). This time we will talk about the Finno-Ugric peoples, i.e. peoples speaking Finno-Ugric languages. This branch of languages ​​is part of the Uralic language family, another branch of which is the Samoyed languages ​​(currently spoken by the Nenets, Enets, Nganasans and Selkups).
Finno-Ugric languages ​​are divided into 2 groups: Finno-Permian and Ugric. The Finno-Permian group includes the following peoples: Finns (sometimes Ingrian Finns are considered an independent ethnic group), Estonians, Karelians, Vepsians, Izhorians, Livs, Vods, Sami, Mordovians (this people actually represent two different peoples: Erzyans and Mokshans), Mari, Udmurts, Komi-Zyryans, Komi-Permyaks. The Ugric group includes the Hungarians, Khanty and Mansi.
Currently there are 3 independent Finno-Ugric states: Hungary, Finland and Estonia. There are several Finno-Ugric national autonomies in Russia, but in all of them the Finno-Ugric nations are inferior in number to the Russians.
The total number of Finno-Ugric peoples is 25 million people, of which more than half are Hungarians (14.5 million). The second largest population is occupied by Finns (6.5 million), third by Estonians (1 million). The most numerous Finno-Ugric people in Russia are the Mordovians (744 thousand).
The ancestral home of the Finno-Ugric peoples is Western Siberia, from where the ancestors of modern Finno-Ugric peoples settled throughout Eastern Europe and the Scandinavian Peninsula. The Finno-Ugrians influenced the ethnogenesis of the Russian people, this influence was especially great on the northern Russians (the territory of Arkhangelsk and Vologda regions). Russian historian V.O. Klyuchevsky wrote: “Our Great Russian physiognomy does not accurately reproduce the common Slavic features. Other Slavs, recognizing these features in it, however, also notice some foreign admixture: namely, the cheekbones of the Great Russian, the predominance of dark complexion and hair, and especially the typical Great Russian nose, resting on a wide base, with high probability they are betting on Finnish influence".

The most beautiful Finnish- model Emilia Järvelä. Known as the face of Finnish cosmetic company Lumene. Height 180 cm, body measurements 86-60-87.

The most beautiful Ingrian - Russian actress, Honored Artist of the Russian Federation Elena Kondulainen(born April 9, 1958, Toksovo village, Leningrad region).

The most beautiful Lapp - Berit-Anne Juuso. In 2012, she won the Hymytyttö (Girl's Smile) competition, held annually by the Finnish Internet portal hymy.fi. Born and lives in the Finnish province of Lapland. Her father is Sami, her mother is Finnish.

The most beautiful Hungarian - Catherine Schell / Catherine Schell(born July 17, 1944, Budapest) is a British actress of Hungarian origin. Real name -Katherina Freiin Schell von Bauschlott. Despite German surname(inherited to her from her German great-grandfather), Catherine Schell is almost entirely Hungarian by blood, her parents belonged to the Hungarian nobility: her father bore the title of baron, and her mother a countess.

Most famous films with her participation: the 6th Bond film “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” (1969, role of Nancy), “Moon 02” (1969, role of Clementine), “Return of the Pink Panther” (1975, role of Lady Claudine Lytton). In the UK, the actress is best known for her role as Maya in the 1970s sci-fi series Space: 1999.

Catherine Schell in the film "Moon 02" (1969):

The most beautiful Estonian- singer (born September 24, 1988, Kohila, Estonia). Represented Estonia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2013.

The most beautiful moksha -Svetlana Khorkina(born January 19, 1979, Belgorod) - Russian gymnast, two-time Olympic champion in parallel bars (1996, 2000), three-time absolute world champion and three-time absolute European champion. In an interview he calls himself a Mordovian: “My parents are Mordovians, and since their blood flows in me, I consider myself a purebred Mordovian.”

The most beautiful Erzyanka -Olga Kaniskina(born January 19, 1985, Saransk) - track and field athlete, Olympic champion in 2008, the first three-time world champion in the history of race walking (2007, 2009 and 2011), European champion in 2010, two-time Russian champion.

The most beautiful Komi-Permyachka - Tatyana Totmyanina(born November 2, 1981, Perm) - figure skater, Olympic champion of Turin paired with Maxim Marinin. The same couple won the World Championship twice and the European Championship 5 times.

The most beautiful Udmurtka- singer Svetlana (Sveti) Ruchkina(born September 25, 1988). She is the vocalist of the Udmurt-language rock band Silent Woo Goore.

The most beautiful Karelian - Maria Kalinina. Winner of the contest "Miss Student Finno-Ugria 2015".

1. Title

The Finno-Ugric people were an autochthonous population between the Oka and Volga rivers; their tribes, the Estonians, All, Merya, Mordovians, and Cheremis, were part of the Gothic kingdom of Germanaric in the 4th century. The chronicler Nestor in the Ipatiev Chronicle indicates about twenty tribes of the Ural group (Ugro-Finivs): Chud, Livs, Vodi, Yam (Ӕm), all (also the North of them on the White Lake Sedѧt Vs), Karelians, Ugra, caves, Samoyeds, Perm (Perm) ), Cheremis, casting, Zimgola, Cors, Norom, Mordovians, Meria (and on the Rostov ѡzere, and on the tick -blessed and ѡzer - the same), Murom (and ѡ ѡ ѡ ѡ ѡ ѡ ѡ ѡ ѡ ѡ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕ ӕs The Muscovites called all local tribes Chud from the indigenous Chud, and accompanied this name with irony, explaining it through the Muscovite weird, weird, strange. Now these peoples have been completely assimilated by Russians, they have disappeared from the ethnic map of modern Russia forever, adding to the number of Russians and leaving only a wide range of their ethnic geographical names.

