Storytelling in Siberia

Olonkho, the epic narrative and song tradition of Siberias Sakha people, declined to the brink of extinction during the Soviet era. In 2005, UNESCOs Masterpiece Proclamation sparked a resurgence of interest in olonkho by recognizing its important role in humanitys oral and intangible heritage. Drawing on her ten years of living in the Russian North, Robin P. Harris documents how the Sakha have used the Masterpiece program to revive olonkho and strengthen their cultural identity. Harriss personal relationships with and primary research among Sakha people provide vivid insights into understanding olonkho and the attenuation, revitalization, transformation, and sustainability of the Sakhas cultural reemergence. Interdisciplinary in scope, Storytelling in Siberia considers the nature of folklore alongside ethnomusicology, anthropology, comparative literature, and cultural studies to shed light on how marginalized peoples are revitalizing their own intangible cultural heritage.