Ihnat Damiejka

Ihnat Damiejka (1802-1889)

Ihnat Damiejka was the scientist and a researcher, an enlightener and a humanist. One can unhesitatitingly name him a successful person together with such famous people of Renascence as Francisak Skaryna or Leonardo da Vinci. His figure attracts people of different nationalities, of different ages and of different lines of work like students, journalists, scientists, artists and so on. Every intellectual person has his or her own Damiejka and everybody finds common grounds with him. The works of Ihnat Damiejka were acknowledged and appreciated by world science. His name was added to the history of Belarusian, Russian, French, Chilean, Latvian cultures.

The period of scientific and educational activity of Ihnat Damiejka, which began in 1838 (the moment of the contract signing with the Chilean government) is considered to be the crucial point of his life. The particular emphasis is placed on his field expeditions, which were attempted by him in the period from 1838 to 1849. Their total was about 7000Km. Most of its time they were conducted in Chile. There he was accepted as rare and very necessary specialist. He helped Chileans to understand how precious their land was. When the first geological school was built there immediately appeared the pupils. There was not a person in Chile who wasn't interested in work in the mountains. In Chile Ihnat studied the mountain work, volcanoes and earthquakes. He has done the enormous contribution to science. He has done the enormous contribution to geological science of Chile. On the 17th of May he for the first time set his foot on Chilean land. He went ahead to build the school and workshop. And all this under that that he did not know Spanish. At the first year he has made the scholastic trip on silver mines Arkerosa general extent 80 km. The period of his active trip began from this time around the country for the reason to study its natural resource.

Damiejka for years taught chemistry, physics, and mineralogy in La Serene. Many people helped him in his studying. He wanted them to continue his work. For that of them, who wanted to continue its foundation, he obtained the scholarship in Europe. The meteorites are amongst scientific interest of Damiejka on the special place. In Chile he is considered to be the founder of their scientific study. Ihnat opened the first sample of an extraterrestrial material during their own expedition in Atakame and zone Talitali. His studies concerning meteorite were published in France. In 1867 he became a rector of the Chilean university after the death of Manuel Antonio Tokornalya Ihnat Domeyka. Scientist has asked that his salary managing pulpit was enumerated for support of two of his pupils in Europe, which he prepared for professorial-teaching work in university. In 1868 with Jose Ignasio Vergaroy-director of the astronomical service Chile, Domeyka has organized Central meteorological observatory, and hereinafter his work in this sphere was directed on and expanded. From this year the meteorological yearbook was published under his assistance, in which were reproduced the results of the meteorological observations on the whole territory of Chile. For his works, confirmed by parliament, Domeyka was assigned title of the honourable person of Chile by resolution of government.

This only hundredth part that he had done during his life. There is a coin in Belorussians and honors the memory of Ihnat Damiejka.