Mykola Fedorovych Sumtsov () or Nikolai Fyodorovich Sumtsov (, 18 April 1854,
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
,
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the List of Russian monarchs, Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended th ...
– 12 September 1922
Kharkiv
Kharkiv ( uk, wikt:Харків, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine.harkov
Ukrainian SSR
The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic ( uk, Украї́нська Радя́нська Соціалісти́чна Респу́бліка, ; russian: Украи́нская Сове́тская Социалисти́ческая Респ ...
,
USSR
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...
), sometimes spelled Sumcov, was an
ethnographer
Ethnography (from Greek ''ethnos'' "folk, people, nation" and ''grapho'' "I write") is a branch of anthropology and the systematic study of individual cultures. Ethnography explores cultural phenomena from the point of view of the subject o ...
,
folklorist
Folklore studies, less often known as folkloristics, and occasionally tradition studies or folk life studies in the United Kingdom, is the branch of anthropology devoted to the study of folklore. This term, along with its synonyms, gained currenc ...
literary scholar
Literary criticism (or literary studies) is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of literature's goals and methods. T ...
,
educator
A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching.
''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...
and museum expert, who flourished in the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the List of Russian monarchs, Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended th ...
,
Ukrainian People's Republic
The Ukrainian People's Republic (UPR), or Ukrainian National Republic (UNR), was a country in Eastern Europe that existed between 1917 and 1920. It was declared following the February Revolution in Russia by the First Universal. In March 1 ...
.
Sumtsov was a champion and defender of the culture and language of Ukraine in both academic and popular realms, and contributed to a systematic history of Ukrainian literature. He delivered the first Ukrainian-language university lecture during a decades-long imperial ban, and established the H.S. Skovoroda Museum of Sloboda Ukraine (in 2015, renamed M. F. Sumtsov Kharkiv Historical Museum after its founder).
Life and career
Mykola Sumtsov was born into a noble family, descendants of Cossacks. His father, Fedor Ivanovich Sumtsov, worked in the Imperial Ministry of Finance in
St. Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
, and after his retirement in 1856, moved to Kharkiv, where he died the same year. Sumtsov's mother, Anna Ivanovna, brought him up on her own. She had thorough knowledge of traditions and customs of
Sloboda Ukraine
Sloboda Ukraine (literally: Borderland of free frontier guards; uk, Слобідська Україна, Slobidska Ukraina), or Slobozhanshchyna ( uk, Слобожанщина, Slobozhanshchyna, ), is a historical region, now located in Northeas ...
as well as folk medicine. It was Anna Ivanovna, who inspired and supported his interest in folklore and traditions.
He studied at the 2nd Kharkiv Boys Gymnasium (high school), which he graduated with silver medal. The native Russian-speaker learned French and German in the gymnasium, and taught himself Ukrainian. Afterwards, he graduated History and Philology Faculty at
Kharkiv University
The Kharkiv University or Karazin University ( uk, Каразінський університет), or officially V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University ( uk, Харківський національний університет імені ...
(1871–1875). In 1876 he undertook several courses at
Heidelberg University
}
Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, ...
,
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...
. In 1878 Sumtsov returned to Kharkiv as a lecturer of
Russian Literature
Russian literature refers to the literature of Russia and its émigrés and to Russian-language literature. The roots of Russian literature can be traced to the Middle Ages, when epics and chronicles in Old East Slavic were composed. By the Ag ...
. Supported by his mentor,
Alexander Potebnja
Alexander (Oleksandr) Potebnja (russian: Алекса́ндр Афана́сьевич Потебня́; uk, Олекса́ндр Опана́сович Потебня́) was a Ukrainian linguist, philosopher and Pan-Slavism, panslavist of Ukrai ...
, he dedicated his introductory lecture to Ukrainian duma (''Cossack epic song'').
In 1880, he defended his Master thesis ''On the Wedding Rites, Mainly Russian''. In 1885 Sumtsov was awarded a
PhD degree
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...
for his thesis ''Khleb v Obriadakh i Pesniakh'' (Bread in Rituals and Songs) and in 1888 he was appointed professor.
