IBT actively promoted our Nenets Scripture translations during Reindeer Herders’ Day, one of the most vibrant cultural celebrations of the Northern indigenous peoples of Russia. Held annually on March 22–23 in Salekhard, the event unfolded along the scenic banks of the Polyabta River, offering a dynamic platform to engage the Nenets community with the Bible.
The festival’s centerpiece was a series of thematic installations, with the “Choom-chapel”—a traditional tent transformed into a chapel — taking center stage. Here, guests could pray, converse with priests, and receive faith-based literature translated into the Nenets language.
Eun Sub Song, IBT’s exegetical adviser in the Nenets project, plays a crucial role in the Choom-chapel initiative launched by the Salekhard Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church. Having lived and worked in Salekhard for over two decades, she takes part in the annual festival to engage with Nenets reindeer herders, many of whom migrate across the tundra for most of the year. During the event, she has meaningful dialogues and shares spiritual insights while distributing Nenets-language Bible resources.
The Nenets-language editions IBT prepared for this venue were "Gospel Parables", "Stories about Jesus", the Gospels of Matthew, Luke, and John, and the very popular book of the prophet Jonah.