Ivan Nazarov, Director of the Institute of History and International Relations and leading expert at the Greater Altai Research and Educational Center for Altaic and Turkic Studies at Altai State University, was the guest of honor at the Kumandin National Festival in the village of Solton. This event, which traditionally draws representatives of one of Altai's Turkic-speaking peoples, held special significance this year.

For the first time, the festival coincided with a landmark national date—April 30, Russia's Indigenous Peoples' Day, established by presidential decree in 2025. Aimed at celebrating the country's multinational tapestry and the vital need to preserve its ethnocultural heritage, the holiday came alive in Soltonsky District, ancestral home of the Kumandins—one of Siberia's, the Far East's, and the North's indigenous peoples. Here, a grand festival of national culture unfolded. Joining the ethnographer were ASU students, who seized a rare chance not only to observe the hallmarks of Kumandin character and deepen their understanding of its traditions, but also to engage hands-on with ethnocultural organizations.

Ivan Nazarov highlighted the festival's pivotal role in fostering unity among Russia's peoples, stressing that preserving indigenous ethnocultural heritage is a crucial task.

"The Soltonsky District's historical weight—as the site of the first encounters between Russian settlers and Kumandins in the early 17th century, laying the groundwork for regional unification—lends profound relevance to this event in the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia."

The program is full of events with highlights of Kumandin culture: handicraft exhibitions, a vibrant concert series, and competitions in national cuisine, sports, and the Kumandin Beauty contest, all inviting guests to plunge into this distinctive world. Children enjoyed master classes and folk games.