Kokora: Building Inheritance Through Building a Boat

• In Event: Embodied Practices as Sites of Interpretation and Recreation

Abstract

"Kokora" is a local North Russian term referring to the part of a spruce that connects the trunk to the root, traditionally used in constructing houses and boats. This paper takes the concept of kokora, using it as a lens to trace the history of communities dedicated to nurturing local maritime traditions and co-producing Indigenous knowledge. The roots of these communities stretch back to the late Soviet period, shaped by the collapse of state ideologies and the pursuit of new futures free from state heritage discourse. These communities offer an alternative way of navigating the relationship between past legacies and future possibilities.

Author

• Nikita Karbasov, Columbia U