This article is a summary of the book called “History of Kalmykia from Ancient Times to the Present Day. Volume 2”, published in 2009 by the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Kalmyk Institute of Humanitarian Research. This book covers the history of Kalmykia from the late 19th century through the end of the 20th century. It provides a detailed, comprehensive analysis of the intense social, political, and economic transformations the Kalmyk people experienced during a century of massive upheavals in Russia.

The Kalmyks are a testament to how identity survives not through isolation, but through a constant, deliberate weaving together of old and new.

This film was created by Dechen Kelden, a Kalmyk Mongolian who was born and raised in Jackson, NJ. She is a current student at Sarah Lawrence College who took on this project to create an accessible film for young Kalmyks to learn about their history as an Oirat group from the Western Steppes of Mongolia. She is interested in Cultural Preservation studies and working within the Tibetan community based in New York City.