Siberia Research Institute and study of history, archeology and ethnography of region (1919-1920)

The article is devoted to the reconstruction of activities of History and Ethnography Department of the Institute for Research in Siberia (1919-1920). On the basis of published and unpublished sources, the work of the section of History, Archeology and Ethnography is described at a congress in January 1919 during the Civil War, it was to organize the Institute for Research in Siberia, in Tomsk. The speakers at the congress were K.D. Loginovsky, V.I. Anuchin, B.P. Denikel, A.D. Kryachkov, M.M. Khvostov, V.F. Smolin, A.N. Lipsky, N.A. Zinevich and P.G. Liubomirov. Reports by the participants of the Congress are analyzed. They reflected the state of knowledge of the history of Siberia and outlined the prospects for further researches. The section was in favour of organizing the collection of materials on the history of the war and the revolution and opening of the Department of Ethnography in Tomsk University. History and Ethnography Department of the institute planned a long-term plan of activities. In addition to uniting the institutions and scientific societies involved in the study of Siberia, the Department had to sum up of what had been done regarding the collection and processing of materials on the history, archeology and ethnography of Siberia, republish inaccessible materials, identify and protect ancient monuments, train researchers. Expeditions were planned to collect ethnographic, dialectological and other materials, archaeological excavations and publication of papers. 17 meetings were held, at which, in addition to the reports a wide range of issues were discussed related to the study of the region. The funds of the Institute helped to organize a series of archaeological, ethnographic and dia-lectological expeditions. The researchers were trained. By the initiative of V.F. Smolin works were conducted on drawing up the archaeological map of Siberia. This map with explanatory text provided an opportunity to estimate the then available archaeological material of Siberia. S.I. Rudenko headed a commission that studied the composition of the tribal population of Siberia. The result was a compilation of ethnographic (tribal) cards of the Yenisei Province of Tobolsk, a number of districts in Tomsk and Altai regions. These materials were scheduled to transfer to the Academy of Sciences. Professor A.D. Grigoriev studied old dialects of Siberia, and Professor B.P. Dennike studied ancient monuments and wooden architecture. The Department also worked on the problem of preservation of the archives of Tomsk. The summary of the Department activities over the brief period of its existence is given.

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