These are all the names of rivers from ending-wa: Moscow, Protva, Kosva, Silva, Sosva, Izva, etc. The Kama River has about 20 tributaries, the names of which end in na-va, means "water" in Finnish. From the very beginning, the Muscovite tribes felt their superiority over the local Finno-Ugric peoples. However, Finno-Ugric place names are found not only where these peoples today make up a significant part of the population, forming autonomous republics and national districts. Their distribution area is much larger, for example, Moscow.

According to archaeological data, the settlement area of ​​the Chud tribes in Eastern Europe remained unchanged for 2 thousand years. Since the 9th century Finno- Ugric tribes The European part of present-day Russia was gradually assimilated by Slavic colonists, immigrants from Kievan Rus. This process formed the basis for the formation of modern Russian nation.

Finno-Ugric tribes belong to the Ural-Altai group and a thousand years ago were close to the Pechenegs, Cumans and Khazars, but were at a significantly lower level than the rest social development, in fact, the ancestors of the Russians were the same Pechenegs, only forest ones. At that time, these were the primitive and culturally most backward tribes of Europe. Not only in the distant past, but even at the turn of the 1st and 2nd millennia they were cannibals. The Greek historian Herodotus (5th century BC) called them androphages (eaters of people), and the chronicler Nestor, already during the period of the Russian state, called Samoyeds (Samoyed) .

Finno-Ugric tribes of a primitive gathering-hunting culture were the ancestors of the Russians. Scientists claim that the Moscow people received the greatest admixture of the Mongoloid race through the assimilation of the Finno-Ugric people, who came to Europe from Asia and partially absorbed the Caucasoid admixture even before the arrival of the Slavs. A mixture of Finno-Ugric, Mongolian and Tatar ethnic components contributed to the ethnogenesis of the Russians, which was formed with the participation of the Slavic tribes of the Radimichi and Vyatichi. Due to ethnic mixing with the Ugrofinans, and later with the Tatars and partly with the Mongols, Russians have an anthropological type that is different from the Kiev-Russian (Ukrainian). The Ukrainian diaspora jokes about this: “The eyes are narrow, the nose is plus - completely Russian.” Under the influence of the Finno-Ugric language environment, the formation of the Russian phonetic system (akanye, gekanya, ticking) took place. Today, “Ural” features are inherent to one degree or another in all the peoples of Russia: average height, wide face, nose, called “snub”, thin beard. The Mari and Udmurts often have eyes with the so-called Mongolian fold - epicanthus; they have very wide cheekbones and a thin beard. But at the same time she has blond and red hair, blue and gray eyes. The Mongolian fold is sometimes found among Estonians and Karelians. Komi are different: in those places where there are mixed marriages As they grow older, they are dark-haired and have slanting hair, others are more reminiscent of Scandinavians, but with a slightly wider face.

According to the research of Meryanist Orest Tkachenko, “In the Russian people, connected on the maternal side to the Slavic ancestral home, the father was a Finn. On the paternal side, Russians descended from the Finno-Ugric peoples.” It should be noted that according to modern research halotypes of the Y-chromosome, in fact the situation was the opposite - Slavic men married women of the local Finno-Ugric population. According to Mikhail Pokrovsky, Russians are an ethnic mixture, in which Finns belong to 4/5, and Slavs -1/5. Remnants of Finno-Ugric culture in Russian culture can be traced in such features that are not found among other Slavic peoples: women's kokoshnik and sundress , men's shirt-shirt, bast shoes (bast shoes) in national costume, dumplings in dishes, style of folk architecture (tent buildings, porch), Russian bathhouse, sacred animal - bear, 5-tone singing scale, a-touch and vowel reduction, paired words like stitches-paths, arms-legs, alive and well, so-and-so, turnover I have(instead of I, characteristic of other Slavs) a fairytale beginning “once upon a time,” the absence of a rusal cycle, carols, the cult of Perun, the presence of a cult of birch rather than oak.

Not everyone knows that there is nothing Slavic in the surnames of Shukshin, Vedenyapin, Piyashev, but they come from the name of the Shuksha tribe, the name of the war goddess Vedeno Ala, and the pre-Christian name Piyash. Thus, a significant part of the Finno-Ugrians was assimilated by the Slavs, and some, having converted to Islam, mixed with the Turks. Therefore, today Ugrofins do not make up the majority of the population even in the republics to which they gave their name. But, having dissolved in the mass of Russians (Rus. Russians), Ugrofins have retained their anthropological type, which is now perceived as typically Russian (Rus. Russian ) .

According to the vast majority of historians, Finnish tribes They had an extremely peaceful and meek disposition. This is how the Muscovites themselves explain the peaceful nature of colonization, declaring that there were no military clashes, because written sources do not remember anything like that. However, as the same V.O. Klyuchevsky notes, “in the legends of Great Russia, some vague memories of the struggle that broke out in some places survived.”

