The Finno-Ugric peoples: history and culture.

click fraud protection

Finno-Ugric languages ​​are related to modern Finnish and Hungarian.The peoples who speak them, make up the Finno-Ugric ethnolinguistic group.Their origin, resettlement area, similarities and differences in external terms, culture, religion and traditions - Global Research articles in the fields of history, anthropology, geography, linguistics and other sciences.Briefly highlight this theme try this review article.

peoples of the Finno-Ugric ethnolinguistic group

Based on the degree of closeness of languages, the researchers share the Finno-Ugric peoples in the five subgroups.

basics first, Baltic and Finnish, are Finns and Estonians - nations that have their own state.They live also in Russia.Seth - a small group of Estonians - settled in the Pskov region.The most numerous of the Baltic and Finnish peoples of Russia - Karelia.At home they use three indigenous dialect, while the literary language they considered to be Finnish.In addition, to the same subgroup are Vepsians and Izhors - small nations preserved their languages ​​and Vod (they have less than a hundred people lost their own language) and Livs.

second - Sami (or Lapps) subgroup.The bulk of the people who gave it the name, settled in Scandinavia.In Russia, the Saami live on the Kola Peninsula.The researchers suggest that in ancient times these peoples occupied more territory, but were later driven back to the north.Then there was the substitution of their own language, a Finnish dialect.

The third subgroup component of Finno-Ugric peoples - Volga-Finnish - Mari and includes Mordvinians.Mari - the bulk of the population of the Republic of Mari El, they also live in Bashkortostan, Tatarstan, Udmurtia and still a number of Russian regions.They are two of the literary language (with which, however, not all researchers agree).Mordva - indigenous population of the republic of Mordovia;at the same time a significant part of Mordvins settled throughout Russia.As a part of this nation - the two ethnic groups, each with its own literary written language.

fourth subgroup is called the Permian.It includes the Komi, Permian Komis and Udmurts.More to October 1917, on the level of literacy (though, in Russian) Komi approaching the most educated people of Russia - Russian Jews and Germans.With regard to the Udmurt, their dialect is preserved for the most part in the villages of Udmurtia.Living in the same cities, they tend to forget and indigenous language, and customs.

By the fifth, Ugric, subgroup includes the Hungarians, the Khanty and Mansi.Although the lower reaches of the Ob and the northern Ural separates from the Hungarian state on the Danube lot of kilometers, these people really are the closest relatives.Khanty and Mansi are small peoples of the North.

Disappeared Finno-Ugric tribes

to Finno-Ugric peoples and nations concerned, the references of which are currently kept only in the annals.So, the people Merya lived between the Volga and the Oka in the first millennium AD - there is a theory that he later merged with the Eastern Slavs.

The same thing happened with Moore.It is - even more ancient people of the Finno-Ugric ethno-linguistic group, once inhabited Pool Oka.

long disappeared Finnish tribes living along the rivers Onega and the Northern Dvina, the researchers called Chud (according to one hypothesis, they were the ancestors of modern Estonians).

common language and culture

announcing Finno-Ugric languages ​​as a group, the researchers emphasize that the community as the main factor which unites the peoples who speak them.However, Ural ethnic groups, despite the similarity in the structure of their languages, yet understand each other not always.So, Finn, of course, be able to explain to Estonians erzyanin - with mokshaninom and Udmurtia - with the Komi.However, this group of nations, geographically distant from each other, have to make a lot of effort to identify in their own languages ​​common features that would help them to have a conversation.

linguistic affinity Finno-Ugric peoples can be traced primarily to the similarity of linguistic structures.This greatly affects the formation of thinking and outlook of nations.Despite the difference of cultures, this fact contributes to mutual understanding between the ethnic groups.

