Khakass Research Institute for Language, Literature, and History is the only scientific institution in the Republic of Khakassia dedicated to the study of the Khakass language, folklore, history, archaeology, and culture.
The process of founding the institute was difficult and lengthy. In October 1944, based on the decree of the Council of People’s Commissars of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic No. 1786-p as of July 31, 1944 and the order of the People’s Commissar of Education of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic No. 572 as of August 29, 1944, the first scientific institution in the region was opened.
The initiator to create the institute and its first director was the writer and philologist Nikolai Georgievich Domozhakov. Over the years, the institute has been led by prominent scientists who have made a significant contribution to the socio-economic development of the republic, the development of its science and culture. Among them are S. P. Ulturgashev, D. I.Chankov, V. A. Asochakov, Ya. I. Sunchugashev, G. G. Kotozhekov, V. N. Tuguzhekova.
There were three departments in the Institute: Language and Writing; Literature and Folklore; History and Ethnography. Since the opening of the research institute, one of the priorities of its activities is the study of language construction. The staff worked out the issues of spelling, morphology, and grammar of the Khakass language. Scientists of the USSR Academy of Sciences provided great assistance in organizing scientific research and preparing the first editions of the Institute: Corresponding Member of the USSR Academy of Sciences, Professor S. V. Kiselev, Doctor of Historical Sciences L. P. Potapov, Candidate of Historical Sciences L. N. Yevtyukhova, and others. In the early years of its existence, Khakass Research Institute, together with central scientific institutions, conducted archaeological, ethnographic, folklore, and linguistic expeditions. An important achievement, the result of many years of research is the creation of the first scientific grammar of the Khakass language in 1975, which was developed by N. A. Baskakov, G. F. Babushkin, M. I. Borgoyakov, G. I. Donidze, A. I. Grekul, V. G. Karpov, D. F. Patachakova, D. I. Chankov. “Orthography of the Khakass standard language” was written by F. G. Iskhakov, N. G. Domozhakov, A. T. Kazanakov et al. “Grammar of the Khakass Language” by N. G. Domozhakova, “Khakass-Russian Dictionary” by D. Patachakova and “Russian-Khakass Gictionary” by Ts.-D. Nominkhanov, as well as collections of works by Khakass poets, collections of songs, heroic tales have been published in the institute. Taking into account the practical needs of schools, educational institutions, the press, radio and television, the institute prepared “Russian-Khakass Dictionary of Linguistic Terms” in 1976. In 1988, the fourth edition of “Spelling Dictionary of the Khakass Language” was published. “Khakass-Russian Dictionary” was published in 2006.
Since 1946, Corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Sciences, Professor Boris K. Pashkov collaborated with the institute — in particular, several joint ethnographic expeditions were conducted to study the folklore heritage of the indigenous population of Khakassia. In 1954-1956, the institute acted as one of the initiators and organizers of the excavations of the Great Salbyk Kurgan of the Scythian period, the largest mound in Khakassia, headed by S. V. Kiselev.
Leonid R. Kyzlasov, Professor of Moscow State University and the first Doctor of Historical Sciences of the Khakass people worked closely with the institute for many years. In the 60-80s, the archaeological expedition of Moscow State University actively worked in Khakassia under his leadership. As a result, important discoveries were made concerning the Stone Age, the Bronze Age, the Old Khakass statehood, and the medieval culture of the Khakass people. The materials of this expedition, along with data from other archaeological expeditions, became one of the main sources for the “History of Khakassia from ancient times to May 25, 1970”.
In order to conduct research on the problems of economics, industry, agriculture, industrial and social infrastructure, and improve the living conditions of the population in Khakassia and the south of the Krasnoyarsk Region, the Department of Economics was established in 1970.
In 2002, the Manuscript Fund was created on the basis of the Scientific Library in order to preserve the manuscript heritage of the institute, collected over the years of its existence. The institute’s handwritten heritage is represented by materials from ethnographic, linguistic, and folklore expeditions, which were collected by the institute’s staff independently and as part of academic expeditions. The collection of Khakass heroic tales consists of more than 200 manuscripts that require further work.
The institute conducts extensive work for holding scientific conferences, symposiums and other forums at regional, national, and international levels. Leading scientists from Turkey, Kazakhstan, China, Monaco, Japan and other countries actively participate in these conferences. And the Institute’s scholars take part in international conferences held abroad.
Over the years, the institute has published more than 1,000 scientific papers, held about 600 scientific conferences and sessions, and conducted about 200 comprehensive and specialized (ethnographic, archaeological, dialectological, sociological, sociolinguistic, and folklore) expeditions.
Throughout its existence, the institute provides the development of scientific, methodological recommendations and study guides for government agencies, enterprises, organizations and institutions of the Republic of Khakassia and other government bodies.