Supplement 2

THE AMUR LAND

(towns and villages)

Bogorodskoye

Bogorodskoye is about 500 miles from Khabarovsk. It was founded on a high bank of the Amur river. A Nivkhi Nomad site was there a century ago, called “Gencha,” meaning “those who live behind the high mountain”.

At present, this town is the center of the Ulchi region, which has more than thirty towns and villages. The population of Bogorodskoye is about 6,000 people. They are hunters and fishermen, some work in timber industry and some are employed in fish processing and gold mining.

They have their own publishing house where their local newspaper is published. A very interesting ethnographical museum showing the history, culture and traditions of the natives.

BULAVA

Bulava was set up at the site of the former nomad camp. The name Bulava came from an old Ulchi word “Bulau” which means Shaman’s walking stick.

The Ulchi people resemble the Japanese: they have broad faces and small figure. The Ulchi region was established in 1922. In pre-revolutionary times, the population of the town was only 66 residents, and there were less than twenty buildings. At present Bulava spreads for two miles along the river side.

The local museum complex shows the regional lifestyles. The Ulchi people do not have a written language of their own. Their education system is based on the Russian and Nanai languages. The Ulchi are proud of their local but well-known writer, Petr Dechuli. The first national Ulchi ballet “Nine Daughters of the Amur” was staged in Bulava.

The residents of Bulava are engaged in lumbering, fishing and fish processing.

KOMSOMOLSK-ON-AMUR

Komsomolsk is a young city. It was founded in 1930s. Many young people took part in its construction. The city stretches for 10 miles along the left bank of the Amur River. It is the second biggest town in this area. Its population is over 300,000 people. Komsomolsk is an industrial city with steel mills, shipbuilding and aircraft building plants.

NIKOLAEVSK-ON-AMUR

Nikolaevsk-On-Amur was founded in 1850 by Admiral Nevelskoy, a famous explorer of these lands. Nikolaevsk began as a port. By 1865, it became the center of the region, the home of the governor general. Many of the early expeditions into the region began here. As the time passed, Khabarovsk became dominant in the region and the capital was transferred there. During the civil war in the Far East (1918 - 1922), Nikolaevsk was completely burnt down and destroyed by the Japanese military. Only a small number of the 19^th century red brick buildings remained.

There is a monument to Admiral Nevelskoy in one of the city parks. The population of Nikolaevsk is more than 30,000 people. Gold mining, fishing and fish processing are the main industries.

TROITSKOYE

Troiyskoye is the center of the Nanai region. Some people think that it is named after Ivan Troitskyi, a Russian settler. About 22,000 people reside here. The local museum shows the lifestyle of the Nanai people. There are schools, kindergartens and a movie theatre there.

The Nanai literary language is based on Amur dialect, they use the Russian alphabet in writing.

People are employed in fish processing, lumbering, hunting, bee-keeping and harvesting medicinal and edible plants.

Supplement 3

MY HOMELAND

(PAGES OF HISTORY)

The forward movement of the Russians to the East to discover new lands was mainly based on their initiative, enthusiasm and devotion to the exploration spirit. Long trips to explore the East started from Yakutsk which became the gateway for the Far East in the XVII century. I. Moskvitin, V. Poyarkov and E. Khabarov prepared for their expeditions there, their detachments started from Yakutsk and returned there with reports about their achievements. Russian Pacific epoch began in late thirties, XVIIth century.

1. Moskvitin and his friends knew about the river Amur. They tried to reach it from the sea and perhaps they visited the estuary of it. Geographic and ethnographic information, collected by Ivan Moskvitin, caused preparations for the new expeditions to the East. First of all – to the river Amur. Rumors about a great river spread over Siberia by 1636. It was known that the forest there was full of sable, and that Daurians lived along the river banks.

2. People from Eniseysk, Maxim Perfiliev’s detachment of 36 Cossacks, started their way to the South-East in 1638. They wanted to find the great river and to learn about local inhabitants and wealth. Perfiliev didn’t reach the river, but he did collect many stories about the area.

It means that two attempts to reach the Amur were made at the same time from two directions: by Moskvitin and Perfiliev. It was not a competition, both Moskvitin and Perfiliev’s primary concern was for Russia, but they also didn’t forget about their personal interest but it just wasn’t their main interest.

3. The river Amur was discovered for Russia by Vasiliy Poyarkov some years later. Poyarkov was a very intelligent man, well educated and with wide range of interests. His detachment of 112 service men and 15 volunteers started its way from Yakutsk. Their goal was to reach the river Amur.

Poyarkov himself was on the first boat. Their trip was difficult. They passed the Lena, Aldan and many small rivers and built the first winter quarters when they reached Stanovoy ridge. Part of the detachment continued to the land of the Daurians to spend winter there. Poyarkov and his people gathered information.

In spring they went down the Zeya river and came to the Amur. They became the first Russian people who observed the Priamurskiy region with their own eyes. They discovered it for the whole of Europe. The way to the Amur river was now open to everybody.

In the autumn of 1644, Poyarkov’s friends stopped near the Ussury river which is the outskirts of Khabarovsk. Thus Poyarkov and his friends may be called the first citizens of the future city.

Erofei Khabarov started on his way with his detachment in the spring of 1649. He didn’t want to repeat Poyarkov’s way and chose another route. They came to the river Amur by the river Urka. The builders of Transsiberian railway memorialized him by naming the station located at the crossing of the railway and the river Urka: “Erofei Pavlovich”.

Khabarov’s travel along the Amur was not easy or fast. He made a draft of the Amur, with its tributaries, wrote reports, described the indigenous population to the Moscow government and established its right to the land.

Vasiliy Poyarkov was discoverer, but Khabarov’s travel was the real development of the Amur territory, defining prospective businesses and lands appropriate for settlement.

Words and Expressions

to explore - исследовать, изучать

detachments - отряды

estuary - устье реки

caused preparations for - обусловила приготовления к …

to make an attempt - предпринять попытку

outskirts - окрестности

draft - чертеж, план

tributaries - притоки

indigenous - местный

appropriate for - подходящий для

ЛИТЕРАТУРА

Discover Portland the City of Roses. Smith-Western Inc. Portland, OR. U.S.A.

Encyclopedia Britannica Article. Russia. http://www.britannica.com

Jur, Frank. The Practicality of Using Computers on Language Education in Russia. Proceedings of the International Conference “Teaching Englishes: Preparing for the XXIst century”. Khabarovsk, 22 – 24 Sept., 1988

Kantowitz B.H., Roediger III, Elmes D.G. Experimental Psychology. Seventh Edition. Wadsworth. 2001

Khabarovsk territory. “Utro Rossii” Publishing House. Vladivostok, 1996

Popular Science. August 1994. Special Issue

Sister Cities. September, 1988. Vol.I, No. 1

The Land of Khabarovsk.” Priamurskiye Vedomosti” Publishing House Ltd., 1998

Travel Agents Manual. Intour – Khabarovsk

Об авторе

Ильиных Галина Семеновна – кандидат филологических наук, доцент, заведующая кафедрой иностранных языков Хабаровского государственного педагогического университета, член Союза переводчиков России.