Eduard Tarabukin

Eduard Eduardovich Tarabukin is a Sakha khomus maker, jeweller and Folk Master of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia). He comes from Chymnayi Nasleg in the Tattinsky District and lives in the village of Ytyk-Kyuyol. Tarabukin grew up in a creative family: his father, Eduard Gerasimovich, was a talented bayan player, while his mother’s family included craftsmen who worked with wood, bone and metal. The renowned Sakha artist Ivan Vasilyevich Popov also belonged to this family’s artistic tradition.

Tarabukin loved drawing from childhood and began his professional career as a jeweller. He trained at Vocational School No. 16 in Yakutsk and subsequently made jewellery. He later tried forging traditional Sakha knives, but it was the sound of the khomus that truly captured his imagination. Khomus making gradually became the principal direction of his work.

Tarabukin learned to make khomuses from the Folk Master Roman Ilyich Gotovtsev, known as Myndyr Uus. His mentor taught him not only the necessary forging techniques but also the principle that a maker should be able to play and evaluate the voice of every instrument he creates. Tarabukin compares this process to a baker tasting his own dough: while working, he repeatedly plays the khomus, listens to its developing voice and selects its tonality.

Tarabukin makes instruments for virtuoso performers as well as beginners. He recognises that some musicians prefer a powerful, prominent voice, whereas others need a gentler and more restrained sound. Consequently, he does not attempt to make every khomus conform to a single standard: each instrument develops an individual character according to the maker’s intentions and the needs of its future player. He also places particular value on the khomus as an instrument that can help a person concentrate, order their thoughts and achieve a sense of inner balance.

Tarabukin’s training as a jeweller is evident in the artistic finish of his work. In addition to making khomuses and jewellery, he decorates the dials of individually crafted watches with traditional Sakha ornaments. For him, these patterns are not merely decorative but can also serve as protective symbols. In Tarabukin’s own understanding, his work brings together his practical skills, artistic sensibility and personal beliefs.

In 2012, Tarabukin took second place in a Sakha Republic khomus makers’ competition. His work received high scores for both its musical and aesthetic qualities, and he was recognised as one of Roman Gotovtsev’s most notable pupils. In 2016, he again placed second in the Chuluu Khomus competition at Darhan Uus, Yakutia’s principal blacksmithing exhibition. He has held the title of Folk Master of the Sakha Republic since 2018.

Tarabukin is also an accomplished performer. In 2023, he won the republican khomus players’ competition held during the Ysyakh Olonkho festival in the Oymyakonsky District, where 76 performers from 17 districts of Yakutia demonstrated their skills. His combined experience as a blacksmith, jeweller and musician allows him to approach the khomus simultaneously as a musical instrument, a work of art and a living expression of Sakha spiritual tradition.

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