Indigenous advocate · Dolgan writer · Language revitalizer

Kseniia Bolshakova

Rooted in the Russian Arctic, my work brings together Indigenous advocacy, decolonial literature, environmental justice, endangered-language technology, grassroots activism, and community knowledge.

Portrait of Kseniia Bolshakova

Bio

From the Russian Arctic to international and trans-Indigenous spaces

I am a Dolgan-language writer and Indigenous activist, born and raised in the Dolgan village and tundra of Popigai in the Russian Arctic. I am one of the younger keepers of my native Dolgan language, spoken by a community of roughly 800 people.

Curriculum Vitae ↗

Featured book

All the Frost Melts

All the Frost Melts book mockup

A personal story of a child raised in a traditional reindeer-herding family explores the fate of Indigenous nomads in the Russian Arctic. Through both her child and adult voices, the author reflects on the far-reaching effects of ongoing colonization and assimilation. The novel is about what once seemed eternal but is becoming finite: permafrost, tundra, reindeer herding, and Indigenous language.

UNESCO Recognition The book is included in the IBBY-UNESCO Collection of Remarkable Books for Young Readers in Indigenous and Endangered Languages.
Available translations
English Russian Norwegian Swedish Finnish Northern Sámi Italian

Publications

In press

Reindeer Caravan: Indigenous Writing from Siberia

Co-edited anthology with a literary contribution, forthcoming from Amherst College Press

March 2026

Buluus da irer / All the Frost Melts (excerpts)

Published in Dolgan in the Sakha literary and socio-political magazine Cholbon

September 2025

Todo o gelo derrete

Published in Brazilian Portuguese in Cultural Survival Quarterly 49(3)

July 2025

Køŋyl / Freedom

Published in English, Dolgan, and Russian by Words Without Borders in Fifty States, Many Languages: Writing from the US

December 2024

Akko Hire / Akko’s Earth

Published in Dolgan and English in the collection Arctic and Circumpolar Indigenous Futurisms

View more ↓
November 2024

Belek / Gift

Published in Dolgan and English by Khallaan Ettige in the collection of works on art, culture, and global phenomena Külük

June 2024

Køs / Rajden

Published in Dolgan, Swedish, and English by Swedish PEN in The Non-Russian Russia: Decolonial Literatures

Indigenous languages

Language Revitalization through Education, Research & Technology

Dolgan & Sakha
(Turkic)

Language expert engaged in language documentation and Large Language Model (LLM) development

University of California, Santa Barbara, USA 2022 — present

Sakha
(Turkic)

Product manager for a language learning mobile app Sakhalyy

Terra Indigenous-led NGO, Sakha Republic, Russia 2022 — 2024

Kumandy
(Turkic)

Linguistics assistant working on language data coding

Dartmouth College, USA 2023 — 2024

Dolgan
(Turkic)

Language methodist for a strategic board game in Dolgan Nomadic Camp

Institute of Linguistics, Russian Academy of Sciences 2020 — 2021

Evenki
(Tungusic)

Field research with Transbaikal Evenki communities

Institute of the Peoples of the North, Russia 2020 — 2021
Indigenous language revitalization work

Invited talks & discussions

Indigeneity, Environment & Language

Kseniia Bolshakova speaking at an event
Kseniia Bolshakova speaking at a United Nations event
AATSEEL Conference, USA

Panel discussion Kseniia Bolshakova’s "All the Frost Melts": Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Language, Culture, and Indigenous Experience in the Russian Arctic

February
2027
Geneva Centre for Security Policy, Switzerland

Workshop Updated Pan-Arctic Species List Incorporating Indigenous Names and Knowledge

November
2026
ASEEES Annual Convention, USA

Panel discussion Postcolonial/Decolonial Aesthetics and Politics in Multilingual Post-Soviet Contexts

November
2026
PEN Català, Spain

Committee meeting Revision of the Universal Declaration of Linguistic Rights

October
2026
BIHAR International Congress, Spain

Panel discussion Ecological and Linguistic Perspectives for Community Sustainability

