Esso is a village in the Kamchatka Territory of Russia, the administrative center of the Bystrinsky District. Forms the Essovskoe rural settlement. The village is located in the middle reaches of the Bystraya river. Distance from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky 520 km. Travel time from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky by road is 10 hours.
The only
ethnographic museum in Kamchatka is located in the village of Esso,
the Bystrinsky national region. The Bystrinsky District is included
in the UNESCO World Natural Heritage List. The mission of the
Bystrinsky Ethnographic Museum is to restore the traditions and
culture of the peoples of Kamchatka, to introduce tourists to the
history and ethnos of Kamchadals.
The building of the museum
was built in the style of ancient Russian architecture of the
17th-18th centuries and looks like a Cossack prison, on the
territory of which are presented: an exhibition hall, a defense
tower and a clerk hut, which organically fit into the architectural
ensemble of the museum.
The museum has collected and
carefully stored exhibits of the material and spiritual culture of
the small peoples of Kamchatka. An interesting exposition of carved
sculptures on mythological themes of Kamchatka aborigines is located
in the open air.
The museum is constantly developing and
replenishing with exhibits, so in 2003 a Koryak semi-underground
dwelling of the 19th century was built here, and in 2005 a Koryak
booth appeared on the territory. The Koryak dwelling is an unusual
structure, the only one in Russia, with its forms reminiscent of a
flying saucer from a science fiction film. The seaside Koryaks
(nymylans) of the Kamchatka Peninsula lived in such buildings until
the beginning of the 20th century. The dwelling was recreated on the
basis of research materials of a member of the Jesup Ethnographic
Expedition (1897-1902) V. Iokhelson.
The main exposition of
the museum, which reflects the past and present of the Evens
(Orochel Lamuts), rituals, beliefs, peculiarities of clothing, food,
and dwelling arrangements, is presented in the clerk hut of the 17th
– 18th centuries. The Evens arrived in Kamchatka from Siberia in the
40-50s of the 19th century. All ethnographic items were collected by
museum workers during expeditions to the taiga camps of the Evens.
Exposition sections:
- shamanic attributes;
- material and
spiritual culture of the Evens;
- musical instruments;
- the
natural and animal world of the Bystrinsky district.
The
excursion is accompanied by a slide film, you can take a picture in
national clothes against the background of the Even camp yurt.
In the exhibition hall, tourists will be introduced to the works
of Kamchatka and Magadan craftsmen working in the traditional style
with bone, fur, beads, wood, and will also be offered to buy
souvenirs for memory. Concerts of national groups can be ordered on
the territory of the museum. Dances and songs of ensembles
"Nurgenek", "Nulgur", "Oryakan" will delight you with their amazing
color and primitiveness.
The exposition of the museum
acquaints not only with the ethnos of the peoples of Kamchatka, it
shows us what life should be like, in which harmony and love for
Nature, Earth, and each other rule - artless, simple, natural and
pure.