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IASRA (formerly JSARGRA) is
a consortium that resulted from a fortuitous collaboration between
scholars in Irkutsk and the U.S. In 2004, following an introduction
by Lydia Black, archaeologists Dave McMahan (Alaska State Archaeologist)
and Ty Dilliplane (former Alaska State Historic Preservation
Officer) accepted an invitation from the late Alexander Artemiev
(Russian Academy of Sciences) and Vladimir Tikhonov (Director,
Taltsi Museum of Architecture and Ethnography) to assist with
ongoing excavations and research related to the Baranov-Laxman
Glass Factory. The glass factory, whose archaeological ruins
are on the grounds of the Talci Museum, was constructed by Alexander
Baranov and chemist Erik Laxman in 1784 in part to manufacture
beads and other glass trade items for Siberia and Russian America
(Bychkov 1997:42-49). One of the research activities involves
comparing the chemistry of glass from the factory, which used
a unique formula, to that of glass specimens from Russian colonial
settlments in America.
2004
The 2004 Irkutsk visit proved to
be much broader in scope than glass factory research. Through
the efforts of Vladimir Tikhonov, tours and meetings were arranged
at many of the museums and archaeological facilities in the Irkutsk
area. A visit was undertaken to the restored childhood home of
John Evseyevich Popov-Veniaminov (Saint Innocent of Alaska).
This small museum, located around 300km from Irkutsk in the small
village of Anga, is managed jointly by the Russian Orthodox Church
and the Taltsi (Talci) Museum. The team also visited the Shishkino
petroglyph site, some 360km from Irkutsk on the Lena River, and
the site of the 17th centuryVerkholinsky Ostrog. The tour also
included time at Lake Baikal. Through these visits, cultural
doors were swung open as directors and management staff of each
of the visited facilities enthusiastically expressed interest
in sharing information with American colleagues. The 2004 visit
culminated in a roundtable discussion attended by key representatives
from Irkutsk museums, government agencies, and academic institutions.
The participants discussed
opportunities for historic preservation and cooperative research
on Russian America. The discussion, which was covered by the
media, resulted in the formation of the Joint Siberian-Alaskan
Research Group on Russian America (JSARGRA) and the compilation
of an initial set of goals.
These were assessed and modified in 2005. In 2006, by resolution
and vote at the Third International Conference on Russian America,
the JSARGRA name was changed to "International Association
of Specialists on Russian America" (IASRA) to to encompass
the broadening scope of the growing consortium. (2004
Photos)
2005
In
2005, McMahan and Dilliplane returned to Irkutsk at the invitation
of Vladimir Tikhonov and Alexander Artemiev. The Americans assisted
Artemiev with ongoing excavations at the Baranov-Laxman glass
factory. Supplementary work included an 8-hour cruise along the
northern shore of Lake Baikal, then a 5km trek inland, to the
site of an ore extraction facility associated with the glass
factory (after 1820). Samples of the siliceous sand were collected
for analysis. In an unrelated project, the team conducted test
excavations at the circa 1674 site of the Tunkinsky Ostrog on
the Irkut River, Buryatia. This also presented an opportunity
to examine historic collections in the village of Tunkah and
in a small regional Buryat museum. The team hopes to continue
work at this important site under the direction of Artur Kharinskiy.
In addition to further travels around Lake Baikal, time at the
Talci Museum, and trips to other museums in the Irkutsk area,
McMahan and Dilliplane returned to the Shelikhov Museum. An important
element of the 2005 trip was the presentation of a replica of
the only known possession plate (discovered at the site of Old
Sitka during the 1930s) to Nalalia Volkova, Director of the museum.
One of only a few replica's cast from the original, it is being
loaned to the Shelikhov Museum for display by Sitka National
Historical Park. Sue Thorsen (NPS) was instrumental in setting
up the loan. As in 2004, the 2005 visit culminated in a roundtable
discussion of JSARGRA and further refinement of goals. (2005 Photos)
2006
The National
Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a grant to the Alaska Historical
Society in support of activities by Russian scholars in Alaska
and California. , which involved community organizations, tribes,
and Russian Orthodox Church representatives was highly successful.
