Klementz Dmitry

Klementz Dmitry (1848–1914) – Revolutionary Narodnik, ethnographer, geographer, archeologist.

In 1867-1871, he studied at the Physical and Mathematical Faculty at the Kazan’ University, later – at the St. Petersburg University. Since 1871, he was a member of a group of Narodniks at the Medical-Surgical Academy (one of the leaders was N. V. Chaikovsky), which initiated ‘going to the people’. In 1873, he went underground; in 1874-1878, he was in emigration in Europe. Member of ‘Zemlya i volya’ Group (Earth and Freedom); Member of the Editorial Board of the ‘Zemlya i volya’ Magazine (1878-1879). In 1879, he was arrested and in 1881sent to Siberia, to Minussinsk.

In 1894-1896, K. headed the Yakutian (Sibiryakov’s) Expedition; in 1889-1891, he participated in expeditions of N. M. Yadrintsev and V. V. Radlov to Mongolia. Staying in Siberia till 1897, K. made field research, studied geography, geology, ethnography, and archeology of Siberia, Central Asia, and Eastern Turkestan. He participated in shaping the local history museums in Minussinsk and Irkutsk.

In 1887, for his research ‘Antiquities of the Myseum of Minussinsk: Monuments of the Metal Epochs’ (1886) he was elected for Correspondent Member of the Moscow Archeological Society. He wrote ethnographical and travel notes published in the ‘Sibirskaya gazeta’ (Siberian Newspaper) and in the ‘Vostochnoe obozrenie’ (Eastern Review).

In 1897-1901, he was Senior Ethnographer of the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography; in 1901-1910 – Head of the Ethnographical Department of the Russian Museum.

In 1891-1894, he was Full Member and Representative of the East Siberian Branch of the Russian Geographical Society in Irkutsk. Since 1901, he was Full Member of the Imperial Russian Archeological Society, since 1905 – Imperial Russian Geographical Society.

He retired (1910) and moved to Moscow, where he died in January 1914. He wrote memories (‘From the Past’. Moscow, 1925).

Compositions

Antiquities of the Myseum of Minussinsk: Monuments of the Metal Epochs. Tomsk, 1886. (in Rus.)
From a Trip to the Kachinskaya Steppe // Vostochnoe obozrenie. 1886, No 47. (in Rus.)
The Way from Minussinsk to Biriusa // Izvestiya of the East Siberian Branch of the Russian Geographical Society. 1890, vol. 21, No 1. (in Rus.)
Short Preliminary report on the Expedition to the Abakan System, Fulfilled on the Order of Mr. Adrianov in 1883, from the Material Collected by D. А. Klementz in the Expedition to the Upper Abakan in 1883‒1884. // Zapiski Izvestiya of the West Siberian Branch of the Russian Geographical Society. 1891, vol. 2. (in Rus.)
Local Museums and Their Role in Provincial Life // Sibirskyi sbornik. Iss. 2. Irkutsk, 1892. (in Rus.)
The Population of Siberia // Siberia. St. Petersburg, 1908, pp. 37-78. (in Rus.)
On the Mutual Influences between Lamaism and Buryat Shamanism // Etnograficheskoe obozrenie. Book 83, 1910, pp.45 - 84. (in Rus.)
Collective Huntings of Northern Buryats // Materials on the Ethnography of Russia. St. Petersburg, 1910, pp.67-87. (together with M. N. Khangalov) (in Rus.)
From the Past: Memories / Introd. I. I. Popov: D. А. Klementz: His Life and Activity. Leningrad, Koloc Publishing House, 1925. (in Rus.)

About him

D. А. Klementz // Zemlevedenie. 1914, books 1-2, pp. 152-154. (in Rus.)
Adrianov А. V. In the Memory of the Klementz Spouses // Izvestiya of the East Siberian Branch of the Russian Geographical Society. 1917, vol. 45, pp. 113-116. (in Rus.)
Oldenburg S. F. D. А. and Е. N. Klementz. In memoriam // Zhivaya starina. 1915, No 1-2, pp. 169-172. (in Rus.)
Popov I. IИ. D. А. Klementz: Biographical Essay. Irkutsk, 1917. (in Rus.)
Tokarev S. А. D. А. Klementz // National Economical Geographers of the Eighteenth – Twentieth Centuries. Moscow, 1957. (in Rus.)
Davlet М. А. D. А. Klementz as Archeologist // Sovetskaya arkheologiya. 1963, No 3. (in Rus.)
Fedorova V. I. Revolutionary Narodnik and Enlightener D. А. Klementz. Krasnoyarsk, 1988. (in Rus.)
Pygmalion of the Museology in Russia: by the 150th Anniversary of D. А. Klementz. St. Petersburg, 1998. (in Rus.)
Milevsky О. А., Panchenko А. B. ‘Restless Klementz’: An Attempt of Intellectual Biography. Moscow, ROSSPEN Publishing House, 1927. (in Rus.)

M. Sh.