Nikolai Miklukho-Maklai. H

Nikolai Miklukho-Maclay was born on July 17 (5), 1846 in the family of a railway engineer. Place of birth - the village of Yazykovo-Rozhdestvenskoye, Borovichsky district, Novgorod province.

The hereditary nobility for the family was earned by the Zaporozhian Cossack Stepan Miklukha, who distinguished himself in the capture of Ochakov. In 1858, the family moved to St. Petersburg, where Nikolai continued his studies at the Second St. Petersburg Gymnasium. Without graduating from the gymnasium, Miklukho-Maclay became a volunteer at the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of St. Petersburg University.

The study did not last long. Miklukho-Maclay, an active participant in student unrest, was expelled from the university without the right to enter others. The student community supported the disgraced comrade. Money was collected, for which he left for the University of Heidelberg in Germany, where he continued his studies - at the Faculty of Philosophy. Soon he transferred to the medical faculty of Leipzig and then the University of Jena. Here he met the famous zoologist E. Haeckel, with whom he traveled as an assistant to the Canary Islands and Morocco. After graduating from the university, Nikolai Nikolaevich made an independent trip along the Red Sea coast and in 1869 returned to his homeland.

Here Nikolai Nikolayevich turned to an active study of natural science, anthropology, ethnography and geography, and the next page in the biography of Miklukho-Maclay is the long journey he went on in 1870. On the warship "Vityaz" he reached New Guinea. Here, among the natives (Papuans), he spent two years studying their way of life, customs, and religious rites. Later, he continued his observations in the Philippines, Indonesia, the Malay Peninsula and the islands of Oceania.

In 1876-1877 he returned to the already explored shores of northeastern New Guinea. Poor health and general exhaustion forced him to leave the island and depart for Singapore. The treatment continued for six months. There were no funds to return to Russia, and he moved to Australia, where at one time he lived with the Russian vice-consul.

Then he moved to a public figure, zoologist and chairman of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, W. Maclay. With his help, the proposal of Miklouho-Maclay was implemented - the construction of the Australian Zoological Station, which later became known as the Marine Biological Station.

In 1879-1880, he was a member of an expedition to the islands of Melanesia and again returned to his “native” places of New Guinea.

In 1882 Miklukho-Maclay returned to Russia. His plans included the construction of a Russian station and a Russian settlement in New Guinea, but no one supported them. The audience with Emperor Alexander III ended almost to no avail. True, a little help was nevertheless provided: debts were paid off and funds were allocated for further research and the publication of scientific papers.

In 1883, Nikolai Nikolaevich returned to Australia, where he married Margarita Robertson, the daughter of a large landowner.

In 1886, the scientist came to Russia again and proposed to the emperor the "Project for the Development of the Maclay Coast" in order to counteract the colonization of the island by Germany. A positive decision on this project has not yet been made.

On April 2 (14), 1888, the great Russian scientist died in the Willie clinic in St. Petersburg. The worn-out organism could not cope with the aggravated diseases.

After the death of Nikolai Nikolaevich, his wife and children returned to Australia. As a token of the scientist's high merit, until 1917 they received a pension, which was paid from the personal money of Alexander III and Nicholas II.

In 1996, in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the birth of Miklouho-Maclay, UNESCO named him a Citizen of the World.

The abstract was completed by: student 8 "A" of secondary school No. 10 Babikov M. S.

Krasnokamsk 2009

Nikolai Nikolaevich Miklukho-Maclay (born July 17 (July 5, old style), 1846, the village of Yazykovo-Rozhdestvenskoye, Borovichi district, Novgorod province - died April 14 (April 2, old style), 1888, St. Petersburg) - Russian ethnographer, anthropologist, biologist and traveler who studied the indigenous population of Southeast Asia, Australia and Oceania (1870-1880s), including the Papuans of the northeastern coast of New Guinea (This coast is called the Miklouho-Maclay Coast in Russian-language literature).

Miklouho-Maclay's birthday is a professional holiday for ethnographers.