September
2026
Tampere University, Finland

Guest Lecture Indigenous Writing on Reindeer Herders' Life in the Russian Arctic

September
2026
University of Helsinki, Finland

Guest Lecture Bringing Two Arctic Worlds Together: Translating Indigenous Dolgan Literature into Finnish

September
2026
Indigenous Vision Forum, Germany

Panel discussion Linguistic Rights and Education

August
2026
European Parliament, Belgium

Participation at the Conference Brussels Dialogue with Russian Pro-Democracy and Anti-War Actors

July
2026
Stone Oven House Art Residency, Italy

Public talk From Roaming the Tundra to Migrating Through Languages

July
2026
Dante & Descartes Bookstore, Italy

Public talk Writing in Endangered Language: In Conversation with Eternity

July
2026
University of California, San Diego, USA

Guest lecture Indigenous Writing as Resistance

May
2026
University of New Hampshire, USA

Public talk Reindeer Trails and Written Tales: A Dolgan Voice Speaks & Guest lecture Continuity and Change in Dolgan Livelihood

April
2026
California Slavic Colloquium, USA

Public reading of excerpts from an upcoming novel on Russia's Indigenous boarding schools

April
2026
University of California, Santa Barbara, USA

Guest lecture Indigenous Experience in Creative Writing

April
2026
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA

Guest lecture Indigenous Literature and Language Activism

February
2026
Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, USA

Talk The Role of Indigenous Literature in Contemporary Art at the Assets for Artists residency

December
2025
University of Vigo, Spain

Talk Environmental Challenges and Injustice in the Russian Arctic at the workshop The Arctic Ocean and Its Futures from a Southern European Perspective

December
2025
Sciences Po, France

Talk Social and Environmental Consequences of Permafrost Thaw for the Dolgans of the Taimyr Peninsula at the conference Back to Frozen Earth: Permafrost in Social Theory and Beyond

June
2025
University of California, Santa Barbara, USA

Guest lecture Siberian Turkic Nations: Challenges and Survival

May
2025
University of California, San Diego, USA

Guest lecture Voices Across Borders: Language Activism in Russia and Beyond

May
2025
School of Experimental Writing

Guest lecture Decolonial Theories and Writing Practices

April
2025
Indigenous of Russia Foundation, USA

Participation at the Indigenous Peoples Forum Points of Contact

February
2025
"In Our Own Words" Indigenous-led Writing Course

Guest lecture Blazing Literary Trails in an Indigenous Language

February
2025
AATSEEL Conference, USA

Public reading An Evening of Contemporary Eastern European Literatures

February
2025
Unbannable Library, USA

Exhibition of the interactive book Catching Reindeer, illustrated by Ripley Whiteside

January
2025
Evening of Solidarity with Ukraine, USA

Public talk Ongoing Russian Colonization

January
2025
University of California, Santa Barbara, USA

Guest lecture Matchstick for Survival: Indigenous Writing in the Russian Arctic

December
2024
Banned Books Week, USA

Exhibition of the interactive book Catching Reindeer, illustrated by Ripley Whiteside

September
2024
United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, USA

Book presentation of the novel All the Frost Melts & Panel discussion at the Indigenous Media Zone

April
2024
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Italy

Report of the Regional Delegation at the United Nations Global Indigenous Youth Forum

October
2023
Languages Exchange & Hybrid Convening, Mexico

Panel discussion Strengthening and Revitalizing Our Languages Beyond Our Homes

May
2023
Dartmouth College, USA

Guest lecture Indigenous Peoples of Siberia in Today’s Russia

April
2023
United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, USA

Panel discussion Language Revitalization Journey: Best Practices and Reflections

April
2023
St. Petersburg Book Salon on Palace Square, Russia

Master class on Indigenous languages of Siberia

May
2022

Recognition & support

IBBY-UNESCO Remarkable Book for Young Readers in an Indigenous and Endangered Language
Nordic Culture Point Grant for Translating an Indigenous Arctic novel into Northern Sámi, Finnish, Swedish and Norwegian
Cultural Survival Indigenous Youth Fellowship for Transmitting Indigenous Values by Creating Dolgan Literature

Contact

For collaborations
and literary rights