The "Soul" of the Museum of Archeology and Ethnography of the IEI UFIC RAS (in Memory of Natalia Georgievna Rutto)

Abstract

The article is devoted to the bright memory of the permanent head of archaeological funds, chief curator of the Museum of Archeology and Ethnography of the Institute of Ethnological Research named after R. G. Kuzeev, Honored Worker of Culture of the Republic of Bashkortostan, archaeologist, Candidate of Historical Sciences Natalia Georgievna Rutto, who died prematurely 15 years ago in May 2007. The publication examines the main stages of N. G. Rutto's life path (1946-2007). Special attention is paid to the period of her work at the MAE, where she worked her way up from laboratory assistant to deputy director for accounting, storage and exposition of museum funds (1977-2007). Analysis of archival documents and scientific publications, written, among others, by Natalia herself, indicate that she was at the origins of the acquisition of the museum collection of the MAE, made a huge contribution to the formation of archaeological funds and to the development of the exposition and exhibition activities of the Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography. N. G. Rutto was not only engaged in accounting and storage, but also cataloguing the museum collections of the MAE. In addition, she went on various expeditions and replenished the funds of archeology with new materials. Natalia Georgievna conducted successful research activities. Studying the Srubno-Alakul interaction in the Southern Urals in the Late Bronze Age, in 2000 she defended her PhD thesis, published several dozen scientific articles and a monograph. This publication is based on documents from the Scientific Archive of the Ufa Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, many of which are being introduced into scientific circulation for the first time, as well as personal memoirs of the author.