Qirim—Lost To Be Found or Crimea Is Ukraine

On August 9 we celebrate INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE WORLD’S INDIGENOUS PEOPLE.

On this day I would like to bring awareness to world issues concerning indigenous people.

These photos were taken about 20 years ago in Chufut Cale, a medieval city-fortress in the Crimean Mountains located 3 km (1.9 mi) east of Bakhchysarai.

I am dressed in the traditional Crimean Tartar clothing.

As most of you can guess from my blog’s title, I am Ukrainian. One of the indigenous nations of my homeland are Crimean Tatars. Crimean Tatars are a Turkic ethnic group and nation native to Crimea. 

Like many other indigenous peoples, they have a tragic history.

The Crimean Tatars’ deportation from the Crimean peninsula in 1944 was one of the most heinous Soviet crimes aimed at their extermination.

Joseph Stalin formally ordered the deportation of the entire Crimean Tatar community (roughly 200,000 in number), falsely accusing them of collaborating with the Nazis.

People were forcibly loaded most onto freight cars bound for Central Asia, where they were to be resettled.

Reports suggest that nearly half of the deported died during the ordeal.

During this same period, the Soviet Union adopted a policy of “russification” of the peninsula.

Crimea was “russified”.

Any study of the Crimean Tatar’s native language was banned, ancient Tatar names were erased, Crimean Tatar books were burned, and their mosques were destroyed.

By the way, all Crimean Tatar geographical names were replaced with the Soviet names bearing no cultural or historical value.

The same tactics are being used by the russian invaders right now, during the full scale russian-Ukrainian war.

Another dark time started for Crimean Tatars in 2014 when russia illegally annexed Crimea. Occupiers immediately began a campaign of persecution against the community, “outlawing” the Crimean Tatar representative body (the Mejlis) and shutting down a Crimean Tatar television channel.

The State Department subsequently has cited numerous human rights violations against the Crimean Tatar population, including torture, disappearances, and psychiatric abuse.

I believe it’s important to raise awareness of supporting cultures, languages and rights of the indigenous peoples everywhere.

#indigenouspeoples, #raiseawareness, #crimeantatars, #crimesisukraine, #illegalannexation, #russiaukrainewar, #supportukraine, #russiaisaterrorisstate, #sovietunion, #stoprussia, #crimeandjustice