3. Toponymy

Toponyms of Meryan-Erzyan origin in Yaroslavl, Kostroma, Ivanovo, Vologda, Tver, Vladimir, Moscow regions account for 70-80% (Vexa, Voksenga, Elenga, Kovonga, Koloksa, Kukoboy, lekht, Melexa, Nadoxa, Nero (Inero), Nux, Nuksha, Palenga, Peleng, Pelenda, Peksoma, Puzhbol, Pulokhta, Sara, Seleksha, Sonokhta, Tolgobol, otherwise, Sheksheboy, Shekhroma, Shileksha, Shoksha, Shopsha, Yakhrenga, Yakhrobol(Yaroslavl region, 70-80%), Andoba, Vandoga, Vokhma, Vokhtoga, Voroksa, Lynger, Mezenda, Meremsha, Monza, Nerekhta (flicker), Neya, Notelga, Onga, Pechegda, Picherga, Poksha, Pong, Simonga, Sudolga, Toekhta, Urma, Shunga, Yakshanga(Kostroma region, 90-100%), Vazopol, Vichuga, Kineshma, Kistega, Kokhma, Ksty, Landeh, Nodoga, Paks, Palekh, Parsha, Pokshenga, Reshma, Sarokhta, Ukhtoma, Ukhtokhma, Shacha, Shizhegda, Shileksa, Shuya, Yukhma etc. (Ivanovo region), Vokhtoga, Selma, Senga, Solokhta, Sot, Tolshma, Shuya and others. (Vologda region),"" Valdai, Koy, Koksha, Koivushka, Lama, Maksatikha, Palenga, Palenka, Raida, Seliger, Siksha, Syshko, Talalga, Udomlya, Urdoma, Shomushka, Shosha, Yakhroma etc. (Tver region), Arsemaki, Velga, Voininga, Vorsha, Ineksha, Kirzhach, Klyazma, Koloksha, Mstera, Moloksha, Mothra, Nerl, Peksha, Pichegino, Soima, Sudogda, Suzdal, Tumonga, Undol etc. (Vladimir region), Vereya, Vorya, Volgusha, Lama,

Finno- Ugric peoples -

After Slavic and Turkic this group of peoples is the third largest among everyone peoples Russia . Out of 25 million Finno-Ugrians There are more than 3 million planets now living on territories Russia. In our country they are represented by 16 nations, five of which have their own national-state, and two - national-territorial entities. The rest are dispersed throughout the country.

According to the 1989 census, in Russia there were 3,184,317 representatives Finno-Ugric peoples Of these, the number of Mordvins was 1,072,939 people, Udmurts - 714,833, Mari- 643698, Komi - 336309, Komi - Permyaks - 147269, Karelians - 124921, Khanty - 22283, Vepsians - 12142, Mansi- 8279, Izhorians - 449. In addition, 46390 Estonians, 47102 Finns, 1835 Sami, 5742 Hungarians, and other representatives of small numbers lived here Finno-Ugric peoples and ethnic groups, such as Seto, Liv, water and etc.

Substantial part Finno-Ugrians lives in "titular" subjects Federation : republics Karelia, Komi, Mari El, Mordovia, Udmurt Republic, Komi-Permyak Autonomous Okrug, Khanty- Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug. There are diasporas in Vologda, Kirovskaya , Leningradskaya , Murmansk, Nizhny Novgorod, Orenburg, Penza, Perm, Pskov, Samara, Saratovskaya , Sverdlovsk, Tverskoy, Tomsk , Ulyanovskaya regions, as well as in the Nenets and Yamalo-Nenets autonomous okrugs, republics Bashkortostan , Tatarstan , Chuvashia .

Russian Finno- Ugric peoples, except for the Komi-Permyaks, have one thing in common: living in a nationally mixed environment where they are a minority. For their ethnocultural, linguistic And social development, factors such as compactness of settlement and specific gravity in national administrative entities.

Subjects of the Federation in which they are represented Finno- Ugric peoples, federal organs authorities, pay a lot of attention to the development of cultures and languages ​​of these peoples. Laws on culture, in a number of republics - about languages ​​(the Komi and Mari El republics), in other republics, bills on languages ​​are at the preparation stage. Regional programs for the national and cultural development of peoples have been prepared and are in operation, in which specific activities on issues of national culture, education, and languages ​​occupy a significant place.

The history of Finno-Ugric peoples and languages ​​goes back many millennia. The process of formation of modern Finnish, Ugric and Samoyed peoples was very complex. The real name of the Finno-Ugric or Finno-Ugric family of languages ​​was replaced by Uralic, since the Samoyed languages ​​belonged to this family was discovered and proven.

Ural language family is divided into the Ugric branch, which includes the Hungarian, Khanty and Mansi languages ​​(the latter two are united under the general name “Ob-Ugric languages”), into the Finno-Permian branch, which unites the Perm languages ​​(Komi, Komi-Permyak and Udmurt ), Volga languages ​​(Mari and Mordovian), the Baltic-Finnish language group (Karelian, Finnish, Estonian languages, as well as the languages ​​of the Vepsians, Vodi, Izhoras, Livs), Sami and Samoyed languages, within which the northern branch is distinguished (Nganasan, Nenets, Enets languages) and the southern branch (Selkup).

The number of peoples speaking Uralic languages ​​is about 23 - 24 million people. The Ural peoples occupy a vast territory that stretches from Scandinavia to the Taimyr Peninsula, with the exception of the Hungarians, who, by the will of fate, found themselves apart from the other Ural peoples - in the Carpathian-Danube region.

Most of the Ural peoples live in Russia, with the exception of Hungarians, Finns and Estonians. The most numerous are the Hungarians (more than 15 million people). The second largest people are the Finns (about 5 million people). There are about a million Estonians. On the territory of Russia (according to the 2002 census) live Mordovians (843,350 people), Udmurts (636,906 people), Mari (604,298 people), Komi-Zyryans (293,406 people), Komi-Permyaks (125,235 people), Karelians (93,344 people) , Vepsians (8240 people), Khanty (28678 people), Mansi (11432 people), Izhora (327 people), Vod (73 people), as well as Finns, Hungarians, Estonians, Sami. Currently, the Mordovians, Mari, Udmurts, Komi-Zyrians, and Karelians have their own national-state entities, which are republics within the Russian Federation.

