Cultural Brokerage in Periods of Transformation: Two Cases from the History of the Okhotsk District, Khabarsovsk Krai

DOI: 10.33876/2311-0546/2026-3/358-368

Authors

Abstract

The article examines the activities of two cultural mediators between the indigenous and newcomer populations in the history of the Okhotsk District, Khabarovsk Krai, namely the school teacher Nikolai Prokop'evich Tkachik, who worked in the village of Arka, and the Orthodox priest Father Vikentii (Romanyuk), who served in the settlement of Okhotsk and ministered to the surrounding villages, including Arka. Both interacted with the local indigenous residents, predominantly Evens, during periods of radical historical upheaval: Tkachik during the years of early Sovietization, and Father Vikentii in the early 21st century against the backdrop of the post-Soviet religious revival. The article is based on fieldwork materials collected in Arka and Okhotsk in the spring of 2023, as well as on archival and literary data. It compares the forms and consequences of these individuals' cultural brokerage activities. It is shown that the effectiveness of their mediation was determined not so much by their formal position or status in society, but rather by their personal qualities and aspirations, particularly their ability to engage in dialogue with local residents, their respect for local specificity, and their involvement in the life of the community.

Author Biography

  • Gleb Okulov, Russian State University for the Humanities

    Okulov,  Gleb V. — Master of Arts in Anthropology and Ethnology, Analyst, Center for Coordination of Research Projects, Russian State University for the Humanities (Moscow, Russian Federation) E-mail: okulovgleb@mail.ru ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7987-4779

    For citation: Okulov, G. V. 2026. Cultural Brokerage in Periods of Transformation: Two Cases from the History of the Okhotsk District, Khabarsovsk Krai. Herald of Anthropology (Vestnik Antropologii) 3: 358–368.

    Funding: Russian Science Foundation, project no. 25-28-01545 "The Role of the Individual in Ethnomicrohistory (Based on Materials from Eastern Siberia and Australia)". 

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Published

21.09.2026

Issue

No. 3 (2026): Vestnik antropologii (Herald of Anthropology)

Section

Anthropological Mosaic: Young Scholars' Perspectives