Biography

Nikolai Nikolaevich Miklukho-Maclay was born into the family of a railway engineer N. I. Miklukha, a Russian railway engineer, builder of the Nikolaevskaya railway and the first head of the Moscow railway station.

The family had hereditary nobility, which Miklukho-Maclay's great-grandfather deserved - a native of Chernihiv region, Zaporozhye Cossack Stepan Miklukha, who distinguished himself in the capture of Ochakov (1788).

Young years

Later, the family moved to St. Petersburg, where, since 1858, Nikolai continued his studies at the Second St. Petersburg Gymnasium. After graduating from the course of gymnasium education, Miklukho-Maclay, as a volunteer, continues his studies at the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of St. Petersburg University. The study didn't take long. In 1864, for participation in student gatherings, Miklouho-Maclay was expelled from the university and he, with the funds raised by the student community, left for Germany. In Germany, he continues his studies at the University of Heidelberg, where he studies philosophy. A year later, Miklouho-Maclay transferred to the medical faculty of the University of Leipzig, and then the University of Jena. At the University of Jena, Nikolai met the famous zoologist E. Haeckel, under whose guidance he began to study the comparative anatomy of animals. As an assistant to Haeckel, Miklouho-Maclay travels to the Canary Islands and Morocco. After graduating from the university in 1868, Miklukho-Maclay makes an independent journey along the Red Sea coast, and then, in 1869, returns to Russia.

Becoming a scientist

The horizons of the young researcher expanded, and he moved on to more general issues of natural science - anthropology, ethnography, geography. In these areas, Miklouho-Maclay managed to achieve certain successes. Of particular interest is his conclusion that the cultural and racial characteristics of various peoples are conditioned by the natural and social environment.

Miklukho-Maclay also makes another major journey. In 1870, on the warship Vityaz, he sailed to New Guinea. Here, on the northeastern coast of this island, he spends two years studying the life, customs, and religious rites of the natives (Papuans). Miklouho-Maclay's observations, begun in New Guinea, continue in the Philippines, Indonesia, the southwestern coast of New Guinea, the Malay Peninsula, and the islands of Oceania.

In 1876-1877, the scientist again spends several months on the northeastern coast of New Guinea, returning to the tribe whose life he observed earlier. Unfortunately, his stay on the island was short-lived, and signs of anemia and general exhaustion forced him to leave the island and depart for Singapore. The treatment took over six months. The lack of financial resources did not allow Miklouho-Maclay to return to Russia, and he was forced to move to Sydney (Australia), where he settled with the Russian consul. Then Miklouho-Maclay lived for some time in the English Club, and then moved to the house of a public figure, zoologist and chairman of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, W. Maclay. Maclay helps Miklouho-Maclay to implement the idea he expressed at the Linnev Society of building an Australian zoological station. In September 1878, Miklouho-Maclay's proposal was approved, and in Watson Bay (_en. Watsons Bay), the construction of a station began, which was named the Marine Biological Station, according to the design of the Sydney architect John Kirkpatrick.

In 1879-1880, Miklouho-Maclay made an expedition to the islands of Melanesia, in particular to the island of New Caledonia, and once again visited the northeastern coast of New Guinea.

In 1882 the scientist returned to Russia. Miklukho-Maclay's plans included the construction of a sea station and a Russian settlement on the northeast coast of New Guinea (Maclay Coast). Miklukho-Maclay also offered his own program of economic and social transformations in the life of the islanders. An audience with Alexander III did not bring results. The scientist's plans were rejected, but he managed to resolve the issues of paying off debts and receive funds for further research and publication of his own works.

In 1883 Miklouho-Maclay left Russia and returned to Australia. In Batavia, he meets the Russian corvette "Skobelev" (the new name of the corvette "Vityaz") and cannot deny himself the desire to visit the Maclay coast again, where the commander of the ship, Admiral Kopytov, intended to go. For several days, from March 17 to March 23, Miklouho-Maclay spends in familiar places. Despite the fact that the scientist agreed with the inhabitants of the island of Segou to build his house on the island of Megaspena, he was no longer destined to return to the Maclay Coast.

