Domna Maksimovna Khomyuk (née Zakharova,
Kildin Sami: Туомн Хомюк, Russian: Домна Максимовна Хомюк, née Захарова; born September 10, 1954, in Koarrdõgk,
Murmansk,
Soviet Union) is a Kildin
Sámi zootechnician, author, translator, and musician.[1] She is also active in the
revitalization of the Kildin Sámi language and culture.[1]
Early life
Domna Maksimovna Khomyuk was born on September 10, 1954, in Koarrdõgk (
Kildin Sami: Коа̄ррдэгк[2] and Russian: Воронье).[1] Her parents were reindeer herders and decorated war veterans. Her father was Maksim Antonovich Zakharov (1919–1984)[3] and her mother Mariya Ivanovna Zakharova (1922–2008).[4] Together they went on to have a total of 9 children[5][6]
In 1962, the Soviet Union decided to build the
Serebryanskaya hydroelectric power station near where they lived. To do this, they had to dam the
Koarrdõgk River. A few years later, when the entire village of
Koarrdõgk was going to be flooded and submerged under the new reservoir, the family were moved to
Lovozero.[6][7]
Education and career
Khomyuk majored in
zootechnology at
Sortavala Agricultural School (Russian: Сортавальский сельскохозяйственный техникум).[1] After graduation, she worked more than 25 years in an agricultural production cooperative.[1] Later on, she started working in various
public administratation posts. In addition, she started to serve the public in various positions of responsibility such as the 10 years she spent as the president of the Lovozero election committee, as a member on the board of the
yoikers' association Juoigiid Searvi, and as a member of the
Working Group of Indigenous Peoples in the Barents-Euro Arctic Region.[1][8][9][10][11]
Music
The traditional vocal music of the Kildin Sámi called luvvt or livvt (
Kildin Sami: лыввьт or луввьт) has been a part of Khomyuk's life since she was born. Both Ageeva's mother and grandmother sang luvvts and her mother was a famous singer of them.[6][12] Her mother sang these with music groups like Lujavvr (
Kildin Sami: Луяввьр) and Ojar (
Kildin Sami: Ойяр).[4][12][13] Some of her luvvts have been recorded; these are archived in
Norway,
Estonia, Germany, etc.[4] Khomyuk's sister,
Anfisa Ageeva, is also well-known for her luvvt singing.
In 2002, the year after her sister won the yoik category of the
Sámi Grand Prix, Khomyuk entered the yoik and song competition for the first time.[14][15] Her entry for the yoik category was a luvvt called Luojavr (
Kildin Sami: Луяввьр), which describes
Lovozero, her home town. In 2003 and 2019 she competed in the same category, but now as a duo with her sister
Anfisa Ageeva.[15] In 2003, their entry was entitled Duottar and in 2019, Vuess. In 2021, Khomyuk entered the competition once again, this time as a solo act.[16] Her entry was called Parrša vigket (
Kildin Sami: Па̄ррьшя вигетѣ).[17]
^"Коа̄ррдэгк" (in Kildin Sami and Russian). Retrieved November 16, 2021.
^"Захаров Максим (1919–1984)" [Zakharov Maksim (1919–1984)] (in Russian and Kildin Sami). Фонд сохранения и изучения родных языков народов Российской Федерации. Archived from
the original on August 7, 2021. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
^
abc"Захарова Мария (1922–2008)" [Zakharova Mariya (1922–2008)] (in Russian and Kildin Sami). Фонд сохранения и изучения родных языков народов Российской Федерации. Archived from
the original on August 7, 2021. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
^Наумова, Светлана (February 8, 2012).
"Сохрани очаг свой" (in Russian). Мурманский вестник. Retrieved August 7, 2021.