Komi-Permyaks live on the territory of the Komi-Permyak Okrug Perm region, Khanty and Mansi - Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug-Ugra, Tyumen Region. Veps live in Karelia, in the northeast of the Leningrad region and in the northwestern part of the Vologda region, the Sami live in the Murmansk region, in the city of St. Petersburg, Arkhangelsk region and Karelia, Izhora - in the Leningrad region, the city of St. Petersburg, the Republic of Karelia. Vod - in the Leningrad region, in the cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Finno-Ugric peoples of Russia

Finno-Ugric peoples of Russia

Finno-Ugric peoples

Documents of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the European Parliament:

The situation of the Finno-Ugric and Samoyed peoples. Report. Committee on Culture, Science and Education. Reporter: Katrin Saks, Estonia, socialist group (Doc. 11087, 26 October 2006): http://www.mari.ee/rus/scien/topical/Katrin_Saks_Report.html

Resolution 1171 (1989). The cultures of the Ural national minorities are in danger (in English): http://www.suri.ee/doc/reso_1171.html

The institute’s statement, signed by an employee of the Institute of Human Rights, linguist, Professor Mart Rannut, notes that the diversity of nationalities and cultures is a global wealth, and therefore it is necessary to stop the forced assimilation of Finno-Ugric-speaking national minorities carried out by officials and the educational and administrative system of Russia.

“Until now, the participation of Finno-Ugrians in public life limited folk art, the state funding of which is carried out according to not entirely clear criteria, which allows Russian officials to carry out everything according to at will, without taking into account the needs of national minorities themselves,” the institute reports.

The Institute draws attention to the fact that in 2009 the opportunity to take the state exam in Finno-Ugric languages ​​was eliminated; in addition, national minorities do not have the opportunity to take part in decision-making that concerns them; also missing the legislative framework to study the languages ​​of national minorities and use them in public life.

“Local toponyms are very rarely used in Finno-Ugric territories; in addition, conditions for the development and viability of the linguistic environment of national minorities have not been created in cities. The share of television and radio programs in minority languages ​​is decreasing, which leads to a forced change of language in many areas of life.

The Russian Federation has so far consistently prevented national minorities from using alphabets other than Cyrillic, although this is one of the fundamental rights of national minorities,” the statement notes.

The institute emphasizes that over the past ten years the Finno-Ugric population of Russia has decreased by almost a third. Discrimination against national minorities and their languages ​​continues, interethnic hatred and intolerance are inflamed.

“The above direct violations of human rights have been documented by many international human rights organizations, including in the report of the Council of Europe,” the statement noted.

The Human Rights Institute calls on Russian Federation respect the rights of national minorities, including the rights of Finno-Ugric peoples, and comply with their obligations under international treaties in this area.

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I told you 3 fantastic stories, and this is not science fiction, but fantasy (from English. fantasy- “fantasy”), science fiction[English] science fiction< science - наука, fiction>- fiction; fiction, fantasy]. None of the named countries not only sent their troops into the territory of the Russian Federation, but did not even plan to do so, although they have exactly the same reasons for this as Russia for sending troops into the territory of sovereign Ukraine.

I would like to ask questions to the Russian-speaking readers of "7x7 Komi", who, like myself, are not part of the indigenous nationality of our Republic, who have been living in it for a long time, and many for their entire lives: How many of us know the Komi language? Do we have a desire to know the language of the people on whose land we live, their customs and culture? Why? Why in any of national republics Russian Federation, knowledge of the Russian language is mandatory for all residents of this republic, including the indigenous population, but knowledge of the language of the indigenous population is not mandatory for its non-indigenous population? Isn’t this a manifestation of Russian imperial thinking? Why does any “guest worker” who comes to any place in the Russian Federation try to master the Russian (but not local) language? Why does the Russian-speaking population of Crimea, which has been part of Ukraine for 60 years, consider the obligation to know its state language a violation of their rights, and the population of Western Ukraine after its entry into the USSR (let me remind you that this “entry” took place when the USSR was an ally of Hitler’s Germany) was obliged learn and know Russian? Why does any Russian who has moved for permanent residence to any country in the non-post-Soviet space consider it natural to first of all master the language of that country, but living in the former Soviet republics does not think so? Why does Russia still consider them, including Ukraine, its fiefdom, to which it can dictate its terms from a position of strength?

• Toponym (from the Greek “topos” - “place” and “onima” - “name”) is a geographical name.
• Russian historian of the 18th century. V.N. Tatishchev wrote that the Udmurts (formerly called Votyaks) perform their prayers “at any good tree, however, not with the pine and spruce, which have no leaves or fruit, but the aspen is revered as a cursed tree...".

Considering geographical map Russia, you can notice that in the basins of the Middle Volga and Kama river names ending in “va” and “ha” are common: Sosva, Izva, Kokshaga, Vetluga, etc. Finno-Ugrians live in those places, and in translation from in their languages ​​"va" and "ga" mean "river", "moisture", "wet place", "water". However, Finno-Ugric place names are found not only where these peoples make up a significant part of the population and form republics and national districts. Their distribution area is much wider: it covers the European north of Russia and part of the central regions. There are many examples: the ancient Russian cities of Kostroma and Murom; the Yakhroma and Iksha rivers in the Moscow region; Verkola village in Arkhangelsk, etc.

Some researchers consider even such familiar words as “Moscow” and “Ryazan” to be Finno-Ugric in origin. Scientists believe that Finno-Ugric tribes once lived in these places, and now the memory of them is preserved by ancient names.

