Grigory Potanin facts for kids
Grigory Nikolayevich Potanin (born October 4, 1835 – died June 6, 1920) was a famous Russian explorer and scientist. He studied plants, animals, and people, especially in a part of Asia called Inner Asia. He was the first to list many plants found there. Potanin also wrote books and was involved in politics, supporting more rights for the people of Siberia.
Contents
Life and Adventures
Early Years
Grigory Potanin went to a military school in Omsk when he was young. This school was for children from wealthy families.
In the 1850s, Potanin first traveled to Siberia while working with a group called the Cossacks in a place called Altaj. He later went back to Saint Petersburg in 1858 to study science. He was involved in student protests in 1861 and had to leave Saint Petersburg University. After spending three months in a fortress, he returned to Siberia.
After leaving the fortress, he worked as a publisher in Siberia with Nikolai M. Yadrintsev. Because he supported more rights for the people of Siberia, he was arrested in 1867. He was found guilty and sentenced to prison and hard labor. His hard labor time was shortened, and during those years, he wrote a book about the history of Siberia.
Expeditions to Asia
In 1876, Potanin led an expedition into Mongolia. They spent a very cold winter in a city called Kobdo. During this time, the team collected many different plants and animals. They also studied the local people and their cultures. In March 1877, the expedition split into two groups to explore more areas.
Journey to China and Tibet (1884-1886)
Potanin went on a big journey to northern China from 1884 to 1886 with Augustus Ivonovitch Skassi. They started their trip from Beijing on May 13, 1884.
Their journey took them over the U-tai-shan mountains to Hohhot. From there, they crossed the Yellow River and went into the Ordos Desert. They visited old ruins and then traveled to Lang-chau.
Potanin met a group of people called the Salars and wrote down information about their language. He also spent time learning about the culture of the Amdos Mongols. The group then traveled to Si-ning, where the governor allowed them to go into eastern Tibet.
They left Si-ning and went to Ming-chau, crossing the high Tibetan Plateau. Here, they recorded details about the plants that grew in this high-altitude region. The expedition visited several places before reaching Ming-chau. When they ran out of supplies, they turned back towards Lang-chau. They spent the winter of 1885 at a monastery before returning to Russia.
During this expedition, Potanin was the first foreigner to report on the East Yugur and West Yugur languages. He created a list of words that was published in his book, The Tangut-Tibetan Borderlands of China and Central Mongolia, in 1893. This book also included a list of words for the Salar language.
Later Years and Legacy
In 1889, Potanin helped create the first University in Russian Asia, Tomsk State University, in Tomsk.
Potanin was arrested in 1905 because he supported the Revolution of 1905.
He was a leader of a group called the oblastniki, who wanted Siberia to have some control over its own government. This group was small and mostly made up of smart people at Tomsk University. They held meetings to plan for an independent Siberia. Potanin was chosen to lead a temporary council for Siberia in December 1918. However, he felt he was just a symbol and resigned. He later believed that a strong central government was needed to bring order. Potanin passed away in Tomsk in June 1920.
Tributes to Potanin
- A street in Novosibirsk, Russia, is named Potaninskaya Street in his honor.
- A type of Chinese skink (a kind of lizard), Scincella potanini, is named after him.
- A fish, Gymnocypris potanini, is also named after him.
- The beautiful Chinese tree Rhus potaninii, which turns bright red in autumn, also carries his name.
- An asteroid, 9915 Potanin, discovered in 1977, is named after him.
See also
In Spanish: Grigori Potanin para niños
