Local History Museum Research Articles

Military museums of the Armed Forces of Ukraine during the Russian-Ukrainian war of 2014–2022

The Russian-Ukrainian war gave a powerful impetus to the expansion of military-historical museum studies in Ukraine. Exhibition sections devoted to this war have become an integral part of most local history museums in the country. However, in these circumstances, the military museums of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are undergoing the greatest reformation. In the process of enhancing their permanent exhibition, the historical aspects of the resistance to Russia's armed aggression and the promotion of the heroism of Ukrainian soldiers has become acutely important and must be integrated within the larger context of Ukrainian military history.

О международной научной конференции "культура и взаимодействие народов в музейных, научных и образовательных процессах - важнейшие факторы стабильного развития стран Евразии"

The information about the International Scientific Conference “Culture and interaction of peoples in museum, scientific and educational processes - the most important factors of stable development of the countries of Eurasia” is presented. The conference was held on September 21-22, 2021 in Omsk. The event was timed to the 80th anniversary of N.A. Tomilov, a Russian ethnographer, anthropologist, museologist, professor, Doctor of Historical Sciences. The conference considered the issues of history, culture and ethnocultural interaction of peoples, methodology and results of the study of folk culture, the multiplication and use of cultural and natural heritage, museology and museum processes in Eurasia, museological and local history research, museum work and museum marketing, the role of ethnographic and ecological tourism in the development of regions.The conference was held in an online format. Within the framework of the scientific forum, events dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Nikolai A. Tomilov were held. A significant event of the plenary session was the presentation of N.A. Tomilov's monography “60 years in the scientific community: humanitarian studies, Russian scientists and their environment (the second half of the 20th - first decades of the 21st century)”. Five sections worked at the conference: “Folk culture from antiquity to modernity: methods and results of research”, “History and culture of peoples: interdisciplinary approaches in modern humanities”, “Historiographical aspects of the study of ethnocultural history”,“Cultural and natural heritage as a factor and tool of intercultural interaction and attraction of tourists”, “Museology and Museum processes: history and current state”.

ИНСТИТУТ ЖЕНСКОГО ШАМАНСТВА У ЭВЕНКОВ ДАЛЬНЕГО ВОСТОКА (ПО МАТЕРИАЛАМ ПОЛЕВЫХ ИССЛЕДОВАНИЙ)

In the course of field research on the territory of three Evenki settlements (Iengra Neryungrinsky ulus of the Yakutia, Pervomayskoye and Bomnak of the Amur region), we collected information about the features of mythology, genealogy, formation, equipment and practice of female shamans. The purpose of the study was to describe female shamanism among the Evenks, its current state, work with shamans, their clients, interviewing the local population, meetings and conversations with representatives of local administrations, work in scientific archives and local history museums, video recording of interviews, rituals, holidays, ceremonies, daily life of the Evenks. During the expedition, 35 people related to shamanism were interviewed. A video recording of shamanic ritual was made. More than 1000 photos, 20 hours of audio, 22 hours of video were recorded. Archival videos on the traditional culture of the Evenks of the Far East, including female shamanism, have been collected. The materials of the expedition work confirmed the existence of female shamanism as a separate institution in the culture of the Far Eastern Evenks. In the studied areas, both male and female shamans really practice, and ethnophores were able to describe the differences between male and female shamanism. While observing the general principles of the cult, the female version of shamanism has specific features. This is found in the form of shamanic gift transmission, the course of shamanic disease, the age when shamanic practice begins, the field of activity and the style of the ritual. Female shamans use special methods of treatment and divination, have a costume and attributes that differ from men's. Often male shamans and female shamans are in a confrontation at the sacred level. The status of female shamans is quite high and is not inferior to the status of male shamans.

Historical Content of Socio-Cultural Practices at the Siberian Region in the 1st Decades of the 21st Century

The article reviews the options for using the definition of “socio-cultural practices” in the Russian scientific literature. For the first time, it is intended to identify relevant historical content for research, communication, and commemorative practices currently implemented in the Siberian region. For a representative analysis of the historiography and empirical source, there is a socio-cultural approach and mnemosine – the science of public memory. The article presents the outcomes of study and public broadcasting of socio-cultural practices related to the incorporation of new territories of North Asia into the Russian state in the late 18th − 19th century, the growth of civil society in the early 20th century, the development of scientific, historical and cultural heritage in the 2nd half of the 20th − early 21st century. It highlights modern communication practices, which are based on information technologies (electronic archives), designed for the development of scientific heritage, historical information available to the general population. Special attention is drawn to the analysis of multi-level commemorative practices, the historical content of which is associated with the Great Patriotic War (World War II) and presented through Internet resources and publications, in particular, the magazine “Historical Courier”. From a civil-patriotic point of view the article shows the contribution of Siberian scientists toward the victory and post-war development of the country. It also considers the communicative and educational and leisure practices of local history museums (the Museum “Zaeltsovka”, the Museum of Science and Technology of the SB RAS) related to military-historical topics. The authors come to the conclusion that to response to the great challenges of our time, it is necessary to develop a system of socio-cultural practices based on the historical content and shape an active civil position of the population of Russia, and, in particular, the inhabitants of the Siberian region. Further study of the entire range of socio-cultural practices is relevant and promising for developing a model of commemoration, structuring and adaptation of historical past for effective use in working with the population and educating young people.