At the same time a kind of psychology, due to the thought process in these languages, enriching human culture to their unique vision of the world.Thus, in contrast to the Indo-European, Finno-Ugric peoples inclined with respect to the exceptional nature.Finno-Ugric culture in many respects also contributed to the desire of these people to adjust peacefully to the neighbors - they usually prefer not to fight but to migrate while retaining their identity.

also characteristic of the peoples of this group - openness to ethnic and cultural interchange.In the search for ways to strengthen the relationship with the related peoples they support cultural contacts with all those who surround them.The Finno-Ugric largely managed to maintain their own languages, the basic cultural elements.Communication with ethnic traditions in this area can be traced in their national songs, dances, music, traditional food, clothes.Also, it has survived many elements of their ancient ceremonies: weddings, funerals, memorial.

Brief history of Finno-Ugric peoples

origin and early history of the Finno-Ugric peoples to this day remain the subject of scientific debate.Among the researchers most widely believed that in ancient times there was a single group of people who speak the same Finno-Ugric parent language.The ancestors of today's Finno-Ugric peoples before the end of the third millennium BC.e.maintained relative unity.They were resettled in the Urals and Western Urals area, and possibly also in some surrounding areas.

At the time, called the Finno-Ugric and their families in contact with the Indo-Iranians, which is reflected in myths and languages.Between the third and second millennia BC.e.separated from each other Finno-Ugric and Perm branches.Among the peoples of the latter, who settled in the western direction, gradually stood out and became isolated independent subgroup of languages ​​(Baltic-Finnish, Finnish-Volga, Perm).As a result of the transition of the indigenous population of the Far North on one of the Finno-Ugric Sami dialects formed.

Ugric languages ​​split the middle of I millennium BC.e.The division of the Baltic and Finnish occurred at the beginning of our era.Perm lasted a little longer - until the eighth century.An important role in the development of these separate languages ​​played contacts of Finno-Ugric tribes, with the Baltic, Iranian, Slavic, Turkic, Germanic peoples.

Territory resettlement

Finno-Ugric peoples today live mainly in the North-Western Europe.Geographically, they are settled in the vast territory from Scandinavia to the Urals, the Volga-Kama region, the lower and middle Tobol.Hungary - the only people of the Finno-Ugric ethno-linguistic groups formed their own state apart from other kindred tribes - in the Carpathian-Danube region.

number of Finno-Ugric peoples

total number of peoples who speak Uralic languages ​​(these are the Finno-Ugric with Samoyed), is 23-24 million.The most numerous representatives are Hungarians.They are the world's more than 15 million people.They are followed by the Finns and Estonians (5 and 1 million, respectively).Most other Finno-Ugric ethnic groups living in Russia.

Finno-Ugric ethnic groups in Russia

Russian immigrants flocked en masse to the Finno-Ugric peoples of the earth in XVI-XVIII centuries.Most often, the process of settling them in these parts took place peacefully, but some indigenous peoples (eg Mari) long and fiercely resisted joining his side to the Russian state.

Christian religion, writing, urban culture, adscititious Russian eventually began to replace local beliefs and adverbs.People move to the city, they moved to Siberia and the Altai land - where the main and common language was Russian.However, he (especially its northern dialect) has absorbed a lot of Finno-Ugric words - most notably in this region and the names of names of natural phenomena.

Chance of Finno-Ugric peoples of Russia mingled with the Turks, converted to Islam.However, much of it still was assimilated Russian.Therefore, these nations do not constitute a majority anywhere - even in those republics that bear their name.

However, according to the census in 2002, in Russia, there are very large numbers of Finno-Ugric group.It Mordvinians (843 thousand people), Udmurt (almost 637,000), Mari (604 thousand), Komi peoples (293,000), the Komi-Perm (125 thousand), Karelia (93,000).The number of some people does not exceed thirty thousand people: the Khanty, Mansi, Veps.Izhors account for 327 people, and the people of Vod - only 73 people.Living in Russia, as the Hungarians, Finns, Estonians, Saami.

development of the Finno-Ugric culture in Russia

total Russian population of sixteen Finno-Ugric peoples.Five of them have their own nation-state formation, and two - the national-territorial.The rest settled dispersed across the country.

in Russia devotes considerable attention to the preservation of traditional cultural identity of ethnic groups inhabiting it.At the national and local level, programs are developed with the support of which study the culture of the Finno-Ugric peoples, their customs and dialects.