WHO ARE THE FINNO-UGRICS

Finns are the people who inhabit Finland, neighboring Russia (in Finnish “Suomi”), and Hungarians were called Ugrians in ancient Russian chronicles. But in Russia there are no Hungarians and very few Finns, but there are peoples who speak languages ​​related to Finnish or Hungarian. These peoples are called Finno-Ugric. Depending on the degree of similarity of languages, scientists divide the Finno-Ugric peoples into five subgroups. The first, Baltic-Finnish, includes Finns, Izhorians, Vods, Vepsians, Karelians, Estonians and Livs. The two most numerous peoples of this subgroup - Finns and Estonians - live mainly outside our country. In Russia, Finns can be found in Karelia, the Leningrad region and St. Petersburg; Estonians - in Siberia, the Volga region and the Leningrad region. A small group of Estonians - Setos - lives in the Pechora district of the Pskov region. By religion, many Finns and Estonians are Protestants (usually Lutherans), while the Setos are Orthodox. The small Vepsian people live in small groups in Karelia, the Leningrad region and in the north-west of the Vologda region, and the Vod (there are less than 100 people left!) - in the Leningrad region. Both Vepsians and Vods are Orthodox. Izhora people also profess Orthodoxy. There are 449 of them in Russia (in the Leningrad region), and about the same number in Estonia. The Vepsians and Izhorians have preserved their languages ​​(they even have dialects) and use them in everyday communication. The Votic language has disappeared.

The largest Baltic-Finnish people in Russia are the Karelians. They live in the Republic of Karelia, as well as in the Tver, Leningrad, Murmansk and Arkhangelsk regions. In everyday life, Karelians speak three dialects: Karelian proper, Lyudikovsky and Livvikovsky, and their literary language is Finnish. Newspapers and magazines are published there, and the Department of Finnish Language and Literature operates at the Faculty of Philology of Petrozavodsk University. Karelians also speak Russian.

The second subgroup consists of the Sami, or Lapps. Most of them are settled in Northern Scandinavia, and in Russia the Sami are the inhabitants of the Kola Peninsula. According to most experts, the ancestors of this people once occupied a much larger territory, but over time they were pushed to the north. Then they lost their language and adopted one of the Finnish dialects. The Sami are good reindeer herders (in the recent past they were nomads), fishermen and hunters. In Russia they profess Orthodoxy.

The third, Volga-Finnish, subgroup includes the Mari and Mordovians. Mordovians are the indigenous population of the Republic of Mordovia, but a significant part of this people lives throughout Russia - in Samara, Penza, Nizhny Novgorod, Saratov, Ulyanovsk regions, in the republics of Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, Chuvashia, etc. Even before the annexation in the 16th century. Mordovian lands to Russia, the Mordovians had their own nobility - “inyazory”, “otsyazory”, i.e. “owners of the land”. The Inyazors were the first to be baptized, quickly became Russified, and subsequently their descendants formed an element in the Russian nobility that was slightly smaller than those from the Golden Horde and the Kazan Khanate. Mordva is divided into Erzya and Moksha; Each of the ethnographic groups has a written literary language - Erzya and Moksha. By religion, Mordovians are Orthodox; they have always been considered the most Christianized people of the Volga region.

The Mari live mainly in the Republic of Mari El, as well as in Bashkortostan, Tatarstan, Udmurtia, Nizhny Novgorod, Kirov, Sverdlovsk and Perm regions. It is generally accepted that this people has two literary languages ​​- Meadow-Eastern and Mountain Mari. However, not all philologists share this opinion.

Even ethnographers of the 19th century. celebrated unusually high level national identity Mari They stubbornly resisted joining Russia and baptism, and until 1917 the authorities forbade them to live in cities and engage in crafts and trade.

The fourth, Perm, subgroup includes the Komi proper, Komi-Permyaks and Udmurts. The Komi (in the past they were called Zyryans) form the indigenous population of the Komi Republic, but also live in the Sverdlovsk, Murmansk, Omsk regions, in the Nenets, Yamalo-Nenets and Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrugs. Their original occupations are farming and hunting. But, unlike most other Finno-Ugric peoples, there have long been many merchants and entrepreneurs among them. Even before October 1917 Komi in terms of literacy level (in Russian) were close to the highest educated peoples Russia - Russian Germans and Jews. Today, 16.7% of Komi work in agriculture, but 44.5% work in industry, and 15% work in education, science, and culture. Part of the Komi - the Izhemtsy - mastered reindeer husbandry and became the largest reindeer herders in the European north. Komi Orthodox (partly Old Believers).

The Komi-Permyaks are very close in language to the Zyryans. More than half of these people live in the Komi-Permyak Autonomous Okrug, and the rest live in the Perm region. Permians are mainly peasants and hunters, but throughout their history they were also factory serfs in the Ural factories, and barge haulers on the Kama and Volga. By religion, Komi-Permyaks are Orthodox.

The Udmurts are concentrated mostly in the Udmurt Republic, where they make up about 1/3 of the population. Small groups of Udmurts live in Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, the Republic of Mari El, Perm, Kirov, Tyumen, Sverdlovsk regions. The traditional occupation is agriculture. In cities, they most often forget their native language and customs. Perhaps this is why only 70% of Udmurts, mostly residents of rural areas, consider the Udmurt language as their native language. The Udmurts are Orthodox, but many of them (including baptized ones) adhere to traditional beliefs - they worship pagan gods, deities, spirits.

The fifth, Ugric, subgroup includes the Hungarians, Khanty and Mansi. “Ugrians” in Russian chronicles called the Hungarians, and “Ugra” - the Ob Ugrians, i.e. Khanty and Mansi. Although the Northern Urals and the lower reaches of the Ob, where the Khanty and Mansi live, are located thousands of kilometers from the Danube, on the banks of which the Hungarians created their state, these peoples are closest relatives. The Khanty and Mansi are classified as small peoples of the North. The Mansi live mainly in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, and the Khanty live in the Khanty-Mansi and Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Tomsk Region. The Mansi are primarily hunters, then fishermen and reindeer herders. The Khanty, on the contrary, are first fishermen, and then hunters and reindeer herders. Both profess Orthodoxy, but they have not forgotten ancient faith. High damage traditional culture The Ob Ugrians were damaged by the industrial development of their region: many hunting grounds disappeared, the rivers were polluted.