In 1884, he marries Margarita Robertson, daughter of a large landowner and political figure in New South Wales. In 1886, the scientist returns to Russia again and again offers the emperor the Maclay Coast Project as a counter to the colonization of the island by Germany. However, this attempt did not bring the desired result either. The researcher's worn-out body weakly resisted diseases, and on the evening of April 2, 1888, the great Russian scientist died in the Vilie clinic in St. Petersburg.

; Father: Nikolai Ilyich Miklukha (1818 - 1858) - Russian engineer-traveler. The builder of the Nikolaev railway and the first head of the Moscow station.; Mother: Ekaterina Semyonovna Bekker - daughter of the hero of the Patriotic War of 1812, Colonel Semyon Bekker.; Brothers: Brother Vladimir Miklukho-Maklay (1853-1905) - naval officer, died heroically in the Tsushima naval battle . : Younger brother - geologist and People's Will Mikhail Miklukha

Miklouho-Maclay's wife and his children, who returned to Australia after the death of the scientist, received a Russian pension until 1917 as a token of the scientist's high merits, which was paid from the personal money of Alexander III, and then Nicholas II.

memory of a scientist

* In 1947, the name of Miklukho-Maclay was given to the Institute of Ethnography of the USSR Academy of Sciences.

* In 1947, directed by A.E. Reasonable filmed the feature film "Miklukho-Maclay".

* In 1996, in the year of the 150th anniversary of the birth of Miklouho-Maclay, UNESCO named him a Citizen of the World.

* In the same year at the building of the Museum. W. Macleay (Macleay Museum) on the territory of the University of Sydney (University of Sydney) installed a bust of a scientist (sculptor G. Raspopov).

* There is Miklukho-Maklaya street in Moscow.

Miklukho-Maclay a brief biography of the Russian ethnographer, anthropologist, biologist and traveler is presented in this article.

Miklukho-Maclay short biography

Nikolai Nikolaevich Miklukho-Maclay was born July 17, 1846 in the village of Yazykovo-Rozhdestvenskoye, Borovichi district, Novgorod province in the family of a railway engineer. His great-grandfather was a Zaporozhye Cossack.

When the family moved to St. Petersburg, after graduating from the gymnasium, Nikolai attends lectures at the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of St. Petersburg University. From there, he was expelled and the future ethnologist leaves to study in Germany, enrolling at the University of Heidelberg. But a year later, Miklouho-Maclay realizes that he wants to do something else and is transferred to the University of Leipzig at the Faculty of Medicine. Later, the place of study changes again - this time at the University of Jena, Nikolai studies animal anatomy. Having completed his studies and made a trip to the Red Sea, he returned to Russia in 1869, where he began to engage in scientific activities.

The first major trip was a trip on a warship called the Vityaz to New Guinea, where he studied the life of the Papuans for two whole years. During long-term observations, Miklouho-Maclay developed anemia and malnutrition, from which he was forced to leave for Singapore for treatment. Due to poor financial condition, Nikolai Nikolaevich moves to Sydney and settles with the Russian consul. Later he lives in the English Club, and then moves to W. Macleay, a well-known zoologist. Nikolai Nikolaevich proposes the idea of ​​creating an Australian zoological station, and in September 1878 the construction of the station began. It was named the Marine Biological Station.

In 1882, the scientist returned to Russia and planned the construction of a sea station and a Russian settlement in New Guinea for research. But Alexander III refused him. A year later, Nikolai Nikolaevich leaves Russia and returns to Australia. There he marries in 1884 Marguerite Robertson, daughter of a wealthy landowner and politician. In 1886, he again returned to Russia and again asked for an audience with Alexander III regarding previous plans. But he got rejected again.

Born July 17 (July 5, old style), 1846, the village of Yazykovo-Rozhdestvenskoye, Borovichi district, Novgorod province - died April 14 (April 2, old style), 1888, St. Petersburg) - Russian ethnographer, anthropologist, biologist and traveler, who studied the indigenous population of Southeast Asia, Australia and Oceania (1870-1880s), including the Papuans of the northeastern coast of New Guinea (This coast is called the Miklouho-Maclay Coast in Russian-language literature). Miklouho-Maclay's birthday is a professional holiday for ethnographers.

