Maria Vagatova, the pioneering writer recognized as the first female poet of the Khanty people, died Feb. 15, 2026. She was 89.
Born Maria Kuzminichna Voldina in 1936 near the village of Yuilsk, she grew up in a family of reindeer herders in the Berezovsky District. Her literary work focused on the preservation of indigenous culture through numerous poetry collections and traditional fairy tales. This dedication to her heritage earned her the title of Honored Worker of Culture of the RSFSR in 1987.
Vagatova’s influence extended into the broader cultural sphere of the Russian Federation. She received the "Soul of Russia" prize in 2018 for her contributions to folk art and was later decorated with the Order of Honour. While she spent much of her career as a poet, her late-life activities included public political stances. In 2022, she joined other public figures in signing a letter of support for the Russian military invasion of Ukraine.
Her professional path was closely tied to her marriage to fellow Khanty poet Vladimir Voldin. Following his death, she continued to expand her bibliography of indigenous literature while raising their family. Her work serves as a permanent record of the Khanty language and the oral traditions of the Siberian North.