Old Russian chronicles preserved the names of Finno-Ugric tribes that have now disappeared - Chud, Merya, Muroma. Merya in the 1st millennium AD e. lived in the area between the Volga and Oka rivers, and at the turn of the 1st and 2nd millennia merged with Eastern Slavs. There is an assumption that modern Mari are descendants of this tribe. Murom in the 1st millennium BC. e. lived in the Oka basin, and by the 12th century. n. e. mixed with the Eastern Slavs. Modern researchers consider the Finnish tribes who lived in ancient times along the banks of the Onega and Northern Dvina to be a miracle. It is possible that they are the ancestors of the Estonians.

WHERE THE FINNO-UGRICS LIVED AND WHERE THE FINNO-UGRIANS LIVE

Most researchers agree that the ancestral home of the Finno-Ugric peoples was on the border of Europe and Asia, in the areas between the Volga and Kama and in the Urals. It was there in the IV-III millennia BC. e. A community of tribes arose, related in language and similar in origin. To the 1st millennium AD e. the ancient Finno-Ugrians settled as far as the Baltic states and Northern Scandinavia. They occupied a vast territory covered with forests - almost the entire northern part of what is now European Russia to the Kama River in the south.

Excavations show that the ancient Finno-Ugrians belonged to the Ural race: their appearance mixed Caucasoid and Mongoloid features (wide cheekbones, often a Mongolian eye shape). Moving west, they mixed with Caucasians. As a result, among some peoples descended from the ancient Finno-Ugrians, Mongoloid features began to smooth out and disappear. Nowadays, “Ural” features are characteristic to one degree or another of everyone Finnish peoples Russia: average height, wide face, nose, called “snub-nosed,” very light hair, sparse beard. But different nations these features manifest themselves in different ways. For example, the Mordovians-Erzya are tall, fair-haired, blue-eyed, while the Mordovians-Moksha are shorter, have a wider face, and have darker hair. The Mari and Udmurts often have eyes with the so-called Mongolian fold - epicanthus, very wide cheekbones, and a thin beard. But at the same time (the Ural race!) has blond and red hair, blue and gray eyes. The Mongolian fold is sometimes found among Estonians, Vodians, Izhorians, and Karelians. Komi are different: in those places where there are mixed marriages with the Nenets, they have black hair and braids; others are more Scandinavian-like, with a slightly wider face.

The Finno-Ugrians were engaged in agriculture (to fertilize the soil with ash, they burned out areas of the forest), hunting and fishing. Their settlements were far from each other. Perhaps for this reason they did not create states anywhere and began to be part of neighboring organized and constantly expanding powers. Some of the first mentions of the Finno-Ugrians contain Khazar documents written in Hebrew - state language Khazar Khaganate. Alas, there are almost no vowels in it, so one can only guess that “tsrms” means “Cheremis-Mari”, and “mkshkh” means “moksha”. Later, the Finno-Ugrians also paid tribute to the Bulgars and were part of the Kazan Khanate and the Russian state.

RUSSIANS AND FINNO-UGRICS

In the XVI-XVIII centuries. Russian settlers rushed to the lands of the Finno-Ugric peoples. Most often, settlement was peaceful, but sometimes indigenous peoples resisted the entry of their region into Russian state. The Mari showed the most fierce resistance.

Over time, baptism, writing, and urban culture brought by the Russians began to displace local languages ​​and beliefs. Many began to feel like Russians - and actually became them. Sometimes it was enough to be baptized for this. The peasants of one Mordovian village wrote in a petition: “Our ancestors, the former Mordovians,” sincerely believing that only their ancestors, pagans, were Mordovians, and their Orthodox descendants are in no way related to the Mordovians.

People moved to cities, went far away - to Siberia, to Altai, where everyone had one language in common - Russian. The names after baptism were no different from ordinary Russian ones. Or almost nothing: not everyone notices that there is nothing Slavic in surnames like Shukshin, Vedenyapin, Piyasheva, but they go back to the name of the Shuksha tribe, the name of the goddess of war Veden Ala, the pre-Christian name Piyash. Thus, a significant part of the Finno-Ugrians was assimilated by the Russians, and some, having converted to Islam, mixed with the Turks. That is why the Finno-Ugric people do not constitute a majority anywhere - even in the republics to which they gave their name.

But, having disappeared into the mass of Russians, the Finno-Ugrians retained their anthropological type: very blond hair, blue eyes, a “bubble” nose, and a wide, high-cheekboned face. The type that writers XIX V. called the “Penza peasant”, is now perceived as typically Russian.

Many Finno-Ugric words have entered the Russian language: “tundra”, “sprat”, “herring”, etc. Is there a more Russian and by all favorite dish what dumplings? Meanwhile, this word is borrowed from the Komi language and means “bread ear”: “pel” is “ear”, and “nyan” is “bread”. There are especially many borrowings in northern dialects, mainly among the names of natural phenomena or landscape elements. They add a unique beauty to local speech and regional literature. Take, for example, the word “taibola”, which in the Arkhangelsk region is used to call a dense forest, and in the Mezen River basin - a road running along the seashore next to the taiga. It is taken from the Karelian "taibale" - "isthmus". For centuries, peoples living nearby have always enriched each other's language and culture.

Patriarch Nikon and Archpriest Avvakum were Finno-Ugrians by origin - both Mordvins, but irreconcilable enemies; Udmurt - physiologist V. M. Bekhterev, Komi - sociologist Pitirim Sorokin, Mordvin - sculptor S. Nefedov-Erzya, who took the name of the people as his pseudonym; Mari composer A. Ya. Eshpai.

