The “Hectare” program operates in all the subjects of the Far Eastern Federal District and covers the most remote corners of the Far East. In the village of Arka in the Okhotsk District, in the northernmost point of the Khabarovsk Region, the Even ethnic complex "Gerbenken" is developing "on a hectare". The author of the project is Maria Alekseeva, an Evenk and a member of the creative association “Kyndykan”, which implements projects to promote the culture of the indigenous peoples of the North (IPN). In 2017, Maria received a hectare under the program and in 2022, she became the first in the Okhotsk region to register land ownership. Maria shared details of the project implementation with the Far East and Arctic Development Corporation (FEDC). Maria informed that she received the plot for a specific purpose: to build an Even complex on it - an ethnic courtyard and a guest house. "The construction lasted 6 years. Today, the ethnocomplex "Gerbenken" has been erected "on a hectare," says Maria Alekseeva. - The word "gerbenken" is the name of one of the Even clans, to which our family belongs. The complex is located on the outskirts of the village of Arka, near the forest. Nearby, at the foot of the hills, the spring river Nevtendya flows. A guest house has been built here, Even tents have been erected, a workshop for making souvenirs with ethnic flavor and decorative and applied arts items has been created, and here they teach how to sew Even national clothes and make embroidery. The ethnocomplex hosts an exhibition of Even household items. A stage has been erected for holding national programs, performances, and lectures."
