The Chiefs of the Russian Yasak Bases of the Xvii Century: «prikazchiki» or «prikaznyue»?

The article examines the lower level of the Russian public administration in the Eastern Siberia of the 17th century. This level was presented by the chiefs of the special tribute (the so-called «yasak») bases on Arctic rivers such as Yana, Indigirka, Alazeya and Kolyma. These bases were strong holds of the Russian state, and they collected fur tribute (yasak) from the local population – Yukaghirs and Evens, as well as control over Russian trappers and merchants. In the article are analyzed the special terms for these chiefs, preserved in authentic sources. Based on a number of Yakutsk Acts Foundation from the Scientific and Historical Archive of the Saint-Petersburg Institute of History Russian Academy of Sciences, it is concluded that the confusion of the terms «prikazchik» and «prikaznoy» common in the scientific literature is not entirely correct, at least for the middle of the century. A number of this document sources have never been introduced in to scientific circulation before.