Historical dynamics of ethnic culture

In modern socio-cultural space there is an active search of place for a national culture. The process of restoration of the lost traditions inevitably makes actual a question of revealing mechanisms of national-cultural heritage preservation. The ethno-disperse groups have a wide experience of "survival". They are compelled to integrate into new ethnic societies, thus preserving their own identity and national traditions. In this context the example of the Ukrainians who became an integral part of the Siberian society, including the borders of Tomsk region is indicative. The following objects for research were chosen: village Novorozdestvenskoye (Tomsk district), village Tchesnoki (Asino district), village Krylovka (Kozhevnikovo district). They were all founded by Ukrainians by origin in 1886, 1890 (1900) and 1928 accordingly. In 1880s - 1930s a network of Ukrainian settlements appeared on the territory of the modern Tomsk region. Ethnic locality allowed Ukrainian immigrants to reproduce a life-support system, which was illustrative of their Motherland, in Siberia. The policy of collectivisation, actions for collective farms consolidation, liquidation of "unpromising" villages played an important role in modernization of ethnic culture. Among unpromising villages were also small one-nation settlements where ethnic cultures accumulated. The natural mechanism of ethnic culture translation thereby was interrupted; intraethnic contacts were broken. The Ukrainian villages Krylovka and Tchesnoki disappeared from the map of Tomsk region, their residents moved to Tomsk and other neighbouring settlements. Despite the complexities of ethnic self-identification, dissolution of the Ukrainians in other ethnic environments did not occur. It is clear from the field materials that theinhabitants of the former Ukrainian villages living nowadays in the villages of Kozhevnikovo and Asino districts still consider themselves Ukrainians. These days village Novorozdestvenskoye on the territory of Tomsk district is positioned as Ukrainian; the processes of ethnic revival are active there. This territory is included in the field of activity of the Centre of Ukrainian culture "Dzherelo", created in Tomsk, and other Ukrainian organizations. Thus, until Ukrainian villages disappeared, the culture was saved and reproduced in the traditional domestic sphere. The important factor of preservation was the density of settlements. Interethnic distance, which was supported due to monoethnic settlements, provided integrity and effective reproduction of ethnic cultures, maintenance of cultural identity. With disappearance of places of compact residence there is a change of mechanisms of translation of ethnic culture nowadays. Amateur and professional creativity, activity of national-cultural associations are actively connected with this process. Historical memory has become an important constituent of ethnic identity.

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