The Vanishing History of ‘Thirteen Years and Thirteen Days’: Problems of Searching and Preserving Archival Materials on Repressed Kalmyks in Siberia. Part 1
Introduction. The article publishes a report delivered at the Thirteenth Congress of Orientalists and deals with problems of searching materials on repressed Kalmyks and their 1944-1957 life in Siberia with special emphasis be laid on their preservation and duplication for specialists in Kalmyk studies. Materials and methods . The study employs a wide range of research methods, both common scientific (analysis, synthesis, etc.) and special historical ones (historical genetics, historical systemic methods, etc.). The comparative historical methods proves instrumental in identifying actual storage and access conditions at archives across different regions, agencies, and authorities. Results . The paper covers the Siberian period of the repressed Kalmyk people’s life between 28 December 1943 and 9 January 1957. The ‘thirteen years and thirteen days’ - to have become a somewhat fixed folklore formula - witnessed tremendous hardships and miseries experienced and survived by two thirds of the population only. Part 1 of the article reviews the deportation proper (Operation Ulusy and other similar forced relocations). Special attention is paid to that the causes proclaimed in the official decree by the Presidium of the USSR Supreme Council were completely groundless and had nothing to do with reality. The geography of Kalmyk Deportation, living conditions, and typical problems faced by repressed Kalmyks are also outlined. The work emphasizes demographic losses of the ethnos. Part 2 shall examine the problems of searching and preserving related archival materials on Siberian life of the Kalmyks in 1944-1957.