Young years

Nikolai Nikolaevich Miklukho-Maclay was born into the family of a railway engineer. The family had hereditary nobility, which Miklukho-Maclay's great-grandfather deserved - a native of Chernihiv region, Zaporozhye Cossack Stepan Miklukha, who distinguished himself in the capture of Ochakov (1788).

Later, the family moved to St. Petersburg, where, since 1858, Nikolai continued his studies at the Second St. Petersburg Gymnasium. After graduating from the course of gymnasium education, Miklukho-Maclay, as a volunteer, continues his studies at the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of St. Petersburg University. The study didn't take long. In 1864, for participation in student gatherings, Miklouho-Maclay was expelled from the university and he, with the funds raised by the student community, left for Germany. In Germany, he continues his studies at the University of Heidelberg, where he studies philosophy. A year later, Miklouho-Maclay transferred to the medical faculty of the University of Leipzig, and then the University of Jena. At the University of Jena, Nikolai met the famous zoologist E. Haeckel, under whose guidance he began to study the comparative anatomy of animals. As an assistant to Haeckel, Miklouho-Maclay travels to the Canary Islands and Morocco. After graduating from the university in 1868, Miklukho-Maclay makes an independent journey along the Red Sea coast, and then, in 1869, returns to Russia.

Becoming a scientist

The horizons of the young researcher expanded, and he moved on to more general issues of natural science - anthropology, ethnography, geography. In these areas, Miklouho-Maclay managed to achieve certain successes. Of particular interest is his conclusion that the cultural and racial characteristics of various peoples are conditioned by the natural and social environment.

Miklukho-Maclay also makes another major journey. In 1870, on the warship Vityaz, he sailed to New Guinea. Here, on the northeastern coast of this island, he spends two years studying the life, customs, and religious rites of the natives (Papuans). Miklouho-Maclay's observations, begun in New Guinea, continue in the Philippines, Indonesia, the southwestern coast of New Guinea, the Malay Peninsula, and the islands of Oceania.

In 1876-1877, the scientist again spends several months on the northeastern coast of New Guinea, returning to the tribe whose life he observed earlier. Unfortunately, his stay on the island was short-lived, and signs of anemia and general exhaustion forced him to leave the island and depart for Singapore. The treatment took over six months. The lack of financial resources did not allow Miklouho-Maclay to return to Russia, and he was forced to move to Sydney (Australia), where he settled with the Russian consul. Then Miklouho-Maclay lived for some time in the English Club, and then moved to the house of a public figure, zoologist and chairman of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, W. Maclay. Maclay helps Miklouho-Maclay to implement the idea he expressed at the Linnev Society of building an Australian zoological station. In September 1878, Miklouho-Maclay's proposal was approved, and in Watson Bay, according to the design of the Sydney architect John Kirkpatrick, the construction of a station began, which was called the Marine Biological Station.

In 1879-1880, Miklouho-Maclay made an expedition to the islands of Melanesia, in particular to the island of New Caledonia, and once again visited the northeastern coast of New Guinea.

In 1882 the scientist returned to Russia. Miklukho-Maclay's plans included the construction of a sea station and a Russian settlement on the northeast coast of New Guinea (Maclay Coast). Miklukho-Maclay also offered his own program of economic and social transformations in the life of the islanders. An audience with Alexander III did not bring results. The scientist's plans were rejected, but he managed to resolve the issues of paying off debts and receive funds for further research and publication of his own works.