Kyivan Rus Kolts with enamels and Niello: genesis, sources of inspiration, iconography, attribution issues

Kolts of the Kyivan Rus era is a Ukrainian goldsmiths' brand, personification of the highest achievements of artistic thought of the then jewelers, behind which you can feel the huge inner spiritual culture of the masters and their professional impeccable knowledge of materials and techniques. At the same time, the ability of Kyivan Rus authors to crystallize their own domestic style is striking. Its special refinement indicates the deep knowledge the local people had of the best creative achievements of the artistic ecumene, awareness of many of the then fashionable trends of jewelry art in Europe and the East. Currently a significant part of the available artifacts from the heritage of jewelers of the Kyivan Rus era requires verification. After all, using a low level of provenance, individual collections announce fake or “modified” or reconstructed kolts to be the real pre-Ukrainian ones. In this regard, the factors of professional art history attribution are extremely important, though they are not widely used in the circles of archeologists, historians, and local history museum specialists.

Концепция создания региональных брендов современных русских традиций для их продвижения на международном уровне

Knowledge about roots and family values is a basis for a strong state. A country cannot be respected by outer forces if its citizens are not fond of their originality and do not see the beauty of their own nation. However, the uniqueness of traditions is that they are transformed under the influence of time, what makes them alive. That is why it is not enough for the constituent members of the Russian Federation to open local history museums or to organize exhibitions about national peculiarities in cultural centers in order to build a regional brand. Attempts to represent Russian traditions only through Russian national «sarafan» or accordion dancing look feckless. Regional branding is a calling card of a region. This is the reason why it has to include information about most innovative vectors and up-dated production, as well as state-of-the-art technology and successors of the local traditions. Up-to-date understanding of the national traditions can become not only the foundation of regional branding, but also a basis for building up communication in terms of humanitarian cooperation with Russian compatriots as well as foreigners who like Russia, its traditions and values. The more intensively civic institutions develop the humanitarian cooperation, the stronger Russian society (and regions) will be as well as the better quality information about the Russian Federation will be available for our foreign partners.

Journey from Krasnoyarsk to Moscow in 1923

By examining the personal journal of Marfa Solov’eva, one of the staff of Krasnoyarsk Local History Museum (Yenissei Province), the article aims to analyze some changes of everyday life at the beginning of the 1920s. Aged 33, Ms. Solov’eva found herself among the members of the Yenissei Province delegation sent to participate in the First All-Union Agriculture and Orchard Industry Exhibition in Moscow in 1923. She wrote down her personal experiences of travelling from Krasnoyarsk to Moscow. Given that anthropological shift has taken the lead in historical research, the materials of personal origin (like personal journals) provide an additional avenue to get firsthand information on how contemporaries interpreted the turning points in history. By focusing on the findings from the personal journal introduced for the first time the article investigates the transformations in early Soviet society at the grassroots level and from the point of view of a young representative of Siberian intelligentsia. The article demonstrates how day-to-day and leisure practices of those who took part in the trip were organized. Additionally, it considers the emotional sphere, which is missed to a greater extent by official sources. A mixture of interdisciplinary, systematic and sociocultural approaches and descriptive methods for interpreting sources has been adopted. Keywords: personal journal, everyday life, the intelligentsia, Siberia, the Yenissei province, the onset of NEP, the First All-Union Agriculture and Orchard Industry Exhibition in Moscow in 1923

Components and Mechanisms: How Children Talk About Machines in Museum Exhibits.

The current investigation examines children’s (N = 61; 4- to 8-year old) learning about a novel machine in a local history museum. Parent–child dyads were audio-recorded as they navigated an exhibit that contained a novel artifact: a coffee grinder from the turn of the 20th century. Prior to entering the exhibit, children were randomly assigned to receive an experimental “component” prompt that focused their attention on the machine’s internal mechanisms or a control “history” prompt. First, we audio-recorded children and their caregivers while they freely explored the exhibit, and then, we measured children’s learning by asking them two questions in a test phase. Children of all ages, regardless of the prompt given, discussed most aspects of the machine, including the whole machine, its parts, and, to a lesser extent, its mechanisms. In the test phase, older children recalled more information than younger children about all aspects of the machine and appeared more knowledgeable to adult coders. Overall, this suggests that children of all ages were motivated to discuss all aspects of a machine, but some scaffolding may be necessary to help the youngest children take full advantage of these learning opportunities. While the prompts did not significantly influence the number of children who discussed the machine’s mechanisms, children who received the component prompt were rated as more knowledgeable about the machine in the test phase, suggesting that this prompt influenced what they learned. Implications for visitor experience and exhibit design are discussed.