For Saami, Khanty, Mansi is taught in primary school, and the Komi, Mari, Udmurt, Mordovian languages ​​- in secondary schools in the regions where there are large groups of the respective ethnic groups.There are special laws on culture, languages ​​(Mari El, Komi).Thus, in the Republic of Karelia has a law on the formation of the right of the Veps and Karelian instruction in their native language.Priority development of the cultural traditions of the people to determine the Law on Culture.

as in the Republic of Mari El, Udmurtia, Komi, Mordovia, in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous District has its own vision and national development programs.Created and operates Development Fund cultures of Finno-Ugric Peoples (in the Republic of Mari El).

Finno-Ugric peoples: appearance

ancestors of today's Finno-Ugric peoples have occurred as a result of mixing paleoevropeyskih and Paleo-Asiatic tribes.Therefore, the appearance of all the peoples of this group there are both European and Mongoloid features.Some scientists have even advanced the theory of the existence of separate races - the Urals, are "intermediate" between Europeans and Asians, but this version has a few supporters.

Finno-Ugric peoples nonuniform in anthropological terms.However, the characteristic "Ural" features in one way or another has any member of the Finno-Ugric peoples.It is usually medium height, hair color is very bright, "pug" nose, broad face, rather thin beard.But these characteristics are manifested in different ways.For Mordvins-Erzya - tall, holders of blond hair and blue eyes.Mordvins-Moksha - on the contrary, shorter, high-cheeked, with darker hair.In Udmurtia and Mari uncommon characteristic of "Mongol," the eye with a special fold at the inner corner of the eye - epicanthus very broad faces, liquid beard.But while their hair is usually blond and red, and his eyes - blue or gray, which is typical for the Europeans, but not the Mongoloids."Mongolian fold" is also found at the Izhora, Votes, Karel and even Estonians.Komi look different.Where there are mixed marriages with the Nenets, the representatives of this nation braces and black-haired.Other Komi, on the other hand, appear more like the Scandinavians, but more broad-.

Finno-Ugric traditional cuisine in Russia

Most of the dishes of traditional cuisine Finno-Ugric population of the Urals and Trans-Urals, in fact, has not been preserved or been materially misstated.However, ethnographers manages to trace some general patterns.

staple food of Finno-Ugric peoples was a fish.It is not only treated in different ways (grilled, vyalili, cooked, kvass, dried, eaten raw), but also prepared every kind of their way, which is better conveyed to the taste.

Before the advent of firearms the main method of hunting in the woods were a snare.Caught mainly forest birds (grouse, capercaillie) and small game, mainly hare.Meat and poultry stewed, boiled and baked, much less - fried.

From vegetables used turnips and radishes, herb - watercress growing in the forest, cow parsnip, horseradish, onions, young goutweed.Western Finno-Ugric peoples practically ate the mushrooms;at the same time for the eastern They are an essential part of the diet.The oldest types of grain known to those peoples - barley and wheat (spelled).From them prepare porridge, hot jelly and stuffing for homemade sausage.

contemporary culinary repertoire Finno-Ugric peoples have very little national characteristics, as was strongly influenced by Russian, Bashkir, Tatar, Chuvash and other cuisines.However, almost every nation has survived one or two traditional, ritual or festive dishes that have survived.In sum, they give a general idea of ​​the Finno-Ugric cooking.

Finno-Ugric peoples: religion

Most Finno-Ugric peoples profess the Christian faith.Finns, Estonians and Western Lapps are Lutherans.Among Hungarians dominated by Catholics, but can also be found Calvinists and Lutherans.

Finno-Ugric peoples living in the European part of Russia - mainly Orthodox Christians.However, Udmurtia and Mari managed to preserve ancient sites (animistic) religion and Samoyed peoples and the inhabitants of Siberia - shamanism.