Details and photos of 2006
JSARGRA activities
2007
A
group of archaeologists led by Artur Kharinsky (Dean and Professor,
Irkutsk State Technical University), with participation by Dilliplane
and McMahan, conducted excavations outside the standing Russian-American
Company headquarters building (c. 1800-1867) in Irkutsk. A 2m
x 2m excavation unit revealed a stratigraphic continuum of historic
deposits spanning at least 200 years, including a broad zone
which could be related to the time period in which the RAC occupied
the site. The archaeological work, which was supported in part
by the National Science Foundation, was conducted in conjunction
with the Third International
Conference on Russian America. / (2007
Photos)
2008
In 2008, work continued at the RAC headquarters building
under Artur Kharinsky with the excavations of an additional 2m
x 2m unit. This time, Kharinsky, McMahan, and Dilliplane were
assisted by a group of Kharinsky's archaeology students from
Irkutsk State Technical University. The team successfully added
detail to the stratigraphic interpretations from the 2007 work,
and recovered a large number of artifacts (particularly ceramics
and glass) characteristic of the period in which the RAC occupied
the site. Following the excavation, McMahan, Dilliplane, and
Kharinsky traveled by train to Mongolia. Accompanied by Erdenebat Ulambayar,
Dean of Social Sciences at Ulaan-Batorsky Sate University, the
team visited several museums in Ulaan Baatar before journeying
around 200km west of the city to examine archaeological sites
and visit ongoing excavations by Russian, Mongolian, and Japanese
crews. On the return to Irkutsk, the team was picked up at the
Mongolian border by Vladimir Tikhonov and transported by car
to Kiakhta. There, after visiting the museum, a meeting was arranged
with Kiakhta Mayor Valery Tsyrempilov to discuss the possibility
of future work in the region. The team was invited to return
in 2009 to conduct minor excavations at the site of the abandoned
1842 customs compound ("tea exchange"). (2008
Photos)
2009
With support from the National Science Foundation
(ARC-0939789), Russian and U.S. collaborators (Tikhonov, Kharinsky,
Dilliplane, McMahan), along with scholars and leaders in the
Republic of Buryatia, collaborated to organize a successful conference
in Kiakhta during August 2009. In conjunction with the conference,
a team lead by Artur Kharinsky excavated a 2m x 2m unit inside
the walls of the abandoned 1842 "tea exchange." While
little of interest was found there due to modern disturbance
inside the compound, the team did locate intact historic features
and deposits along the river. This area may prove productive
if future work is conducted. Following the conference and work
in the Kiakhta Museum archives, the excavation team (Kharinsky,
McMahan, Dilliplane, Shemelin [driver]) joined Kiakhta Museum
Director Elena Tuguldurova to visit the Minister of Culture of
the Republic of Buryatia in Ulan Ude. By invitation of the Minister
of Culture, the team was given guided tours of the History Museum
and Ethnographic Museum of the Republic of Buryatia. After returning
to Irkutsk, Dilliplane and McMahan accompanied Valdimir Tikhonov
to his family Dacha, a traditional 18th century log structure
on Olkhon Island. This was a time of relaxation, although observations
of local museum collections and sites proved insightful for understanding
analogs in Russian America. (2009
Photos)
2010
In August 2010, IASRA joined Sitka National Historical
Park, the Sitka Historical Society, and other organizations to
organize the 2010 International
Conference on Russian America in Sitka, Alaska. During the
well-attended three-day conference, papers were presented by
some of the leading scholars on Russian America. Attendees represented
the U.S., Russia, Sweden, Finland, and Canada, as well as several
Alaskan tribes. The conference presented a wide range of topics
that generally focused on the lifeways of the people of Russian
America. The organizors additionally offered workshops on dollmaking
and archival preservation. In partnership with Sitka National
Historical Park and the U.S. National Park Service, IASRA organized
an archaeological testing project that focused on three colonial
Russian sites in and around Sitka. The project, conducted under
National Science Foundation award (ARC-0939789), as amended in
2010, presented an opportunity for visitation and exchange by
conference attendees. The results
of the project were presented at the conference. Participating
archaeologists included Dave McMahan (Alaska Office of History
and Archaeology), Ty Dilliplane (Massachusetts Maritime Academy),
Artur Kharinsky (Irkutsk State Technical University), Vladimir
Tikhonov (Taltsi Museum of Architecture and Ethnography), Sue
Thorsen (Sitka National Historical Park), Jay Kinsman (Tongass
National Forest), and Julia Farmer (volunteer high school student
from Fort Ross, California).
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