The Komi language is part of the Finno-Ugric language family, and with the closest Udmurt language it forms the Perm group of Finno-Ugric languages. In total, the Finno-Ugric family includes 16 languages, which in ancient times developed from a single base language: Hungarian, Mansi, Khanty (Ugric group of languages); Komi, Udmurt (Perm group); Mari, Mordovian languages ​​- Erzya and Moksha: Baltic and Finnish languages ​​- Finnish, Karelian, Izhorian, Vepsian, Votic, Estonian, Livonian languages. A special place in the Finno-Ugric family of languages ​​is occupied by the Sami language, which is very different from other related languages.

Finno-Ugric languages ​​and Samoyed languages ​​form the Uralic family of languages. The Samodian languages ​​include Nenets, Enets, Nganasan, Selkup, and Kamasin languages. Peoples speaking Samoyed languages ​​live in Western Siberia, except for the Nenets, who also live in northern Europe.

The question of the ancestor of the ancient Finno-Ugric peoples has long been of interest to scientists. They searched for the ancient ancestral home in the Altai region, on the upper reaches of the Ob, Irtysh and Yenisei, and on the shores of the Arctic Ocean. Modern scientists, based on studying the vocabulary of the flora of the Finno-Ugric languages, have come to the conclusion that the ancestral homeland of the Finno-Ugric peoples was located in the Volga-Kama region on both sides Ural mountains. Then the Finno-Ugric tribes and languages ​​separated, became isolated, and the ancestors of the current Finno-Ugric peoples left their ancient homeland. The first chronicle mentions of the Finno-Ugric peoples already find these peoples in the places of their current residence.

Hungariansmore than a thousand years ago they moved to the territory surrounded by the Carpathians. The self-name of the Hungarians Modyor has been known since the 5th century. n. e. Writing in the Hungarian language appeared at the end of the 12th century, and the Hungarians have a rich literature. Total number There are about 17 million Hungarians. In addition to Hungary, they live in Czechoslovakia, Romania, Austria, Ukraine, and Yugoslavia.

Mansi (Voguls)live in the Khanty-Mansiysk district of the Tyumen region. In Russian chronicles, they, together with the Khanty, were called Yugra. The Mansi use a written language based on Russian graphics and have their own schools. The total number of Mansi is over 7,000 people, but only half of them consider Mansi their native language.

Khanty (Ostyaks)live on the Yamal Peninsula, lower and middle Ob. Writing in the Khanty language appeared in the 30s of our century, but the dialects of the Khanty language are so different that communication between representatives of different dialects is often difficult. Many lexical borrowings from the Komi language have penetrated into the Khanty and Mansi languages. The total number of Khanty people is 21,000. The traditional occupation of the Ob Ugrians is reindeer herding, hunting, and fishing.

Udmurtsleast advanced from the territory of the Finno-Ugric ancestral home; they live on the lower reaches of the Kama and Vyatka rivers, except Udmurt Republic, live in Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, Mari El, Vyatka region. There were 713,696 Udmurts in 1989; writing arose in the 18th century. The capital of Udmurtia is Izhevsk.

Marilive on the territory of the Volga left bank. About half of the Mari live in the Republic of Mari El, the rest live in Bashkortostan, Tatarstan and Udmurtia. Writing in the Mari language arose in the 18th century; there are two variants of the literary language - meadow and mountain, they have the main difference in phonetics. The total number of Mari is 621,961 people (1989). The capital of Mari El is Yoshkar-Ola.

Among the Finno-Ugric peoples, it ranks 3rd in numberMordovians. There are more than 1,200 thousand people, but the Mordovians live very widely and fragmented. Their more compact groups can be found in the basins of the Moksha and Sura rivers (Mordovia), in the Penza, Samara, Orenburg, Ulyanovsk, and Nizhny Novgorod regions. There are two closely related Mordovian languages, Erzya and Moksha, but the speakers of these languages ​​communicate with each other in Russian. Writing in the Mordovian languages ​​appeared in the 19th century. The capital of Mordovia is Saransk.

Baltic-Finnish languages ​​and peoples are so close that speakers of these languages ​​can communicate with each other without an interpreter. Among the languages ​​of the Baltic-Finnish group, the most widespread isFinnish, it is spoken by about 5 million people, the self-name of the Finnssuomi. In addition to Finland, Finns also live in the Leningrad region of Russia. Writing arose in the 16th century, and in 1870 the period of the modern Finnish language began. On Finnish the epic "Kalevala" sounds, a rich original literature. About 77 thousand Finns live in Russia.

Estonianslive on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea, the number of Estonians in 1989 was 1,027,255 people. Writing existed from the 16th century to the 19th century. Two literary languages ​​developed: southern and northern Estonian. In the 19th century these literary languages ​​became closer based on the Central Estonian dialects.

Karelianslive in Karelia and the Tver region of Russia. There are 138,429 Karelians (1989), a little more than half speak their native language. The Karelian language consists of many dialects. In Karelia, Karelians study and use the Finnish literary language. The most ancient monuments of Karelian writing date back to the 13th century; in Finno-Ugric languages, this is the second oldest written language (after Hungarian).

IzhoraThe language is unwritten and is spoken by about 1,500 people. Izhorians live on the southeastern coast of the Gulf of Finland, on the river. Izhora, a tributary of the Neva. Although the Izhorians call themselves Karelians, in science it is customary to distinguish an independent Izhorian language.

Vepsianslive on the territory of three administrative-territorial units: Vologda, Leningrad regions of Russia, Karelia. In the 30s there were about 30,000 Vepsians, in 1970 there were 8,300 people. Due to the strong influence of the Russian language, the Vepsian language is noticeably different from other Baltic-Finnish languages.