In 1902, the 12th Archaeological Congress was held from August 15 to 27 in Kharkiv, organised by the Kharkiv Historical and Philological Society, chaired by Mykola Sumtsov. At the congress he organised an ethnographic exhibition consisting of impressive 26 sections and 1,490 artefacts. That exhibition became the foundation of
Kharkiv University
The Kharkiv University or Karazin University ( uk, Каразінський університет), or officially V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University ( uk, Харківський національний університет імені ...
Ethnographic Museum, with Sumtsov as first curator from 1905 to 1918.
One of the most notable of Mykola Sumtsov's activities in support of the Ukrainian national movement was his public lecture in Ukrainian on 28 September 1907, when the ban on using Ukrainian in Ukraine had not yet been lifted.Vetukhova, V. 2017, “Karazin University History: the Russian Empire’s First University Lecture in Ukrainian” ''About V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University'' /ref>
In 1916, the
Russian Geographical Society
The Russian Geographical Society (russian: Ру́сское географи́ческое о́бщество «РГО»), or RGO, is a learned society based in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It promotes geography, exploration and nature protection wi ...
awarded Mykola Sumtsov a gold medal.
In 1917, Mykola Sumtsov, along with other members of Special Committee of
Kharkiv University
The Kharkiv University or Karazin University ( uk, Каразінський університет), or officially V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University ( uk, Харківський національний університет імені ...
Board, signed an appeal to the government asking to allow free use of
Ukrainian
Ukrainian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Ukraine
* Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe
* Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine
* Som ...
in all
Kharkiv
Kharkiv ( uk, wikt:Харків, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine.Gregory Skovoroda
Hryhorii Skovoroda, also Gregory Skovoroda or Grigory Skovoroda ( la, Gregorius Scovoroda; uk, Григорій Савич Сковорода, ''Hryhorii Savych Skovoroda''; russian: Григо́рий Са́ввич Сковорода́, ...
Museum of
Sloboda Ukraine
Sloboda Ukraine (literally: Borderland of free frontier guards; uk, Слобідська Україна, Slobidska Ukraina), or Slobozhanshchyna ( uk, Слобожанщина, Slobozhanshchyna, ), is a historical region, now located in Northeas ...
Mykola Sumtsov wrote extensively. The bibliography of his known works contains 1,544 entries. His writings mainly concern two areas of science: ethnography and literature. In addition to the local periodicals, his works were also published in
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Mac ...
n,
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent
* Polish chicken
*Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
ketches of folk life
A ketch is a two- masted sailboat whose mainmast is taller than the mizzen mast (or aft-mast), and whose mizzen mast is stepped forward of the rudder post. The mizzen mast stepped forward of the rudder post is what distinguishes the ketch fro ...
* 1918 – ''Slobozhane: Istorychno-Etnohrafichna Rozvidka'' he Sloboda Ukrainians: a historico-ethnographic study">Sloboda_Ukrainians.html" ;"title="he Sloboda Ukrainians">he Sloboda Ukrainians: a historico-ethnographic study
Literary works
Sumtsov's numerous literary publications include a range of articles dedicated to writings of renowned poets and writers, including Ivan Franko, Borys Hrinchenko, Ivan Manzhura, Oleksandr Oles, Vladimir Odoyevsky (See: Prince Odoyevsky. Moscow, 1884), Nikolay Nekrasov, Nikolay Gogol, Leo Tolstoy, Vasily Zhukovsky and
Alexander Pushkin
Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (; rus, links=no, Александр Сергеевич ПушкинIn pre-Revolutionary script, his name was written ., r=Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈpuʂkʲɪn, ...
Nikolay Sumtsov /ref> (See: Etudes about A. S. Pushkin. Moscow 1897). Sumtsov is also known as the author of a detailed research on the history of Cossack baroque thinkers, theologians and poets like Ivan Vyshensky,
Lazar Baranovych
Lazar Baranovych or Baranovich ( uk, Лазар Баранович, russian: Лазарь Баранович, pl, Łazarz Baranowicz; 1620 – 3 (13) September 1693 in Chernihiv, Tsardom of Russia) was a Ruthenian Eastern Orthodox archbishop of ...
