«The road to the unknown world»: to history of the ski and reindeer run on the route Sale-Khard – Omsk, 1937
English
journal number:
Journal’s Subject Headings:
History, ethnography, archeology
About author:
А.G. Kiselev, Chief Researcher, Ob-Ugric Institute of Applied Researches and Development (628011, Russian Federation, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug – Yugra, Khanty-Mansiysk, Mira st., 14A), Doctor of Historical Sciences. [email protected]
A.M. Losunov, historian, Omsk regional specialist. [email protected]
ABSTRACT
Introduction: one of the brightest phenomena of the second half of the 1930s, in the era of the forced socialist building was long-distance agitation and sport runs as a symbol of the hardening, courage, patriotism of Soviet youth, and successes of the socialist building. They included the ski and reindeer run of the beginning of 1937 along the route Sale-Khard – Omsk. The teams’ task was to deliver a “report” about the “resurgent North” to the regional center.
Objective: to characterize the mentioned runs as a social phenomenon and as a phenomenon of Soviet Northern discourse, “legend”, “fairy-tale true story”, associated with the struggle for socialist ideals.
Research materials: during the article preparation the author used both works of theoretical (social history, micro-history) and applied (history of the North, Soviet imperial history, history of physical culture and sports) character, as well as works devoted to Soviet discourse and Soviet mythology. The work is written on the basis of the periodical materials of 1937, various documents of management and record keeping of Omsk regional executive committee, sources of personal origin, and photo-materials. Methodologically, the theme was developed as a micro-historical, as a theme of social history. At the same time, Soviet discourse is understood by us as self-expression of sociocultural reality, as power capable to change this reality.
Results and novelty of the research: the results can be grouped as follows. First, it was established that agitation and sport runs were a phenomenon modeled by local authorities with the participation of communist-minded youth and “cadres”. They were called upon to demonstrate, on the one hand, the successes of socialist building, on the other hand, the courage, patriotism of young people, their readiness to overcome various difficulties and obstacles for the sake of public recognition. Second, organization of the beginning and completion of runs was shown as a “Soviet holiday”; official and realistic reactions to the runs by the leaders of the regional, district and local levels, youth, and children were revealed. Third, the relations within the teams of runs have been analyzed, and the characteristics of Soviet Russian nationalism and relation of indigenous people to the Soviet realities have been given. Fourth, the elements of the myth-making in the official representation of the runs were revealed. Fifth, the history of the run was shown as a phenomenon of Soviet Northern discourse. In conclusion, the runs were characterized as a product of Soviet culture “national in form and socialist in content.” The meaning of the “national” (mean of attracting of the interest of children and youth) and “sport” (amodel for mass imitation in different regions of Omsk region) was specified.
Key words: the Soviet North, “great journey of the Northern people to communism”, Soviet Northern discourse, official and unofficial Soviet language, totalitarian bilingualism, Soviet mythology and rituals, initiation, agitation and sport run, Soviet physical culture and sports.
Acknowledgements: the authors are sincerely grateful to the Head of the sector of new and recent history of the Yamalo-Nenets Okrug Museum and Exhibition Complex – Alexey Bronislavovich Mazurin; workers of the State Library of Yugra – Anna Vladimirovna Bekker and Tatyana Vladimirovna Purtova for invaluable help in the search
of literature and documentary materials. The article could not have taken place without the support and advice of colleagues from the Ob-Ugric Institute of Applied Researches and Development – Svetlana Alekseevna Popova, Tatyana Vladimirovna Voldina, Mikhail Fyodorovich Ershov, Viktoria Ivanovna Spodina, as well as the Head of
school of the Bear’s Games of the Okrug House of Folk Art of KhMAO – Yugra – Timofey Alexeevich Moldanov.
For citation: “The road to the unknown world”: to history of the ski and reindeer run on the route Sale-Khard – Omsk, 1937 // Vestnik ugrovedenia = Bulletin of Ugric Studies. 2018; 8(1): 123–145.
A.M. Losunov, historian, Omsk regional specialist. [email protected]
ABSTRACT
Introduction: one of the brightest phenomena of the second half of the 1930s, in the era of the forced socialist building was long-distance agitation and sport runs as a symbol of the hardening, courage, patriotism of Soviet youth, and successes of the socialist building. They included the ski and reindeer run of the beginning of 1937 along the route Sale-Khard – Omsk. The teams’ task was to deliver a “report” about the “resurgent North” to the regional center.
Objective: to characterize the mentioned runs as a social phenomenon and as a phenomenon of Soviet Northern discourse, “legend”, “fairy-tale true story”, associated with the struggle for socialist ideals.
Research materials: during the article preparation the author used both works of theoretical (social history, micro-history) and applied (history of the North, Soviet imperial history, history of physical culture and sports) character, as well as works devoted to Soviet discourse and Soviet mythology. The work is written on the basis of the periodical materials of 1937, various documents of management and record keeping of Omsk regional executive committee, sources of personal origin, and photo-materials. Methodologically, the theme was developed as a micro-historical, as a theme of social history. At the same time, Soviet discourse is understood by us as self-expression of sociocultural reality, as power capable to change this reality.
Results and novelty of the research: the results can be grouped as follows. First, it was established that agitation and sport runs were a phenomenon modeled by local authorities with the participation of communist-minded youth and “cadres”. They were called upon to demonstrate, on the one hand, the successes of socialist building, on the other hand, the courage, patriotism of young people, their readiness to overcome various difficulties and obstacles for the sake of public recognition. Second, organization of the beginning and completion of runs was shown as a “Soviet holiday”; official and realistic reactions to the runs by the leaders of the regional, district and local levels, youth, and children were revealed. Third, the relations within the teams of runs have been analyzed, and the characteristics of Soviet Russian nationalism and relation of indigenous people to the Soviet realities have been given. Fourth, the elements of the myth-making in the official representation of the runs were revealed. Fifth, the history of the run was shown as a phenomenon of Soviet Northern discourse. In conclusion, the runs were characterized as a product of Soviet culture “national in form and socialist in content.” The meaning of the “national” (mean of attracting of the interest of children and youth) and “sport” (amodel for mass imitation in different regions of Omsk region) was specified.
Key words: the Soviet North, “great journey of the Northern people to communism”, Soviet Northern discourse, official and unofficial Soviet language, totalitarian bilingualism, Soviet mythology and rituals, initiation, agitation and sport run, Soviet physical culture and sports.
Acknowledgements: the authors are sincerely grateful to the Head of the sector of new and recent history of the Yamalo-Nenets Okrug Museum and Exhibition Complex – Alexey Bronislavovich Mazurin; workers of the State Library of Yugra – Anna Vladimirovna Bekker and Tatyana Vladimirovna Purtova for invaluable help in the search
of literature and documentary materials. The article could not have taken place without the support and advice of colleagues from the Ob-Ugric Institute of Applied Researches and Development – Svetlana Alekseevna Popova, Tatyana Vladimirovna Voldina, Mikhail Fyodorovich Ershov, Viktoria Ivanovna Spodina, as well as the Head of
school of the Bear’s Games of the Okrug House of Folk Art of KhMAO – Yugra – Timofey Alexeevich Moldanov.
For citation: “The road to the unknown world”: to history of the ski and reindeer run on the route Sale-Khard – Omsk, 1937 // Vestnik ugrovedenia = Bulletin of Ugric Studies. 2018; 8(1): 123–145.