In 1883 Miklouho-Maclay left Russia and returned to Australia. In 1884 he married Margaret Robertson, the daughter of a large landowner and politician in New South Wales. In 1886, the scientist returned to Russia again and again proposed to the emperor the Maclay Coast Project as a counter to the colonization of the island by Germany. However, this attempt did not bring the desired result. The researcher's worn-out organism weakly resisted diseases, and on the evening of April 2, 1888, the great Russian scientist died in the Vilie clinic in St. Petersburg.

memory of a scientist

Miklouho-Maclay's wife and his children, who returned to Australia after the death of the scientist, received a Russian pension until 1917 as a token of the scientist's high merits, which was paid from the personal money of Alexander III, and then Nicholas II.

* In 1947, the name of Miklukho-Maclay was given to the Institute of Ethnography of the USSR Academy of Sciences.

* In 1947, director V. A. Razumny shot the feature film Miklukho-Maclay.

* In 1996, in the year of the 150th anniversary of the birth of Miklouho-Maclay, UNESCO named him a Citizen of the World.

* In the same year on the territory of the University. W. Macleay installed a bust of a scientist (sculptor G. Raspopov).

Exactly 130 years ago, on April 14, 1888, the famous Russian ethnographer, biologist, anthropologist and traveler Nikolai Nikolaevich Miklukho-Maclay, who devoted most of his life to studying the indigenous population of Australia, Oceania and Southeast Asia, including the Papuans of Northeast Asia, passed away. the eastern coast of New Guinea, today called the Maclay Coast (a section of the northeastern coast of the island of New Guinea between 5 and 6 ° south latitude, about 300 kilometers long, between Astrolabe Bay and the Huon Peninsula). His research was highly appreciated during his lifetime. Considering his merits, Miklouho-Maclay's birthday on July 17 is unofficially celebrated in Russia as a professional holiday - Ethnographer's Day.

Nikolai Nikolayevich Miklukho-Maclay was born on July 17, 1846 (July 5, according to the old style) in the village of Rozhdestvenskoye (today it is Yazykovo-Rozhdestvenskoye, Okulovsky municipal district of the Novgorod region) in the family of an engineer. His father, Nikolai Ilyich Miklukha, was a railroad worker. The mother of the future ethnographer was Ekaterina Semyonovna Becker, she was the daughter of a hero of the Patriotic War of 1812. Contrary to a fairly common misconception, Miklouho-Maclay did not have any significant foreign roots. The widespread legend about the Scottish mercenary Mikael Maclay, who, having taken root in Russia, became the founder of the clan, was only a legend. The traveler himself came from an obscure Cossack family Mikluh. If we talk about the second part of the surname, then for the first time he used it in 1868, signing the first scientific publication in German, “The Rudiment of the Swim Bladder in Selachians”. At the same time, historians have not been able to come to a consensus on the reason why this double surname Miklouho-Maclay arose. Speaking about his nationality, in his dying autobiography, the ethnographer pointed out that he was a mixture of elements: Russian, German and Polish.

Surprisingly, the future ethnographer studied rather poorly at school, often skipping classes. As he admitted 20 years later, at the gymnasium he skipped classes not only because of ill health, but also simply because he did not want to study. In the 4th grade of the Second Petersburg Gymnasium, he spent two years, and in the 1860/61 academic year he attended classes very rarely, missing a total of 414 lessons. Miklukha's only mark was "good" in French, in German he had "satisfactory", in other subjects - "poor" and "mediocre". While still a high school student, Miklukho-Maclay was imprisoned in the Peter and Paul Fortress, he was sent there with his brother for participating in a student demonstration, which was caused by the socio-political upsurge of 1861 and was associated with the abolition of serfdom in the country.

Photo of Nikolai Miklukha - student (until 1866)

In Soviet times, the biography of the ethnographer indicated that he was expelled from the gymnasium, and then from the University of Miklouho-Maclay, for participating in political activities. But this is not true. The future famous traveler left the gymnasium of his own free will, and he simply could not be expelled from the university, since he was in it as a volunteer. He did not finish his studies in St. Petersburg, leaving for Germany. In 1864, the future ethnographer studied at the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Heidelberg, in 1865 at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Leipzig. And in 1866 he moved to Jena (a university city in Germany), where he studied the comparative anatomy of animals at the medical faculty. As an assistant to the German naturalist Ernst Haeckel, he visited Morocco and the Canary Islands. In 1868, Miklouho-Maclay completed his studies at the University of Jena. During the first expedition to the Canary Islands, the future explorer studied sea sponges, discovering as a result a new type of calcareous sponge, naming it Guancha blanca in honor of the indigenous inhabitants of these islands. It is curious that from 1864 to 1869, from 1870 to 1882 and from 1883 to 1886 Miklukho-Maclay lived outside of Russia, never staying in his homeland for more than one year.

