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“...cattle, that they adapted to life on the plains beside the rivers. In this, they
contrasted the hunting and reindeer herding of the indigenous Even, Evenk and Yukagir who already lived on the
land. The latter either were assimilated or retrenched into the uplands, while the Sakha adopted many of their
ways. Sakha olonkho, oral epics, describe ancient leaders, military campaigns, and the conquering of clans. The
first Russians arrived in the seventeenth century. Cossacks built a fort in 1632 on the banks of the Lena River that
developed into today’s capital city of Yakutsk. The Sakha were gradually marginalised, and today make up just
under 40% of the total population.
Chyskyyrai, whose real name is Valentina Romanova, was born and grew up in the village of Myndygai in
Churapcha ulus (district). Being the fourth child in her family, little Valentina wrote poetry and scripts for plays
with her sister Sasha that they staged in their home, performing for family, friends, and neighbours. The plays...”
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