine the Great.
After the introduction of the 16th-century religious reforms known as the Raskol, many of the religious rites and rituals of the Old Believers became in opposition to those of the state church. As a result, people who rejected the reforms came to be known as "Old Believers", who continued practicing their faith regardless of repression.
A Semeiskie were Old Believers who fled into Gomel, which was part of what was then known as Poland. They were then exiled to Buryatia, where Catherine The Great wanted them to become farmers, which would allow the Cossacks to defend the empire’s borders. These descendants still live in the region today. There has been repression and exile throughout the history of the old system. Believers in various parts of Russia were exiled during Catherine the Great's rule to the Transbaikal region in Siberia.
In this remote region, they still maintain elements of their unique cultures, maintaining distinct group identity. East of Lake Baikal, the Semeiskie area preserves cultural expressions from pre-seventeenth-century Russia. Around 200,000 people speak a dialect of south Russian influenced by Bielorussian, Ukrainian, and Bouryat languages. According to Semeiskie tradition, people still practice ancient orthodox rituals and carry out everyday activities based primarily on the cult of the family - which means "those who live as a family" - and strong moral values. They are also known for their traditional dress, handicrafts, dwellings, paintings, ornaments, and food. In addition, their music is also noteworthy, with polyphonic choirs, which perform traditional songs on family occasions. These songs sometimes referred to as drawl singing, are rooted in the Russian liturgical music of the Middle Ages.
After being marginalized until the end of the Soviet period, these communities have had to adapt to the socio-economic transformation, as well as the new technologies that are forcing the standardization of many aspects of this culture. The population of Old Believers considered the guardians of the traditions, is in constant decline, but various initiatives, including the creation of the Semeiskie Cultural Centre in Tarbagatay, show a real willingness to protect the heritage. Hopefully, the efforts to prevent their extinction will help to stem the community's moral and social erosion to encourage the younger generation to preserve their culture and tradition.
References
(https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/cultural-space-and-oral-culture-of-the-semeiskie-00017) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semeiskie) (https://www.rferl.org/a/1105178.html) |Subject=Art, Belief, Craftsmanship and Practices, dance, Music, Verbal Arts and Literature |Country=Russia |Region=Buryatiya Respublika |SDG=(01) No Poverty, (08) Decent Work and Economic Growth, (11) Sustainable Cities and Communities }}