The historical experience of the state political program for the creation of Soviet centers for school education and culture in the Yenisei North in 1923–1930

Abstract

The paper aims to analyze the experiments of Soviet State to organize and develop educational centers for indigenous peoples at the villages of Yanov Stan and Tura of Turukhansk Territory. The paper discusses that, despite errors and problems in relations with indigenous peoples, a cultural center at Yanov Stan and Tura cultural base can be considered as a Soviet experiment aimed to find an acceptable form of organization of formal schooling and spread of ideological values and cultural policies of the Soviet government among indigenous peoples of the North. Soviet governments policy on educating local children also included upbringing them as native speakers of the Russian language and culture, able to assist the authorities to transform the traditional way of life of the indigenous peoples of the North and involve them in socialism building. Additionally, the tax base of the northern regions was insignificant. The Peoples Commissariat of Education of the RSFSR, responsible for organizing formal schooling, allocated funds for school construction on the leftover principle. The lack of financing hindered the development of educational centers and implementation of social programs. Altogether, the paper argues that the centers provided an opportunity to accumulate certain experience and to train teachers who were able to work with indigenous children.