In 1869, he traveled to the Red Sea coast, the purpose of the trip was to study the local marine fauna. In the same year he returned back to Russia. The first scientific studies of the ethnographer were devoted to the comparative anatomy of sea sponges, the brain of sharks, as well as other issues of zoology. But during his travels, Miklouho-Maclay also made valuable geographical observations. Nicholas was inclined to the version that the cultural and racial characteristics of the peoples of the world are formed under the influence of the social and natural environment. In order to substantiate this theory, Miklouho-Maclay decided to undertake a long journey to the Pacific Islands, here he was going to study the "Papuan race". At the end of October 1870, with the assistance of the Russian Geographical Society, the traveler got the opportunity to travel to New Guinea. Here he went on board the military ship "Vityaz". His expedition was designed for several years.

On September 20, 1871, the Vityaz landed Maclay on the northeast coast of New Guinea. In the future, this area of ​​the coast will be called the Maclay Coast. Contrary to erroneous ideas, he did not travel alone, but was accompanied by two servants - a young man from the island of Niue named Boy and a Swedish sailor Olsen. At the same time, with the help of the Vityaz crew members, a hut was built, which became not only housing for Miklukho-Maclay, but also a suitable laboratory. He lived among the local Papuans for 15 months in 1871-1872, and with his tactful behavior and friendliness, he managed to win their love and trust.

Corvette "Vityaz" under sail

But initially, Miklukho-Maclay was considered among the Papuans not as a god, as is commonly believed, but quite the opposite, an evil spirit. The reason for this attitude towards him was the episode on the first day of their acquaintance. Seeing the ship and the white people, the islanders thought that it was Rotei, their great ancestor, who had returned. A large number of Papuans went in their boats to the ship in order to present gifts to the arrival. On board the Viking, they were also well received and given gifts, but already on the way back, a cannon shot suddenly rang out from the ship, as the crew saluted in honor of their arrival. However, the islanders, out of fear, literally jumped out of their own boats, threw gifts and swam to the shore, deciding that it was not Rotey, but the evil spirit Buka, who had come to them.

A Papuan named Tui, who was braver than the rest of the islanders, helped to change the situation in the future and managed to make friends with the traveler. When Miklukho-Maclay managed to cure Tui from a serious wound, the Papuans accepted him into their society as an equal to themselves, including him in the local society. Tui, for a long time, remained the ethnographer's translator and mediator in his relations with other Papuans.

In 1873, Miklouho-Maclay visited the Philippines and Indonesia, and the very next year he visited the southwestern coast of New Guinea. In 1874-1875, he again traveled twice around the Malay Peninsula, studying the local Sakai and Semang tribes. In 1876 he traveled to Western Micronesia (the islands of Oceania), as well as Northern Melanesia (visiting various island groups in the Pacific Ocean). In 1876 and 1877 he again visited the Maclay Coast. From here, he wanted to return back to Russia, but due to a serious illness, the traveler was forced to settle in Sydney, Australia, where he lived until 1882. Not far from Sydney, Nikolai founded the first biological station in Australia. During the same period of his life, he made a trip to the islands of Melanesia (1879), and also examined the southern coast of New Guinea (1880), and a year later, in 1881, he visited the southern coast of New Guinea for the second time.

