Olochen Cultural Assistance Project

Overview

This project is geared to assist the Olochen people of Northern China in the development of means to strenghten their communities and record, preserve and adapt their cultural heritage. This assistance is to have three linked components:

1. to assist the Olochen people in constructing a writing system enabling them to collect linguistic material, preserve their language and prepare education curriculum and textbooks in their own language;
2. to assist the Olochen in planning, constructing and managing a cultural center combining the functions of local museum, community center and cultural education center to serve the needs of the Olochen communities in preserving transmitting and presenting their culture;
3. to assist the Olochen people in assessing, planning and developing their own cultural and local economic resources, according to the principles of sustainable economic development, including the development of sustainable and empowering cultural tourism.

Background: The present situation of the Olochen communities

The Olochen people are a culturally and linguistically distinct group among the Ethnic Minorities of Northern China. They belong to the Tungusic linguistic family. About 20% of the population still speak Olochen, They are classified by the central Chinese government as a society practicing Shamanic rituals. Currently we are looking for two linguists to join the research team.