Musicology Annotation << Back Kantele’s Entry Into the Academic Culture of Karelia: 1920–1930 Years Ankhimova Elena A. The article discusses the features of the inclusion of the kantele, a traditional Karelian-Finnish instrument, into the academic culture of Karelia during the 1920s–1930s. Over the years, the instrument, which had a rather rich history, but almost lost its existence in the traditional environment, managed to radically change its status. This process was facilitated by the research interest that arose in the 1920s, which then resulted in a systematic study of kantele, and its active popularization “from above”: interpreted as a symbol of Karelian identity, kantele corresponded to the provisions of the korenization policy carried out in Karelia in the 1920s. The leading role in the formation of the "new" kantele belonged to V. Gudkov. In a short time, he modernized the traditional instrument: from a diatonic small-stringed instrument it became a chromatic ensemble multi-stringed instrument; the kantele family appeared (piccolo, prima, alto, bass). Gudkov also laid the foundations for the repertoire of the "new" kantele and teaching methods on it, and formed the environment for the instrument to exist. He created several experimental groups, which led to the formation of the professional Kantele Ensemble, which combined a kantele orchestra, a choir and a dance group. In the article, the multilateral activities of Gudkov in connection with the kantele are considered in chronological order. As a result, the processes that took place with the kantele during the indicated time are attributed by the author of the article as the initial stage of the instrument’s academicization, which determined its further development. Keywords: diatonic kantele, chromatic Karelian kantele, academicization of folk instruments, korenization policy in Karelia, Viktor Gudkov. DOI: 10.25791/musicology.3.2022.1238 Pp. 03-11.