Vodskythe language is on the verge of extinction, because there are no more than 30 people who speak this language. Vod lives in several villages located between the northeastern part of Estonia and the Leningrad region. The Votic language is unwritten.

Do youlive in several coastal fishing villages in the north of Latvia. Their number has sharply decreased over the course of history due to the devastation during World War II. Now the number of Livonian speakers is only about 150 people. Writing has been developing since the 19th century, but currently the Livonians are switching to the Latvian language.

Samithe language forms a separate group of Finno-Ugric languages, since there are many specific features in its grammar and vocabulary. The Sami live in the northern regions of Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Kola Peninsula in Russia. There are only about 40 thousand people, including about 2000 in Russia. The Sami language has much in common with the Baltic-Finnish languages. Sami writing develops on the basis of different dialects in Latin and Russian graphic systems.

Modern Finno-Ugric languages ​​have diverged so much from each other that at first glance they seem completely unrelated to each other. However, a deeper study of sound composition, grammar and vocabulary shows that these languages ​​have many common features, which prove the former single origin of the Finno-Ugric languages ​​from one ancient proto-language.

ABOUT THE CONCEPT OF "KOMI LANGUAGE"

Traditionally, the Komi language refers to all three Komi dialects: Komi-Zyryan, Komi-Permyak and Komi-Yazvinsky. Many foreign Finno-Ugric scholars do not distinguish between the Komi-Zyryan and Komi-Permyak languages ​​separately. However, in Soviet ethnography, two ethnic groups are distinguished - Komi-Zyryans and Komi-Permyaks, and in linguistics, accordingly, two languages. Komi-Zyryans and Komi-Permyaks communicate freely among themselves in their own languages, without resorting to Russian. Thus, the Komi-Zyryan and Komi-Permyak literary languages ​​are very close.

This closeness is clearly visible when comparing the following two sentences:

1) Komi-Zyryan literary language -Ruch vidzodlis gogorbok and ydzhyd koz vylys addzis uros, kodi tov kezhlo dastis tshak .

2) Komi-Permyak literary language -Ruch vidzotis gogor and ydzhyt koz yilis kazyalis urokos, koda tov kezho zaptis tshakkez .

“The fox looked around and at the top of a tall spruce saw a squirrel who was storing mushrooms for the winter.”.

Studying the Komi-Zyryan literary language, in principle, makes it possible to read everything written in Komi-Permyak literary language, and also freely communicate with Komi-Permyaks.

LOCATION AND NUMBER OF KOMI

A special ethnographic group of Komi are the Komi-Yazvintsy, whose language is very different from the modern Komi-Zyryan and Komi-Permyak dialects. Komi-Yazvintsy live in the Krasnovishersky district of the Perm region along the middle and upper reaches of the river. Yazva, the left tributary of the river. Vishera, flowing into the Kama. Their total number is about 4,000 people, but currently there is a rapid Russification of the Komi-Yazvintsy.

In Afanasyevsky district Kirov region The so-called “Zyuzda” Komi live, whose dialect stands, as it were, between the Komi-Zyryan and Komi-Permyak dialects. In the 50s, there were over 5,000 people from Zyuzda, but then their numbers began to decrease.

Komi-Zyryanslive in the Komi Republic in the basins of the Luza, Vychegda and its tributaries Sysola, Vym, in the basins of the Izhma and Pechora rivers, which flow into the White Sea. Mezen and its tributary Vashka. Accordingly, ethnographic groups of Komi are divided by rivers - Luz Komi, Sysolsky, Vychegda, Vymsky, Udorsky, Izhemsky, Verkhne-Pechora Komi, etc. About 10% of the Komi-Zyryans live outside the republic: in the Nenets Autonomous Okrug of the Arkhangelsk Region, in the north of the Tyumen Region region, in many villages of the lower Ob and its tributaries, on the Kola Peninsula in the Murmansk region in Omsk, Novosibirsk and other regions of Siberia.

Komi-PermyaksThey live in isolation from the Komi-Zyryans, to the south, in the Perm region, in the Upper Kama region, on its tributaries Kose and Inve. The capital of the Komi-Permyak Autonomous Region is the city of Kudymkar.

The total number of the Komi population (Komi-Zyryans and Komi-Permyaks), according to population census data, was constantly increasing: 1897 - 254,000; 1970 - 475,000; 1926 - 364,000; 1979 - 478,000; 1959 - 431,000; 1989 - 497,081.

Demographers have noticed a trend of sharp decline in Komi population growth in recent decades. If for 1959-1970. the increase was 44,000 people, then in 1970-1979. - only 3,000 people. As of 1979 in the USSR there were 326,700 Komi-Zyryans and 150,768 Komi-Permyaks. There were 280,797 Komi-Zyryans living in the Komi SSR, which amounted to 25.3% of the republic’s population.

In 1989, among the population of the Komi SSR, Komi made up 23%. According to the 1989 census, 345,007 Komi-Zyryans and 152,074 Komi-Permyaks lived in the USSR. However, the number of people who speak the Komi language is decreasing. Thus, in 1970, 82.7% of Komi-Zyryans and 85.8% of Komi-Permyaks called the Komi language their native language. In 1979, 76.2% of Komi-Zyryans and 77.1% of Komi-Permyaks named the Komi language as their native language. Over 10 years, the Komi language community has decreased by 33,000 people. The number of Komi language speakers continues to decline. According to the 1989 population census, among all the Komi in the USSR, 70% called the Komi language their native language, i.e. now every third Komi no longer speaks their mother’s language.

From the book "KOMI KYV: Self-teacher of the Komi language" E. A. Tsypanov, 1992 (Syktyvkar, Komi book publishing house)