Russkoye Ustye
Encyclopedia
Russkoye Ustye is a village (selo) in Allaikhovsky Ulus
of the Sakha Republic, Russia
. For several decades during the Soviet era, the village was officially called Polyarny .
The permanent population of the village was reported as 180 as of January 1, 2001. It had shrunk from around 300 in 1989.
of the Indigirka River
, about 80 kilometres (49.7 mi) from the fall of the main western channel
of the Indigirka's delta into the East Siberian Sea
of the Arctic Ocean
.
The name of the village is probably based on the name of the river channel
on which it is located, and which, too, has been known historically as the Russkoye Ustye. (These days the channel is also known under the name Russkoustyinskoye Protoka that is formed from the name of the village.)
The original channel name, Russkoye Ustye, can be loosely translated as "the westernmost arm" [of the river delta], or the "westernmost river mouth". The noun ustye means "the river mouth", and the adjective Russkoye ("Russian") apparently refers to this channel's being the one located the farthest to the west (i.e., the one closest to [European] Russia). Similarly, the easternmost channel of the delta has been known as the Kolymskoye Ustye, i.e. the river mouth closest to the Kolyma
(the Indigirka's neighbor to the east).
brought by the Indigirka was used for construction and for firewood.
Due to the remarkable geographic isolation of the settlement, its residents preserved much of their ancestors' beliefs, customs, and folklore into the 19th and 20th century, which made the village a favorite destination for Russian ethnographers and cultural anthropologists. Linguists visited the place to study the local dialect of Russian, strongly influenced by the Even language
.
It is speculated that the original settlers, possibly of Pomor
origin, arrived to the delta
of the Indigirka as early as the first half of the 17th century. More skeptical researchers believe that the second half of the 17th century would be a more likely time for the initial settlement.
According to a legend recorded in the village, the villagers' ancestors originally left the European Russia during Ivan IV's persecution campaigns in the late 16th century, although, as Rasputin suggests, reaching the Indigirka may have taken them a long time.
The first known record of the community of Russkoye Ustye is in the reports of the explorer Dmitry Laptev
, who had to spend a winter there in 1739 when his boat was stuck in the ice. A Socialist Revolutionary Vladimir Zenzinov
gave an account of the village visited by him in the early 1900s, during his Siberian exile.
It was only between 1928 (when a schoolhouse was built, and a schoolteacher arrived from the outside world) and the 1960s (the arrival of helicopters) that the village became reconnected, to an extent, with the "mainland" culture and integrated into the national economy. The pelts of arctic fox
became the principal product sold by the villagers to the outside world.
Historically, the peoples of Russkoye Ustye were spread out over several tens of kilometers, living in solitary houses or tiny hamlets
of 3-4 houses (there were six houses in the hamlet where Zenzinov stayed). Around 1940–1942, the authorities arranged for them to move into a single village, which was given the name Polyarny. It was only in the late 20th century that the old name, Russkoye Ustye, was officially returned to the settlement. although it had always been used colloquially by its residents.
A Siberian writer, Valentin Rasputin
, dedicated a chapter of his non-fiction book, "Siberia, Siberia
" (originally published in 1991) to the people of this isolated traditional community. Even though the villagers "seemed to be fashioned entirely out of prejudice", he favorably compares their ability to pass moral judgments
with the moral relativism
of the modern people.
Allaikhovsky Ulus
Allaikhovsky District is an administrative and municipal district , one of the thirty-four in the Sakha Republic, Russia. It is located in the northeastern part of the republic towards the mouth of the Indigirka River and borders with East Siberian Sea in the north, Nizhnekolymsky District in the...
of the Sakha Republic, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. For several decades during the Soviet era, the village was officially called Polyarny .
The permanent population of the village was reported as 180 as of January 1, 2001. It had shrunk from around 300 in 1989.
Geography
Russkoye Ustye is located in the deltaRiver delta
A delta is a landform that is formed at the mouth of a river where that river flows into an ocean, sea, estuary, lake, reservoir, flat arid area, or another river. Deltas are formed from the deposition of the sediment carried by the river as the flow leaves the mouth of the river...
of the Indigirka River
Indigirka River
The Indigirka River is a river in the Sakha Republic in Russia between the Yana River and the Kolyma River. It is in length. The area of its basin is 360,000 km²...
, about 80 kilometres (49.7 mi) from the fall of the main western channel
Distributary
A distributary, or a distributary channel, is a stream that branches off and flows away from a main stream channel. They are a common feature of river deltas. The phenomenon is known as river bifurcation. The opposite of a distributary is a tributary...
of the Indigirka's delta into the East Siberian Sea
East Siberian Sea
The East Siberian Sea is a marginal sea in the Arctic Ocean. It is located between the Arctic Cape to the north, the coast of Siberia to the south, the New Siberian Islands to the west and Cape Billings, close to Chukotka, and Wrangel Island to the east...
of the Arctic Ocean
Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region, is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceanic divisions...
.
The name of the village is probably based on the name of the river channel
Distributary
A distributary, or a distributary channel, is a stream that branches off and flows away from a main stream channel. They are a common feature of river deltas. The phenomenon is known as river bifurcation. The opposite of a distributary is a tributary...
on which it is located, and which, too, has been known historically as the Russkoye Ustye. (These days the channel is also known under the name Russkoustyinskoye Protoka that is formed from the name of the village.)
