Chernetsov Valery (1905–1970) – ethnographer, linguist, archeologist.

He studied for engineer in Moscow. In 1923, he worked at the geodesic expedition at the North Urals. In 1923-1925, he lived among Ob’ Yugra, learnt Mansi language. Since then, he has been interested in the history and ethnography of the Uralian peoples.

Ch. graduated from the Ethnographic Department of the Geographical Faculty of the Leningrad State University with the specialization in the ethnography of Finno-Ugric peoples (1930). His supervisor was V. G. Bogoraz. He was the author of the first alphabetic book, Mansi-Russian dictionary, and Mansi language manuals. He worked at the Institute of the Peoples of the North, Docent of the Leningrad Herzen Teachers-Training Institute (1932-1936), and the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography of the Ac. of Sc. of the U.S.S.R. (1935-1940). Since 1940, he has worked at the Institute of the History of Material Culture of the Ac. of Sc. of the U.S.S.R. (Institute of Archeology of the Ac. of Sc. of the U.S.S.R., Moscow).

He took part in numerous ethnographic expeditions, studied the culture of Mansi. Since 1927, he studied rock drawings at the banks of the Uralian rivers, as well as at the distant regions. The results were gathered in his fundamental book ‘Rock Images of the Urals’ (vol. 1, 1964; vol. 2, 1970).

Candidate Thesis: ‘The main stages of the history of Priobye from the most ancient times till the tenth century’ (1942); Doctor Thesis: ‘Rock images of the Urals’ (1970).