Finno-ugric themes in the activity of North-East archeological and ethnographical institute in Kazan (1917–1921)

Abstract

The article analyzes the archival documents on the history of North-East Archaeological and Ethnographic Institute functioned inKazanfrom 1917 to 1922. The materials were found by the authors in the National Archives of the RepublicofTatarstan and in the Department of Manuscripts and Rare Books of the Scientific Library of Kazan (Volga)FederalUniversity. The authors emphasize the tasks set by the founders of the institute and connected with the personnel training for learning archaeology, ethnography and history of Finno-Ugric peoples of Ural region, including the Votskaya autonomous oblast (region). The discussions on the purpose of the institute and its place among other institutions ofKazanin 1917-1921 are considered in the article. The authors analyze the curriculums of the three departments of the institute which were archaeographic, ethnographic and archaeological ones. They reveal the problems that appeared during learning process. In the article, there is a characteristic of some scholars and teachers who were engaged in the learning process of the institute. The authors show the role of the institute founder Pokrovsky in its activity. By using personal data files, the authors give an extend characteristic of the institute’s students. The article also addresses the question of why Finno-Ugric studies were needed in that time. The authors describe difficult financial condition of the institute in the time of the Revolution and Civil War.