The original channel name, Russkoye Ustye, can be loosely translated as "the westernmost arm" [of the river delta], or the "westernmost river mouth". The noun ustye means "the river mouth", and the adjective Russkoye ("Russian") apparently refers to this channel's being the one located the farthest to the west (i.e., the one closest to [European] Russia). Similarly, the easternmost channel of the delta has been known as the Kolymskoye Ustye, i.e. the river mouth closest to the Kolyma
Kolyma River
The Kolyma River is a river in northeastern Siberia, whose basin covers parts of the Sakha Republic, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, and Magadan Oblast of Russia. Itrises in the mountains north of Okhotsk and Magadan, in the area of and...
(the Indigirka's neighbor to the east).
History and culture
Russkoye Ustye was settled by ethnic Russians several centuries ago. As no agriculture is possible at this Arctic location, they developed an economy based on hunting, fishing, and trapping. Since the place is north of the Arctic tree line, driftwoodDriftwood
Driftwood is wood that has been washed onto a shore or beach of a sea or river by the action of winds, tides, waves or man. It is a form of marine debris or tidewrack....
brought by the Indigirka was used for construction and for firewood.
Due to the remarkable geographic isolation of the settlement, its residents preserved much of their ancestors' beliefs, customs, and folklore into the 19th and 20th century, which made the village a favorite destination for Russian ethnographers and cultural anthropologists. Linguists visited the place to study the local dialect of Russian, strongly influenced by the Even language
Even language
The Even language is a Tungusic language spoken by the Evens in Siberia. It is spoken by widely scattered communities of reindeer herders from Kamchatka and the Sea of Okhotsk in the east to the River Lena in the west, and from the Arctic coast in the north to the River Aldan in the south...
.
It is speculated that the original settlers, possibly of Pomor
Pomors
Pomors or Pomory are Russian settlers and their descendants on the White Sea coast. It is also term of self-identification for the descendants of Russian, primarily Novgorod, settlers of Pomorye , living on the White Sea coasts and the territory whose southern border lies on a watershed which...
origin, arrived to the delta
River delta
A delta is a landform that is formed at the mouth of a river where that river flows into an ocean, sea, estuary, lake, reservoir, flat arid area, or another river. Deltas are formed from the deposition of the sediment carried by the river as the flow leaves the mouth of the river...
of the Indigirka as early as the first half of the 17th century. More skeptical researchers believe that the second half of the 17th century would be a more likely time for the initial settlement.
According to a legend recorded in the village, the villagers' ancestors originally left the European Russia during Ivan IV's persecution campaigns in the late 16th century, although, as Rasputin suggests, reaching the Indigirka may have taken them a long time.
The first known record of the community of Russkoye Ustye is in the reports of the explorer Dmitry Laptev
Dmitry Laptev
Dmitry Yakovlevich Laptev was a Russian Arctic explorer and Vice Admiral .Dmitry Laptev was born in the village of Bolotovo, near Velikie Luki, in 1701. Bolotovo was the estate of his father, Yakov Laptev...
, who had to spend a winter there in 1739 when his boat was stuck in the ice. A Socialist Revolutionary Vladimir Zenzinov
Vladimir Zenzinov
Vladimir Mikhailovich Zenzinov was a member of Russia's Socialist-Revolutionary Party, a participant of the First , Second , and Third Russian Revolutions, and an author of a number of books.-Biography:...
gave an account of the village visited by him in the early 1900s, during his Siberian exile.
It was only between 1928 (when a schoolhouse was built, and a schoolteacher arrived from the outside world) and the 1960s (the arrival of helicopters) that the village became reconnected, to an extent, with the "mainland" culture and integrated into the national economy. The pelts of arctic fox
Arctic fox
The arctic fox , also known as the white fox, polar fox or snow fox, is a small fox native to Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere and is common throughout the Arctic tundra biome. The Greek word alopex, means a fox and Vulpes is the Latin version...
became the principal product sold by the villagers to the outside world.
Historically, the peoples of Russkoye Ustye were spread out over several tens of kilometers, living in solitary houses or tiny hamlets
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
of 3-4 houses (there were six houses in the hamlet where Zenzinov stayed). Around 1940–1942, the authorities arranged for them to move into a single village, which was given the name Polyarny. It was only in the late 20th century that the old name, Russkoye Ustye, was officially returned to the settlement. although it had always been used colloquially by its residents.
A Siberian writer, Valentin Rasputin
Valentin Rasputin
Valentin Grigoriyevich Rasputin is a Russian writer. He was born and lived much of his life in the Irkutsk Oblast in Eastern Siberia. Rasputin's works depict rootless urban characters and the fight for survival of centuries-old traditional rural ways of life...
, dedicated a chapter of his non-fiction book, "Siberia, Siberia
Siberia, Siberia
Siberia, Siberia is a non-fiction book by the Russian writer Valentin Rasputin. It was originally published in Russian in 1991 by Molodaya Gvardiya Publishers. The second and third editions appeared in 2000 and 2006; an English translation is available as well.Rasputin is a Russian novelist based...
" (originally published in 1991) to the people of this isolated traditional community. Even though the villagers "seemed to be fashioned entirely out of prejudice", he favorably compares their ability to pass moral judgments
Moral absolutism
Moral absolutism is an ethical view that certain actions are absolutely right or wrong, regardless of other contexts such as their consequences or the intentions behind them. Thus stealing, for instance, might be considered to be always immoral, even if done to promote some other good , and even if...
with the moral relativism
Moral relativism
Moral relativism may be any of several descriptive, meta-ethical, or normative positions. Each of them is concerned with the differences in moral judgments across different people and cultures:...
of the modern people.