, Ioanikii Galiatovsky, and Innokentii Gizel (See: ''On the history of literature in Southern Russia of the 17th century'', in original: K istorii iuzhnorusskoi literatury semnadtsatogo stoletiia. Kharkiv, 1885). The works Sumtsov's also include literary publications on Ukrainian thinkers like
Ivan Kotliarevsky
Ivan Petrovych Kotliarevsky ( uk, Іван Петрович Котляревський) ( in Poltava – in Poltava, Russian Empire, now Ukraine) was a Ukrainian writer, poet and playwright, social activist, regarded as the pioneer of modern Ukr ...
,
Taras Shevchenko
Taras Hryhorovych Shevchenko ( uk, Тарас Григорович Шевченко , pronounced without the middle name; – ), also known as Kobzar Taras, or simply Kobzar (a kobzar is a bard in Ukrainian culture), was a Ukrainian poet, writ ...
,
Panteleimon Kulish
Panteleimon Oleksandrovych Kulish (also spelled ''Panteleymon'' or ''Pantelejmon Kuliš'', uk, Пантелеймон Олександрович Куліш, August 7, 1819 – February 14, 1897) was a Ukrainian writer, critic, poet, folkloris ...
,
Mykhailo Starytsky
Mykhailo Petrovych Starytsky ( uk, Михайло Петрович Старицький; 14 December 1840 – 27 April 1904), in English Michael Starycky, was a Ukrainian writer, poet, and playwright.Alexander Potebnja
Alexander (Oleksandr) Potebnja (russian: Алекса́ндр Афана́сьевич Потебня́; uk, Олекса́ндр Опана́сович Потебня́) was a Ukrainian linguist, philosopher and Pan-Slavism, panslavist of Ukrai ...
Kharkiv
Kharkiv ( uk, wikt:Харків, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine.Kharkiv
Kharkiv ( uk, wikt:Харків, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine.Russian Academy of Sciences
The Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS; russian: Росси́йская акаде́мия нау́к (РАН) ''Rossíyskaya akadémiya naúk'') consists of the national academy of Russia; a network of scientific research institutes from across t ...
, corresponding member
* 1908 –
Shevchenko Scientific Society
The Shevchenko Scientific Society () is a Ukrainian scientific society devoted to the promotion of scholarly research and publication that was founded in 1873.
Unlike the government-funded National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the society ...
* ''An Essay on the History of the Witchcraft in Europe.''
Kharkiv University
The Kharkiv University or Karazin University ( uk, Каразінський університет), or officially V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University ( uk, Харківський національний університет імені ...
, 1878. (in Rus.)
* ''On the Wedding Rites, Mainly Russian.'' Kharkiv University, 1881. (in Rus.)
* ''Prince V. F. Odoyevsky.'' Moscow, 1884. (in Rus.)
*''Khleb v obriadakh i pesniakh'' (Bread in olkRituals and Songs), 1885. (in Rus.)
* ''Research on Koliadki and Shchedrivki.'' Kiev, 1886. (in Rus.)
* ''Raven in the Folk Literature.'' Moscow, 1890. (in Rus.)
* ''Contemporary Malorussian Ethnography.'' Kiev, 1893–1897. (in Rus.)
* ''On the Influence of Malorussian Scholastic Literature of the Seventeenth Century at the Great-Russian Old Believers Literature of the Eighteenth Century, and on the Reflection of Masonry'' // '' Kievskaya starina''. 1895, vol. 51, No 12, Dep. 1, pp. 367–379. (in Rus.)
* ''On the Bibliography of Old Malorussian Religious Tales.'' Kharkiv University, 1896. (in Rus.)
*''Razyskaniia v oblasti anekdoticheskoi literatury'' (Research in the Field of Anecdotal Literature), 1898. (in Rus.)
* ''Ocherki narodnogo byta'' (Sketches of Folk Life: From the 1901 Ethnographical Excursion to the Okhtyrka District of the Kharkiv Governorate), Kharkiv University, 1902. (in Rus.)