| Irina Konstantinovna Feodorova | |
|---|---|
| Born | 28 November 1931 Leningrad, USSR |
| Died | 7 December 2010 (aged 79) Saint Petersburg, Russia |
| Residence | USSR → Russia |
| Nationality | Russian |
| Fields | history, ethnography, epigraphy, decipherment |
| Institutions | Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Russian Academy of Science) named after Peter The Great (Kunstkamera) St. Petersburg |
| Alma mater | Leningrad State University |
| Known for | author of the recognized decipherment of rapanui hieroglyphic writing |
| Notable awards | Premium after N.N.Miklouho-Macklay of Academy of Science of the USSR (1981) Premium of Presidium of the Russian Academy of Science (1995) |
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Irina Konstantinovna Feodorova (28 November 1931, Leningrad, USSR — 7 December 2010, Saint Petersburg) — soviet historic and ethnograph, the expert on ethnography, culture, folklore, language of people of East Polynesia, first of all Easter island (Rapa-Nui), the author of the recognized decipherment of rapanui hieroglyphic writing;[1] the doctor of historical sciences, leading scientist of a department of Australia, Ocenia and Indonesia of the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Russian Academy of Science) named after Peter The Great (Kinstkamera) in St.-Petersburg. She was the laureate of the premium after N.N.Miklouho-Macklay of Academy of Science of the USSR (1981), premium of Presidium of the Russian Academy of Science (1995).
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I.K.Fedorova was born in Leningrad in 1931 Her father, Konstantin Andreevich Mozhajsky, worked in a printing house, mother - Lydia Romanovna Steinberg was a teacher of German language at Leningrad’s schools.
In 1966 has protected the master's thesis on a theme «Folklore of Easter island as a historical source», in 1978 has published the monography «Myths, legends of Easter island» which till now is only arch in a world science of all available relics of rapanui folklore. For this book she has been awarded premium by N.N. Miklouho-Macklay of Academy of Science of the USSR (1981). In 1987 this work was reedited in Budapest in the Hungarian language. This book includes the translations of legends made by I.K.Fedorova from the manuscripts brought from Easter island in 1956 by the Norwegian researcher Thor Heyerdahl. Foreign scientists could not translate these texts written on rapanui language with wrong breakdown on words, therefore Heyerdahl has addressed for the help in Kunstkamera, knowing about outstanding school of decipherment in Leningrad. He has published Irina Fedorova’s translations in 2-d volume of Works of the Norwegian archeological expedition (1965). Continuing to study of Rapanui culture, I.K.Fedorova in 1988 has published the second monograph on folklore «Myths and legends of Easter island», including as the summary dictionary of Rapanui language (direct and reverse), and translation from Rapanui of the manuscript «Е», brought by German researcher Thomas Barthel and published by him without translation in 1974.
The book «Easter island. Sketches of culture of XIX-ХХ centuries» (1993) on which theme in 1994 I.K.Fedorova has protected the thesis for a doctor's degree, it is devoted to history of populating of Easter island, ethnogenesis of its inhabitants and to the decision of numerous riddles of its ancient and original civilization. Irina Konstantinovna has analyzed the most interesting aspects of culture of Rapanui natives - their folklore, language, the chanting connected with games in strings, features of a tattoo, of stone statues, has shown semantics of plaiting funeral and carved wooden figures.
The first results of work above writing kohau rongorongo, confirmed hieroglyphic character of Rapanui texts have appeared in her articles since of 1960th. The further researches have shown, that texts of Easter island are written in the language strongly differing from modern Rapanui - in them first of all there were no "variable" signs transmitting syntactic words. Progress of rongorongo studying begin, when it became clear, that reading and translation of texts need to be led not breaking them off on blocks or the fragments, and consistently led from the first up to last sign. The main feature of Rapanui texts is strongly expressed homonymy, the most convenient way, record well the features of Rapanui language.
Results of decoding Rapanui hieroglyphic letter was presented in 1995 by monograph «Kohau rongorongo tablets from Kunstkamera» (1995) for which has the same year received premium of Presidium of the Russian Academy of sciences.
In this book Irina Fedorova offered the reading and translation without lacunas of two Rapanui plates from Kunstkamera’s collection. In 2001 was published her fundamental decoding (with reading and translation) of all hieroglyphic Rapanui tablets preserved in museums of the world up to now - «Speaking tablets from Easter island. Decoding, reading, translation».
Besides I.K.Fedorova has decoded and some non-standard late hieroglyphic scripts: on the tablet «Ika» from Madrid, the tablet brought by Francis Mazier, manuscript of Tomenika Tau a Ure.
Besides decoding rongorongo (to which two books and 20 articles are devoted), I.K.Fedorova has wrote over 100 articles and reports published in Russia and abroad - in USA, England, France, Germany, Chile. They are devoted to various problems of ethnography, culture, folklore, language of Easter island and inhabitants of other islands of Polynesia (Hawaii, New Zealand, Marquises, Mangarewa, Tahiti, Samoa, Tonga), to an origin of people of Oceania and Pacific oceanic contacts, a role of Areoi on islands of Polynesia, linguistics of Polynesian and American Indian languages; petroglyphs, zodiac, calendar, paleoastronomy, toponyms, terms of relationship and social systems, material culture, mythology, religious views, magic fairy tales, games, tattoo, semantics of Polynesian sculptural and carved images. I.K.Fedorova took part in work of VII International Congress of Archeology and Ethnography (Moscow, 1964), constantly acted with reports in work of various conferences, symposiums.
Other sphere of scientific activity of I.K.Fedorova was studying early history and ethnography of Easter island and East Polynesia. Her book «Missionaries of Easter island» (2004) is devoted to history of first Catholic Rapanui mission and the relation of missionaries to original Rapanui culture. It is written on rare archival materials and publications of Congregation de Sacres Coeurs (Vatican) and shows a positive role of Rapanui mission in XIX century in studying and preservation of local culture and salvage of natives.
From 1995 I.K.Fedorova was the participant of informal creative group «the Way of ancestors», investigating and publishing materials on history of the first Russian round-the-world expedition (1803−1806). She participated in preparation of the large scientific album «Around the world with Krusenstern» (2005), was the co-author in the collective monograph «Russians in «the Silent sea»» (2006), devoted to ethnographic heritage of participants of the first round-the-world expedition of Russians by the ships "Nadeshda" and "Neva" under A.J.Krusenstern and J.F.Lisjansky's command, first of all, on islands of East Polynesia - Easter island, Marquesas and Hawaii, and in the memorial edition «Russian Geographical Society. 165 years of service to fatherland» (2011). She studied diaries and letters of I.K.Horner, F.I.Shemelin, M.I.Ratmanov and other participants of the first Russian round-the-world voyage.
Unfortunately, one of Irina Konstantinovna's last works «The Semantics of sculptural and carved images (in subjects of Polynesian collections of Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Russian Academy of Science)» has remained not published.