Shejire DNA Project — Cultural Ties Between Kazakhstan and Scandinavia
Engaging the international community with the history and culture of Kazakhstan is one of the core missions of the Kazakh Geographic Society. As part of this mission, in 2016 the Society partnered with Norwegian broadcaster NRK and the Shejire DNA project to launch a large-scale study of the ethnographic and cultural ties between the peoples of Scandinavia and Central Asia.
Arrival of the Norwegian Delegation
On May 20, 2016, a Norwegian delegation arrived in Almaty, including an NRK film crew and historian Sturla Ellingsen, who had spent several years researching a mythological hypothesis about cultural connections between the peoples of Kazakhstan and Norway.
Fieldwork and Sample Collection
During their week in Almaty, the Norwegian guests filmed material for a documentary and conducted scientific research aimed at identifying ethnogenetic parallels between the populations of both countries.
Press Conference and Project Results
On May 26, 2016, with the support of the Assembly of People of Kazakhstan, a press conference was held to present the project’s findings. Speakers included Nurbol Baimukhanov, Deputy Chairman of the Presidium of the Kazakh Geographic Society and Director of the Shejire DNA project; Norwegian historian Sturla Ellingsen; scientist and host of the science program “Digit,” Joe Røyslien; and Lyubov Avgustovna Ni, Deputy Chair of the Assembly of People of Kazakhstan. The speakers discussed the footage filmed for NRK, shared their impressions of Kazakhstan, and outlined the project’s future plans.
The project marked a significant step in bringing Kazakhstani science and culture into international scholarly dialogue.