Arrival in Kellog and Ket "Day of the River" festival- June 12th

We arrived in Kellog around 12pm. We did not know what time the festival would begin. Nobody was expecting us until Monday, but it was impossible to contact anyone to let them know we wanted to come early. There is only one phone for calling out of the village, a satellite "taxophone". There were cards for sale in Verkhnimbatsk but none for sale in Kellog. I did not know this in advance. The administrator also had a satellite phone, that I got to use once.
When we arrived at Mikhail and Zhanna's house, they asked us if we were hungry. I said, "well, we are hungry to get to the festival."
Mikhail's reponse was "I won't go because I do not worship the river."
"Well I don't worship the river either, but I still want to take the time to understand the Ket people and their culture."
Later on, he did turn up for a little while, and then later that night when he was preaching a sermon he mentioned what I had said, so I think I caused him to think about the subject.

The festival was actually the biggest Ket festival of the year. In many ways it was one of the highlights of our visit to Kellog. It was a little strange that this highlight came at the beginning, but we were also priveleged to take part. We could easily have missed out on the occasion.

The Ket still remember the time when they used to live in "chums" covered with reindeer skin. They no longer have the skins, but still choose to remember this important aspect of their culture with the basic frame.


These girls were dressed up in national costume and performed a dance on stage.


The afternoon was a very enjoyable time. It was a good chance to announce our presence (informally) in Kellog. We met a lot of people, locals and guests. Among the guests were administrative people from Turukhansk and Krasnoyarsk. From Turukhansk, the district centre (about 400 kms further north) was Oksana, a Ket woman (who is confident and motivated); and from Krasnoyarsk was a Russian woman named Marina who works in a government department for protecting small nations. I got both of their contact details for future reference.

There were various Ket artefacts on display at the festival and this man was proudly showing them off to us.


I certainly had an interest in the artefacts and tools, but Yura had a deep interest. The depth of cultural exchange between Yura, an Evenki and the Ket was really special to watch.


Ket culture has been nose diving for the last 60 years. Nearly all of the men are alcoholic and depressed at the loss of their reindeer and the gradual loss of their language. This man however made these tools himself. This was encouraging to see that the Ket culture is continuing to live on. Yura was most fascinated to learn about these tools.


This is Sasha, a believer and a sweet joyful man.


The festival had many aspects: songs, dances, poems, games, races, competitions. The only thing I saw that came close to any worship of the river was a mention in a couple of poems of the river "nourishing" them. The correct response would be for the Ket people to worship God for the gift of the river. I am still hopeful that they may do this in the future.
These women are having a race to see who can prepare and cook the fish the fastest.


This teenager won an award across Russia for his participation in indigenous sports, and won some events. This is a traditional jumping game.


The Ket were once a nomadic people. Even before they were forced to live in villages they sometimes chose to live in houseboats. They have therefore had a long relationship with the river. The village of Kellog was founded in the late 1920s. Nobody seemed to know the exact date, and the information is hard to find on the internet.
This is a boat race. It is obvious that the Ket enjoy the time they spend on the river, especially fishing. Fishing is an important part of their culture. An invitation to go fishing is an invitation to friendship. The one time I was genuinely invited to go fishing, I was quite sick though. The fishing trip was from midight to 3:30 am, so I think it was wise that I chose to sleep.


There were various national dishes that we sampled at the festival, this one is made from moose meat. The Ket men still enjoy hunting. Hunting season is from October to February. They are not given a special concession to hunt at other times of the year. Many of the men are not that motivated. Although they enjoy their fishing, they are not out there that often and do not sell that many fish to make a living.


The Ket children were generally still very happy. I'm not sure at what age this changes for sure, but the teenage boys are experimenting with alcohol by the age of 13 or 14 and becoming alcoholic by the age of 17 or 18. I met a 23 year old who was long gone. The young kids have not yet lost their hope in life. It struck me that they need to hear the gospel at an early age, and if they respond will have more hope for life to overcome the great obstacles before them.


A group of people present at the festival. It seems that most of the village turned out and a good time was had by all. I enjoyed it immensely.


This little boy is Danilka. Through out our time in Kellog I enjoyed playing with him. I pray that he can know the love of Jesus and has a brighter hope than the older generation.


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