Woven Together Opens in Salekhard and Dyani Whitehawk Polk Offers Workshops on Porcupine Quilling

Dyani White Hawk Polk with the participant of the Reindeer Herders Festival (Photo belongs to the US Dept of State)

Continuing the Consulate’s efforts to highlight diversity in the United States, on March 26 the Consulate was delighted to open Woven Together in Salekhard, the capital of Yamal Nenets Autonomous Okrug.  Dyani White Hawk Polk, a Lakota artist, visited the opening and offered workshops on porcupine quilling techniques to local artisans, students and indigenous tribes.  The Public Affairs Officer, Sarah Saperstein, also traveled to open the exhibit and to meet with English-language teachers.  Both American visitors were excited to attend the annual Reindeer Herders Festival where they learnt much about the traditional cultures of the local native peoples, including Nenets, Khanty, Selkups and Komi-Zyryane.  Speaking of her tribal culture, Ms. White Hawk Polk pointed out the many similarities and common values shared by the native peoples in the United States and Russia.