A vyvko, or a buzzer, is a traditional Nenets children’s toy. It is a small board with two holes in the middle. A reindeer tendon thread is tied into a loop and passed through the holes. The thread is stretched with both hands; when the board spins, it hums and buzzes.

The toy’s sound reproduces a howling blizzard wind, which is why the toy is often called “the song or noise of the wind”. The vyvko is also used as a musical instrument to accompany traditional epic poems and contemporary Nenets songs.

The Nenets Museum of Local Lore houses an impressive collection of over a hundred traditional toys. Children’s toys are one of the oldest forms of folk art and as such they reflect the people’s view of the world, distinctive identity, and principles of raising children.

In the life of the peoples of the North, toys guide children on their way into adult life, helping them learn the necessary skills and understand their role in the family. The indigenous peoples of the North raise their children in a traditional way: boys grow up to become reindeer herders, hunters, and fishermen, while girls learn to be good housewives, guardians of the hearth, and mothers.

The children of reindeer herders play with scaled-down copies of household objects, means of transportation, and national clothing. Children can also play with old hunting traps, pieces of nets, and ropes. Many toys originate from the animal world, including fish bones, vertebrae, teeth, horns, beaks, and tails.

While playing, children act out scenes from adult life, such as pitching a tent, herding and catching reindeer, making sleds, and sewing clothes. Young boys are presented with their own work belts with tools according to their size, practice throwing a lasso using reindeer antlers fixed to the ground, learn to shoot a bow and a gun, and master fishing.

From the age of five, girls sew dolls in national clothing and make furniture and utensils using birch bark. A girl keeps all her sewing accessories, including needles, threads, beads, and pieces of leather, fur, and cloth, in a special bag, which she keeps throughout her entire life. On cold winter nights, the whole family gathers to play board games and solve puzzles.