Leonid P. Potapov

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Potapov Leonid Pavlovich (Russian Леонид Павлович Потапов, 1905-2000) was a Doctor of Historical sciences, professor, "Tuva ASSR Honored Worker of Science", an outstanding researcher of history and culture of Altaians, Shors, Khakases, Tuvinians and other peoples of Southern Siberia. Leonid Potapov was born in the Altai city Barnaul. From his early years L.Potapov showed interest to ethnography of his native land, traveling to study the culture of Altaians with a known Altaist A.V.Anokhin. In 1928 L.Potapov graduated geographical department of the Leningrad State university with a major in ethnography, receiving outstanding training from the of faculty that included L.Shternberg, V.Bogoraz, D.Zelenin, S.Rudenko, and Türkic languages were taught by the future academician A.N.Samoilovich and academician S.E.Malov.

From 1925 on behalf of the (Russian) Geographical society L.Potapov went to Altai to gather ethnographic material. Material collected by him in the period of 1927-1934 allowed L.Potapov to publish, besides separate articles, one of his first fundamental works "Essays on Shoria history", 1931. After his graduation in 1928, L.Potapov was appointed a head of scientific department in an Uzbek research institute, leading ethnographical expeditions to various areas of Uzbekistan. In 1930, L.Potapov entered postgraduate study in the USSR Academy of Sciences. L.Potapov was a convinced Marxist, and remained a supporter of Marxism as a method of historicism, convinced that recognizing Marxism is indispensable for a real scientist. After completing his postgraduate study, L.Potapov headed Siberia and ethnography department of the "State Ethnographical Museum of the USSR peoples", as the 200-years old Peter the Great Kunstkamera was renamed in the Stalinist era, and conducted his research work in the USSR Academy of Science's History of Material Culture Institute. In 1939, L.Potapov earned PhD in Historical Sciences degree with a monograph "Relicts of primitive-communal system of Altai peoples". By that time L.Potapov published about 30 works, including a number of monographs.

In the beginning of WWII L.Potapov worked on evacuation of museum valuables. In 1942 L.Potapov moved to Novosibirsk, where the Museum's evacuated collections were stored. In 1946 after publishing his work "Altaians", L.Potapov became a professor. In 1946 L.Potapov headed Khakass ethnographic expedition. L.Potapov spent 11 years in expeditions to Altai, Shoria, Khakassia and Tuva, and studied "foreign materials" on shamanism, learning alternate insights. L.Potapov studied pre-Islam beliefs of peoples of Central Asia, ethnogenesis, ethnographic materials, archival, written and archeological sources.

In 1948 L.Potapov published "Essays on history of Altaians" (Novosibirsk, 1948), which was awarded with "Stalin" (later renamed State) premium. L.Potapov was one of the authors of multivolume "Essays on the USSR history", "History of the USSR", five-volume "History of Siberia", published "Brief Esasay on culture and a life of Altaians" (Gorno-Altaisk, 1948), "Brief Essays on history and ethnography of Khakases (XVII-XIX centuries)" (Abakan, 1952), "Origin and formation of Khakass nation" (Abakan, 1957), "Ethnic Composition and Origin of Altaians" (Leningrad, 1969), "Essays on native life of Tuvinians" (Moscow, 1969).

From 1957 to 1966 the Tuva archeological ethnographical expedition worked on studies of ethnogenesis and history of Tuvinians. Expedition included A.D.Grach, S.I.Weinstein and V.P.Diakonova, it jointly published a three-volume "Works of Tuva complex archeological ethnographical expedition", edited by L.Potapov, and a number of monographs. Participants wrote a collective monograph "History of Tuva" (Vol. 1). In 1956 L.Potapov authored chapters "Altaians", "Khakases", "Tuvinians" and "Shors" for "Peoples of Siberia" in "Nations of the world" series, published also in English by Chicago university. L.Potapov participated in the 23rd and 25th congresses of Orientalists, and in the 6th and 7th congresses of anthropologists and ethnographers (Paris, 1960).

L.Potapov created a scientific school studying the peoples of Siberia, especially the Sayan-Altai region, and prepared 48 PhD in sciences. A special scientific contribution was his work "Altai shamanism" (1991) with richest field collected material brought from uncountable field research materials. L.Potapov joined the names of N.N.Poppe (1970), V.I.Tsintsius (1972), A.N.Kononov (1976), N.A.Baskakov (1980), A.M.Scherbak (1992) who were awarded "PIAK Gold medal" for Altaic studies.

[edit] Bibliography L.Potapov works

The extensive bibliographical listing does not attempt to list all works of L.Potapov, but only to give a representative sample of the breadth and depth of L.Potapov's contributions to Türkology and associated sciences.

