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Visiting Kalmykia
Photograph by Chris Rainier
Altn Basanov, a 91-year-old Kalmyk who has lived his entire life in France, visits Kalmykia for the first time. Behind him sit young Kalmyks Viktor Okchayev, 21, and Dmitri Sharayev, 26.
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Dombra Players
Photograph by Chris Rainier
Viktor Ochayev and Dmitri Sharayev, in traditional Kalmyk dress, each hold a dombra as they pose for a picture.
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Traditional Song
Photograph by Jeremy Fahringer
Nyamin Songajieyavich Manjieyev and Nina Kochayevna Manjieyeva perform a traditional song at their home in Komsomolsky, Kalmykia.
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Kalmyk Youths
Photograph by Chris Rainier
Itkl is a collective of Kalmyk youths that aims for the diffusion of Kalmyk culture and language.
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Kalmyk Tea Festival
Photograph by Chris Rainier
A young woman at the Kalmyk Tea Festival dances next to a model Soviet rocket.
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Horse Trainer
Photograph by Chris Rainier
Umamdzhi Goryayevich Goniyev, born in 1963, trains horses outside of Yashkul', Kalmykia.
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Kalmyk Portrait
Photograph by Chris Rainier
Badma Khalgayevich Tsebikov and Svetlana Tsabdidovich Dzhamchinova pose for a picture near Yashkul', Kalmykia.
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Enduring Voices Team
Photograph by Oliver Anderson
The Enduring Voices team (from left: Jeremy Fahringer, Gregory Anderson, and K. David Harrison) interviews Badma Khalgayevich Tsebikov about Kalmyk horse customs in Yashkul', Kalmykia.
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Kalmyk Fox Hat and Topshur
Photograph by Oliver Anderson
A Kalmyk fox hat and topshur (similar to the dombra) sit on a ledge.
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Kalmyk Craftsman
Photograph by Chris Rainier
Shard Nigryan Nasanka is an expert wood-carver and instrument maker in Yashkul', Kalmykia.
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Master Horseman
Photograph by Chris Rainier
Dorzhi Nandushov, a master horseman, stands for a picture in Ketchenery, Kalmykia.
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Music Lesson
Photograph by Jeremy Fahringer
National Geographic Fellow David Harrison consults with Buxin Bembin Gaavan Baatr about Kalmyk musical terms in this picture taken near Elista, Kalmykia.
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Buddhist Monk and Temple
Photograph by Chris Rainier
Anja-Gelung stands at the Golden Abode of Buddha Shakyamuni temple in Elista, Kalmykia.
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Kalmyk Buddhist
Photograph by Chris Rainier
Kalmyk photographer Garya Lidzheyev travels the world to photograph Buddhist traditions. Here, he holds his favorite image of the Dalai Lama.
Related Features
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Hidden Language Recorded
A language previously unknown to linguists, and spoken by about 800 people, has been documented in the mountains of northeast India.
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Northeast India Workshop
Learn about the first revitalization workshop in Shillong, Meghalaya, India, that brought together eight young linguists and language activists from across Northeast India.
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Arunachal Pradesh, India Expedition 2011
Read the full report from the Enduring Voices team's 2011 expedition to Arunachal Pradesh, India, where they visited five endangered language communities.
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Arunachal Pradesh, India Expedition 2010
The Enduring Voices team made its third expedition to Arunachal Pradesh, India in November 2010.
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Arunachal Pradesh, India 2011 Photos
See photos from the Enduring Voices 2011 expedition to Arunachal Pradesh, India, where they visited five endangered language communities.
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India Photo Slideshow 2008
See photos from the Enduring Voices team's expedition to India in November 2008 and view different words translated into the Aka, Monpa, Nishi, and Sherdukpen languages.
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India March 2008 Expedition
A visit by an Enduring Voices team to India's Arunachal Pradesh state has yielded the first-known recordings of several rare and poorly understood languages.
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India November 2008 Expedition
The Aka group is a perfect case study of a small language currently existing in a fragile equilibrium yet already showing signs of possible endangerment that could lead to eventual extinction.
Meet the Team
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Gregory Anderson, Linguist
Dr. Gregory D. S. Anderson is a linguist who is director of the Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the documentation, revitalization, and maintenance of endangered languages.
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David Harrison, Linguist
K. David Harrison is a linguist and leading specialist in the study of endangered languages. He co-leads the Enduring Voices project at National Geographic and is an associate professor at Swarthmore College.
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Chris Rainier, Photographer
Chris Rainier is considered one of the leading documentary photographers working today. His life's mission is to put on film both the remaining natural wilderness and indigenous cultures around the globe and to use images to create social change.
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Living Tongues
The Enduring Voices Project represents a partnership between National Geographic Mission Programs and the Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages.
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2013 Traveler Photo Contest
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Ethics Statement
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Ethics Statement
View the Enduring Voices Project ethics statement.
The Last Speakers
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The Last Speakers
The poignant chronicle of K. David Harrison’s expeditions around the world to meet with last speakers of vanishing languages.
"The Last Speakers" is now published in Japanese. Read the interview with Dr. Harrison here and purchase the Japanese edition here.