Miklukho-Maclay with the Papuan Akhmat. Malacca, 1874 or 1875

It is curious that Miklukho-Maclay was preparing a Russian protectorate over the Papuans. He made several expeditions to New Guinea, drawing up the so-called Maclay Coast Development Project. His project envisaged the preservation of the way of life of the Papuans, but at the same time declared the achievement of a higher level of self-government on the basis of already existing local customs. At the same time, Maclay Coast, according to his plans, was to receive a protectorate of the Russian Empire, also becoming one of the bases for the Russian fleet. But his project was not feasible. By the time of his third trip to New Guinea, most of his friends among the Papuans, including Tui, had already died, at the same time the villagers were mired in internecine conflicts, and the officers of the Russian fleet, who studied the local conditions, concluded that the local coast was not suitable for deployment of warships. And already in 1885, New Guinea was divided between Great Britain and Germany. Thus, the question of the possibility of implementing a Russian protectorate over this territory was finally closed.

Miklukho-Maclay returned to his homeland after a long absence in 1882. After returning to Russia, he read a number of public reports about his travels to members of the Geographical Society. For his research, the society of lovers of natural science, anthropology and ethnography awarded Nikolai a gold medal. After visiting the European capitals - Berlin, London and Paris, he acquainted the public with the results of his trips and research. Then he again went to Australia, having visited the Maclay Coast for the third time along the way, this happened in 1883.

From 1884 to 1886 the traveler lived in Sydney, and in 1886 he returned to his homeland. All this time he was seriously ill, but at the same time he continued to prepare for the publication of his scientific materials and diaries. In the same 1886, he handed over to the Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg all the ethnographic collections he had collected from 1870 to 1885. Today these collections can be seen at the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography in St. Petersburg.

Miklukho-Maclay in the winter of 1886-1887. St. Petersburg

The traveler who returned to St. Petersburg has changed a lot. As people who knew him noted, the 40-year-old still young scientist sharply became decrepit, weakened, his hair turned gray. Pain in the jaw again manifested itself, which intensified in February 1887, a tumor appeared. Doctors could not diagnose him and could not determine the cause of the disease. Only in the second half of the 20th century, doctors managed to remove the veil of secrecy from this issue. The ethnographer was killed by cancer with localization in the region of the right mandibular canal. Exactly 130 years ago, on April 14, 1888 (April 2, old style), Nikolai Nikolaevich Miklukho-Maclay died, he was only 41 years old. The traveler was buried at the Volkovskoye cemetery in St. Petersburg.

The most important scientific merit of the scientist was that he raised the question of species unity and kinship of the existing human races. It was also he who first gave a detailed description of the Melanesian anthropological type and proved that it is very widespread on the islands of Southeast Asia and in Western Oceania. For ethnography, his descriptions of the material culture, economy and life of the Papuans and other peoples inhabiting the numerous islands of Oceania and Southeast Asia are of great importance. Many of the traveler's observations, which are distinguished by a high level of accuracy, remain practically the only materials on the ethnography of some of the islands of Oceania at the present time.

During the life of Nikolai Nikolaevich, more than 100 of his scientific works on anthropology, ethnography, geography, zoology and other sciences were published, in total he wrote more than 160 such works. At the same time, during the lifetime of the scientist, not one of his major works was published, all of them appeared only after his death. So in 1923, Miklouho-Maclay's travel diaries were first published, and even later, in 1950-1954, a collection of works in five volumes.

Portrait of Miklukho-Maclay by K. Makovsky. Stored in the Kunstkamera

The memory of the researcher and ethnographer is widely preserved not only in Russia, but throughout the world. His bust can be found today in Sydney, and in New Guinea a mountain and a river are named after him, without taking into account the section of the northeast coast, which is called the Maclay Coast. In 1947, the name of Miklukho-Maclay was given to the Institute of Ethnography of the USSR Academy of Sciences (RAS). And relatively recently, in 2014, the Russian Geographical Society established a special Gold Medal named after Nikolai Nikolayevich Miklukho-Maclay, as the highest award of the society for ethnographic research and travel. The world recognition of this researcher is also evidenced by the fact that in honor of his 150th birthday, 1996 was proclaimed by UNESCO the year of Miklouho-Maclay, at the same time he was named a Citizen of the World.

Based on materials from open sources.