  • Die Herstellung der Šamanentrommel bei den Šor" // Mitteilungen des Seminars für Orientalische Sprachen zu Berlin Jg. XXXVII. Abt. I Ostasiatische Studien (further - MSOS), Berlin, 1934, Pp. 53-73. (co-authorship with K. Menges).
  • Materialien zur Volkskunde der Türkvölker des Altaj" // MSOS. Jg. XXXVII. Abt. I Ostasiatische Studien, Berlin, 1934 (co-authorship with K. Menges) (Rets. Malov S.E" // BV, 1937, Issue.10 (1936.) pp. 165-168.)
  • Volkskundliche Texte Šor Kizi // MSOS, Jg. XXXVII, Abt. I Ostasiatische Studien - S. 73-105 (co-authorship with K. Menges).
  • "Essays on Shoria history", Moscow - Leningrad, 1936. (full text)
  • Traces de conception totemiques chez les Altaiens dans L.Moryensten: L'exposition d'aptiranien" // Revue Arts Asiatiques. 1936. Vol.10. P.199-210.
  • Uigur Khanate // History of the USSR, Vol.1, Part 4., 1939 (co-author S.V.Kiselyov)
  • Ainu - inhabitants of Southern Sakhalin and Kuriles" // SE, 1946, No 2, pp. 216-218.
  • Religious and magic functions of shaman tambourines" // Briefs of Ethnography Institute USSR Academy of Sciences. Moscow, 1946. Issue 1, pp. 41 - 45.
  • "A ceremony of revival of shaman tambourine among Türkic-speaking tribes of Altai" // Works of Ethnography Institute USSR Academy of Sciences. Vol. 1. Moscow - Leningrad, 1947, ([1] full text)
  • Ethnic structure of Sagais" // SE, 1947, No 3, pp. 103-127.
  • From trip to Sagais// Briefs of Ethnography Institute USSR Academy of Sciences, 1948, Issue 4, ([2] full text)
  • Essays on history of Altaians, Novosibirsk: OGIZ, 1948, (Stalin/Sate premium of the USSR)
  • "Tamburine of Teleut shaman and her figures" // Coll. MAHE, Leningrad, 1949, ([3] full text)
  • "Heroic epos of Altaians" // SE, 1949, No 1
  • Clothing of Altaians // Coll. MAHE. Moscow - Leningrad, Publishing house USSR Academy of Sciences, 1951 - Issue 13, pp. 5-59. ([4] full text)
  • Brief Essays on history and ethnography of Khakases (XVIII-XIX centuries), Abakan, 1952, 217 pp.
  • Essay on an ethnogenesis of southern Altaians" // SE, 1952, No 3 pp. (Also In Chinese and English)
  • Essays on history of Altaians. Moscow - Leningrad, Publishing house USSR Academy of Sciences, 1953
  • Origin and ethnic structure of Koibals // SE, 1953, No 3
  • Application of historico-etnoraphical method in study of Ancient Türkic culture monuments. Reports of the Soviet delegation on 5-th International congress of anthropologists and ethnographers. Moscow, 1956, 28 pp.
  • An origin and ethnic structure Koibals // SE, 1956, No 3
  • Origin and formation of Khakass nation, Abakan, 1957
  • Samanismus u narodu Sayansko-Altajske vysociny jako historicky pramen // Ceskoslovenska etnografia, 1957. Sv.5, No 2, S.134-145.
  • Z dejin kocovnictvive Stredni Asii // Ceskoslovenska etnografia, 1957. Sv.5, No 2, S.260-280.
  • Zum Problem der Herkunft und Ethnogenese der Koibalen und Motoren // Journal de la Societe Finno-Ugrien. Helsinki, 1957. Vol.59, P.104.
  • Wolf in ancient national beliefs and omens of Uzbeks" // Briefs of Ethnography Institute USSR Academy of Sciences, Issue 30, Moscow, 1958,
  • Nova komplexni expedice Institut Ethnografie Akad. Ved SSSR // Ceskoslovenska etnografia, 1958. Sv, 6, N 3
  • Samanske bubny Altaiskych narodnosti // Ceskoslovensko etnografia, 1959. Sv.7, No 4
  • "Gocebelerin ibtidai cemaat hagatlarinianlatan cok eskibiradet" // Jarich Dergisi. Istambul, 1960
  • Die Schamanentrommel bei den Altaischen Völkerschaften" // Glabenswelt und Folklore der sibirischen Völker, Budapest, 1963, S. 223-256.
  • Türkic peoples of Southern Siberia in 6-8 centuries // History of Siberia. Moscow, 1964, Vol.1
  • Tuva in Türkic Kaganate" // History of Tuva, Vol. 1. Moscow, 1964
  • Peoples of Southern Siberia in 6th-8th centuries // History of Siberia, Vol.1, Novosibirsk, 1965.
  • Ethnonym "Tele" and Altaians // Türkological collection, Moscow: Science, 1966, ([5] full text)
  • Ethnic history of Kumandins // History, archeology and ethnography of Central Asia. Moscow, 1968 ([6] full text)
  • Shamans' Drums of Altaic Ethnic Groups" // Popular Beliefs and Folklore Tradition in Siberia, Budapest, 1968, pp. 205-234.
  • Türkic peoples of Southern Siberia // History of Siberia from most ancient times, Leningrad, 1968, Vol 1
  • Yenisei Kirgiz // History of Siberia from most ancient times, Leningrad, 1968, Vol 1
  • Ethnic structure and origin of Altaians. Historico-ethnographical sketch, Leningrad,: Science, 1969
  • Semantics of names of shaman tamburines among Altai nations // Soviet Turkology, Baku, 1970, No 3
  • Tubalars of Mountain Altai // Ethnic history of peoples of Asia. Moscow, 1972 ([7] full text)
  • Tülbers of the Yenisei runic inscriptions // Türkological collection. 1971. Moscow, Science, 1972 ([8] full text)
  • "Aspects of Siberian shamanism study', Chicago, 1973
  • A note to origin of Chelkans-Lebedins // Bronze and Iron Age of Siberia, Ancient Siberia, Issue 4, Novosibirsk, "Science",1974 ([9] full text)
  • Altai - Sayan ethnographic parallels to Ancient Türkic sacrificial ceremony of domesticated animals and their historical meaning // Scientific Notes of Mountain Altai Institute, Gorno-Altaisk, 1974, Issue 11
  • Über den Pferdkult beiden turksprachigen Volkern des Sayan-Altai Gebirges // Abchandlungen und Berichte des Staatlichen Museum fur Volkerkunde Dresden. Berlin, 1975. Bd 34.
  • Historical connections of Sayano-Altai peoples with Sakha (Yakuts) // All-Union Türkological conference, Alma-Ata, 1976 ([10] full text)
  • Signification rituelle du pelage des chevaux chez les populations Sayano-Altaiennen // L'ethnografie (Paris.), 1977, No 2
  • Problem of Altai shamanism's ancient Türkic origin and dating" // Ethnography of peoples of Altai and Western Siberia, Novosibirsk, 1978, pp. 3-36
  • Mythology of Türkic-speaking peoples // Myths of nations of the world. Moscow, 1982, Vol. 2

