PRESERVATION OF SCIENTIFIC, HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL HERITAGE OF N. N. MIKLOUHO-MACLAY IN THE CONTEXT PF DEVELOPMENT OF CULTURAL TIES BETWEEN RUSSIA AND PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Abstract

The idea of modern state cultural policy of the Russian Federation lies in creation and development of a system of education for citizens on the basis of traditional for Russia moral values and patriotism. This is achievable through learning the historical and cultural heritage of Russia, world culture, development of creative abilities of the individual, aesthetic perception of the world, accession to different types of cultural activity. As an example of preservation of scientific, historical, cultural and ideological heritage the MiklouhoMaclay Online Museum is discussed, which has opened online in October 2021. It represents the activities of the famous scientist and traveler of the late nineteenth century, which made a great impression on his contemporaries. For example, L. N. Tolstoy praised the researcher’s writings, for in them he saw a confirmation of his thoughts that true civilization can be brought to peoples not by violence, but by education and care for them. The Online Museum contains those results of exploration and scientific study of the South Pacific that help to maintain international contacts and promote intercultural dialogue. Particular attention is given to the description of the collection, which was created with the help of the indigenous people of the North-East of the New Guinea Island (Maclay Coast), where the exhibits were collected. The exhibits in the Online Museum are also interesting because they are showcased in comparison with their counterparts from N. N. Miklouho-Maclay collections of the nineteenth century. Links to the descriptions are available on the resources of those museums where they are stored. Museums today are considered as one of the most important means of education, they specifically perform the functions of additional education—a symbolic act of meeting the past and the present. In the educational process, clearly structured museum materials can be useful for various age categories of students. The establishment of the Miklouho-Maclay Online Museum is also a significant step on the way of enhancing the relations between the Russian Federation and the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, because it contributes to the development of cultural relations between the states. It is a site, which with the help of information about the outstanding scientist and his achievements, shows the connection between generations, gives specific knowledge about the study of the South Seas by Russia from the nineteenth century until today.