WAYS OF COMMUNICATION OF WESTERN SIBERIA ON MAPS XVIII - BEGINNING XX CENTURIES

Resume: This article provides a brief overview of the maps of the routes of communication in Western Siberia of the pre-revolutionary period, stored both in federal archives and libraries of the country, and in local history museums in various cities and regions of the country. The paper proposes a typology of maps of communication routes of imperial Russia. The authors offer a selection of maps showing land roads, railways, waterways, postal routes, a brief description of each presented map is given.

Музейные советы в краеведческих музеях северо-востока Казахстана в 1960–1970-х годах

Музейные советы в краеведческих музеях северо-востока Казахстана в 1960–1970-х годах

EPISTOLARY HERITAGE OF SIBERIAN SCIENTISTS: UNPUBLISHED LETTERS OF A. P. OKLADNIKOV, V. E. LARICHEV, AND A. F. PALASHENKOV

The article examines previously unpublished letters of Siberian scientists from the family archive of the Kazakh scientist-encyclopedist academician Alkei Khakanovich Margulan. The scientific relations between scientists of Kazakhstan and Russia of the second half of the XX century, fundamental research and discoveries in the history of Kazakhstan are systematized. Introduced into scientific turnover 6 letters and 1 postcard from Academician, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor Alexei Pavlovich Okladnikov, who identified the local culture of the Paleolithic, Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Age in the steppes of Siberia, the Far East and Central Asia, who wrote many scientific papers on the culture of the first communal structure in these regions, And also 3 letters from Vitaly Epifanovich Larichev, archeologist, anthropologist, doctor of historical sciences, one of the leading specialists in archeology and history of ancient peoples of the Russian Far East and neighboring Manchuria and Mongolia, and 6 letters from Andrey Fedorovich Palashenkov, ethnographer, director of Omsk local history museum in 1943-1957. All these letters addressed to the academician A. Kh. Margulan are new data not published anywhere before. In addition, the study uses materials, memoirs and research from the personal fund of Academician A. Margulan in the Central State Archive of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

DESCRIBING THE EDUCATIONAL ROLE OF NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUMS: AN ANALYSIS TOOL FOR PRE-SERVICE AND IN-SERVICE TEACHERS

This study presents a tool for description and potential analysis of the educational role of the Science and Technology museum. This tool has been constructed from the point of view of formal education and it is proposed as a framework for the approach of the science/technology museum from the teachers and education administrators. More specifically, the tool is, at first, described in terms of structure, content and functionality and, afterwards, examples are provided for cases of international, national and local natural history museums (Natural History Museum in Paris, Goulandris Natural History Museum in Athens and University of Patras Zoology Museum accordingly). Finally, there is a discussion regarding the suitability of this tool to inform, instruct and train future and in-service teachers in aspects of museum education.
 
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From Nantwich to Oxygen: Public Engagement in Chemistry at a Local History Museum

Joseph Priestley, discoverer of oxygen, lived in Nantwich, Cheshire, UK, from 1758 to 1761. In 2019, an exhibition featuring his life and achievements, and also celebrating the International Year of the Periodic Table, was developed by the Nantwich Museum. The historical research of Priestley’s life, development of the exhibition, and rationale behind the public-engagement events and activities are described. The integration of chemistry for all age groups throughout the exhibition and during events is discussed. Instructions for experiments and demonstrations are available as Supporting Information for this paper. The benefits of teamwork involving members with diverse subject expertise and the value of contributions from external organizations are emphasized. The exhibition successfully engaged museum visitors with 18th century local history, the story of Joseph Priestley, and chemistry concepts and experiments. Qualitative feedback from participants is presented along with the planned long-term legacy of the exhibition.

МАЛЫЕ АРХЕОЛОГИЧЕСКИЕ КОЛЛЕКЦИИ БИЙСКОГО КРАЕВЕДЧЕСКОГО МУЗЕЯ

The article presents materials from the funds of the Biysk Local History Museum, characterizing small collections of the past decades transferred by the finders to the museum and discovered during the survey of various territories of Altai by B.H. Kadikov - a researcher, and then the director of the museum. These collections contain a small number of finds, so did not attract the attention of researchers. However, the published materials are quite revealing, have a precisely defined location of detection and allow it to be found even after a long period of time. The work describes the finds of M.D. Kopytov near the village of Vyatkino in the Ust-Pristan district of the Altai region, the sites located on the right bank of Bia in the Turochak district of the Altai Republic and at the mouth of the Chemal River in the Chemal region of the republic. The published sites are located in different regions of the Altai region in different physical and geographical conditions. This fact allows to significantly expand the possibilities of finding new archaeological objects in steppe, mountain and taiga areas. In addition, the accounting of these sites, known for a very long time, in the planned construction can facilitate the work of researchers. Keywords: Altai Mountain, archaeology, M.D. Kopytov, B.H. Kadikov, Biysky Local History Museum, stone tools, stone arrowhead, ceramics

