Modern culture and crafts, folklore groups, professional art

The Negidal people told the talung ( telung ) and ulgu ( y ) folklore prose. The talung were pure fiction, while the ulgu(y) were considered to be descriptions of the actual past events, so people took pains to convey them accurately, without adding anything of their own. Ulgu(y) have a strict, sometimes even lapidary, standard text. There are ulgu(y) that are told only by men, such as the myth about the sky hunter Mangi. The talung, on the other hand, were considered fiction, so their performance was a lot more theatrical, and improvisation was allowed. They include fairy tales about animals, everyday fairy tales, heroic tales, etc.

The ikhen singing performance occupies a special place in the Negidal musical folklore. The songs are individual improvisations. They were composed “on occasion.” The melodies stay the same, but the lyrics changed. The Negidals sang without accompaniment (with the exception of the ritual shaman’s chants, accompanied by the beat of a tambourine). The songs can be roughly divided into work songs, lyrical songs, lamentations, lullabies and personal, or biographical songs. There were also humorous and satirical songs. Shamanic chants (the yaayaa ) occupied a special place. The performers used flutes, tambourines, whistles, pipes, hunter’s whistles, string, and idiophonic instruments of various types. A wooden and a metal mouth harp ( vargan ) were popular, too.

The Negidals had the khedze circle dance, accompanied by a monophonic unison singing and rhythmic movements similar to the round dance of the Evenks and Evens. During the Bear Festival, the chovo ritual dances were performed. Currently, amateur performances play a role in preserving folk choreography. In 1997, at the House of Culture in Vladimirovka, the folklore ensemble “Sivun” (“Little Sun”) was organized; it consisted of 12 adults and 8 children. The ensemble’s repertoire includes the national dances “Wild Rosemary,” “The Legend and Dance of the Kite,” the shaman’s ritual performance “The Taiga Tales,” “Khedze” (“Round Dance”), and the dance suite “Ivun.” They perform (in Negidal) the songs “My Village”, “Kumalan” (“The Carpet”), “Ayat Bugav” (“We Live Well”). The ensemble members perform the khiyaachan kite dance. Solo dances are performed to song accompaniment. “The Grouse Game” is danced to an imitation of bird voices (throaty wheeze while inhaling and exhaling). The dances “The Fawn” and “The Bear” imitate the movements of these animals. The ensemble's repertoire includes the dances “Khorogdo” (“The Wood Grouse”) and the Raven Dance “Gaki Khokini.”

The village of Vladimirovka celebrates the “Hunter’s Day.” The guests are invited to undergo a cleansing ceremony whereat colored ribbons are tied to birch branches. These is an exhibition of decorative and applied arts of Negidal craftswomen, a concert program performed by the members of “Sivun,” and an ethnic cuisine competition.  There are also sports competitions: javelin throwing for distance and accuracy and snowmobile racing. At the “Last Trail” celebration, women compete in the art of preparing Russian and Negidal dishes, followed by a tasting ceremony. Since the beginning of the 2000s, the Negidals have been celebrating “Bakaldyn,” a reunion of friends and relatives, together with the Evenks. During the celebration, Negidals also hold an exhibition and sell the products of the local craftsmen.