From a rural teacher and a recognized local historian to an enemy of the Soviet system. Timofei Evsevyev (Evseyev) is an ethnographer, folklorist, who was one of the first to try to reveal secrets of the rites of the life cycle of his people. His ethnographic collections and handwritten materials collected more than a century ago now make up the "golden fund" of the Mari traditional culture, and are significant for the entire Finno-Ugric world. A recognized international scientist, "awarded" with capital punishment during his lifetime by country, republic, whose legacy he glorified and tried to preserve at the cost of own life.