Presentation of the cult of Christian saints in anti-religious museum exhibitions during the era of the “Great Turn”

The article describes the goals, principles and different forms of the presentation of the cult of saints in the exhibitions of anti-religious and local history museums in the context of the ideological and cultural tasks of museum construction in the early 1930s. The issue of the presentation of icons and objects of church worship for anti-religious purposes was extremely acute: on the one hand, it was impossible to create an exposition about religion without exhibiting artifacts related to it, on the other, these artifacts were supposed to expose religion. After the campaign to uncover the “relics”, they were often exhibited in museums for anti-religious purposes, but this demonstration most often had the opposite effect. The article analyzes the materials of the discussion on the possibility of using icons and religious objects in anti-religious exhibitions. The author shows that during the period under study, the contradictions between the “anti-religious”, who considered interest in religious art as “grave aestheticism” that strengthened religion, and representatives of the so-called “culturalism” who tried to preserve and exhibit items of religious culture in museums. Particular attention is paid to studying the search for a “third way” in resolving the existing conflict between the classical principles of exhibiting religious art and the new so-called an “anti-religious” approach, which was based on the comparative study of religions and field anthropological research on popular religiosity. The main principles of this “third way”, focused on the preservation and display of items of religious culture, were the rejection of their pietistic interpretation, attention to formal art analysis, as well as Marxist historical, cultural and sociological analysis.

Orientalists from the Society for Studies of the Manchurian Region (the 1st Half of the 20th Century)

Based on rare foreign sources (mainly the Museum of Russian Culture in San Francisco and prints from the Northeast Asian collection of the Uni-versity of Hawaii), the publication is dedicated to one of the first Russian scientific and public institutions in China – the Society for Studies of the Manchurian Region (OIMK, 1923–1929) and its local history museum (now the Museum of Heilongjiang Province, China), founded by the Rus-sians and the Chinese in Harbin, in connection with the anniversary of the Chinese Eastern Railway (CER). The article represents a brief analysis of its collections, which were divided into the following main departments: ethnographic with archaeological, paleontological and geological collec-tions; natural history with ornithological, biological and botanical collec-tions, commercial and industrial with agricultural and forestry subdivi-sions, also the Experimental Agricultural Field, Botanical Garden and the Sungaria River Biological Station. The OIMK included the Society of Rus-sian Orientalists and the Manchurian Agricultural Society. The OIMK workers paid great attention to studies of the cultural development of Northeast China, made numerous expeditions and trips for scientific pur-poses to little-known regions of China, carried out an extensive publishing program in four series A. – E. and a large international exchange program of literature and exhibits. Particular attention was paid to the collection of bibliographic information about China. The article also provides biog-raphies and characteristics of researchers, analysis of their. The article summarizes the activities of OIMK and the reasons for its closure, traces the fate of the most famous figures.

Uncertain Future

Uncertain Future

The Intertwined Past, Present, and Future of Local Natural History Museum and Amateur Naturalism in Tampere, Finland

AbstractThe history of natural history museums (NHMs) is closely tied with amateur naturalism, now often discussed as citizen science. This paper discusses the relations between a local NHM and amateur naturalists in Tampere, Finland, in three temporalities: the past, the present, and the future. The analysis highlights the contingencies and materialities of the relations between the museum and naturalists, showing them to be at times close, at other times distant. Local NHMs are facing the same expectations and challenges as larger museums, such as the tension between their research and education functions, and making their collections digitally available. NHMs are expected to participate in creating sustainable futures, looking far ahead. The case proposes the strength of local NHMs may be their embeddedness in local networks and their agility to react to ecosocial changes.

Field ethnographic researches of employees of Altai State Local History Museum in the 1950-2010s: history and methodology

Field ethnographic researches of employees of Altai State Local History Museum in the 1950-2010s: history and methodology

Local history and museology in Dagestan: trends and prospects of interrelated development

The article describes the historical periods of development two closely related fields of activity in Daghestan (Russia) – local history and museology. Within each period, the authors highlight the stages of the local history and museum initiative of the local intellectuals and educators. The spatio-temporal dynamics of the network of local history museums in the context of the republic’s municipalities is analysed. The features of the evolution of local lore and museum affairs are revealed in the light of the prospects for the popularisation of the rich natural and cultural heritage of the “Country of the Mountains”. The issues surrounding the formation of effective museum and tourist clusters on this territory are discussed.