[edit] Notes


[edit] References

  • "Abramzon S. M., Diakonova V. P. " Zum 70. Geburtstag Leonid Pavlovi č Potatapovs" // Jahrbuch des Museums für Völkerkunde zu Leipzig. Band XXXI. Berlin: Akademie-Verlag, 1977. In German
  • Article about L.P.Potapov on site "Researchers of Altai" In Russian
  • Article about L.P.Potapov on site of the Russian Academy of Science Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (MAHE, Kunstkamera) In Russian
  • "Alekseenko E.A."Closely at far // Radlov readings 2006: Theses / SPb., MAHE of the Russian Academy of Science, 2006, pp. 161-166. [11] full text In Russian)
  • "Diakonova V.P., Reshetov A. M. "Leonid Pavloviche Potapov // EO, 2002, No 2, pp. 125-131 In Russian
  • "Kimeev V. М. "Word about the teacher" // Radlov readings 2006: Theses / SPb., MAHE of the Russian Academy of Science, 2006, pp. 166-168. ([12] full text In Russian)
  • "Dagger R.V." L.P" // Radlov readings 2006: Theses / SPb., MAHE of the Russian Academy of Science, 2006, pp. 158-161. ([13] full text In Russian)
  • Leonid Pavlovich Potapov: 90th birthday anniversary /Russian Academy of Science, SPb., MAHE of the Russian Academy of Science, 1995, In Russian
  • "Okladnikova E.A." Leonid Pavlovich Potapov // Kunstkamera: Ethnographic writing, 1995. Issue 8-9. In Russian
  • "Pavlinskaya L.R. "Leonid Pavlovich Potapov: destiny and time" // Radlov readings 2006: Theses, SPb., Russian Academy of Science, 2006 ([14] full text In Russian)
  • "Reshetov A. M. "Elder of the ethnographic shop: 90th anniversary of L.P.Potapov birthday // Courier of Peter's Kunstkamera, 1995, Issue 2-3. In Russian

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