Finland: Uralic and Finno-Ugric People

Finno-Ugric Cooperation and Individualism

Finno-Ugric "rugged individualism" is well suited for the forest wilderness of the north and for pioneering new lands, such as America. But like the vast wilderness, their nature has also divided the tribes. This gave foreigners an opportunity to use the Finno-Ugrics against themselves and prevent their cultural and territorial unity in the vast northern lands. Their independence allowed foreigners to build walls between them, preventing common development of culture and language. They have become foreigners in their own ancestral lands in many cases. Anti-Uralic attitudes have been destructive of all Finnic, Ugric, Samoyed and many other related tribes as evidenced by statistics. Only by conscious effort have they been able to survive where brethren were forcibly scattered and were often not allowed to cooperate in common goals. The "apostate" Orthodox Church, headed by the Czar, worked hard to colonize and russify the Uralic people. The theory is, if you can convert them, you can absorb them, and eventually they cease to exist as distinct people. It is a form of genocide by the state with the aid of the nationalistic Russian Orthodox Church. And of course, it was devide and conquer as well, as the Orthodox Karelians were drawn into the Russian sphere, and army. We love the orthodox people, and want them to see the truth. Observers in Petrozavodsk reported March 8, 2004 "...the Russian Orthodox Church de-facto is now the official Church of Putin's new Russian empire, intolerant and aggressive." Politics and religion are at it again. The Finnish Orthodox Church is not tied to Moscow, as my friend pointed out.

The Lutheran west did not like their eastern brethren falling into a religion with so many idols, (icons) and this is often seen in old literature. Jesus did not appoint an artist to communicate the message because he knew people would soon be bowing to them - everything was to be written.

From the point of view of the author, religion plays a key role in the type of society that develops, for comlex reasons. There is a stark contrast between Finland and Russia at all levels.

All Russians often suffered right along with the minorities of course. But the ethnic majority, the Great Russians, did not suffer genocide as such, nor were they threatened with extinction. The threat of extinction was revived in 2005 when Moscow began its contemporary program of genocide. Genocide shall refer to the destruction of culture or language, or destruction of a population. Both have once again been revived by the present administration, who is paranoid of loosing power to the highly intelligent but few in number Finno-Ugric people.

Many were the raids on the Finnic brotherhood by foreigners, whose armies consisted of other Finns and Slavs. In 1656 for example, Moscow again looked on Finland, Estonia and Livonia, with greedy eyes. Burning, killing and looting, the armies under Moscow raped the land clean all the way to northern Savo province. So many Finnish slaves were rounded up that you could get one at the Moscow slave market for 10 - 15 kopeks. The only thing that saved the Finns was that Moscow had other wars elsewhere that required the army. (Kuussaari, 1935) Other Finnish-related nations experienced similar treatment from the slavs. A biological analogy of an amoeba comes to mind, with pseudopodia, using phagocytosis to engulf its victims, and growing, growing, infecting with its brutal methods whatever it touches, until the organism has grown so big, and its victims groaning with incomplete digestion within, it experiences hundreds of years of heartburn. This organism can become very harmless looking, reformed, and appear to be peaceful, until the next opportunity arises. It is easier to release colonies if they are across the sea, but what if they are inside? In contrast to the slavs, Swedes were not out to remove the Finns from their land. They dwelt in relative harmony for centuries.

Finno-Ugric People Today

Struggling with a common problem of survival, the Finno-Ugric peoples have in recent years established closer cooperation. The first congress for Finno-Ugric peoples in Russia took place in the Udmurt capital, Odzhkar in 1992. A committee for Finno-Ugric affairs has been founded, with headquarters in Finland. The representatives from Estonia and Hungary include members of parliament and government officials. The committee organizes conferences and seminars on practical issues, publishes information bulletins, supports educational and cultural policies (including the development of educational opportunities in Finland, Hungary and Estonia for Finno-Ugric peoples from Russia), tries to bring the Finno-Ugric minorities' problems international attention etc. But above all, the future of the Finno-Ugric minorities in Russia depends on the development of democracy in Russia.

Russia has decided in 2005 that Moscow will wage total war against the Finno-Ugric people. The plan is to wipe out the minorities completely by removing them from the beaurocracy, Russian Duma and to not give them any participation within the Federation as Mari. They can participate only if they give up their own language and culture. This is seen as a huge setback to the Finno-Ugric people and it has been protested widely. There have been beatings and murders of opposition. To thwart media coverage, a campaign of destroying all independent media has been undertaken. Twelve reporters have been murdered with no action taken by authorities. Now only the official Moscow version is possible. And of course this news is good: the ethnic minorities are enjoying greater prosperity and freedom! Now, the Soviet Union, the Communists have always attributed everything as a plot. In fact one of the differences between the West and Russia today is the unwillingness of Americans to accept conspiracy theories; while their counterparts in Russia are all to willing to listen to conspiracy theories. In old Communist writings, it was always so and so backed and encouraged by some circles far away. So too do the remnants of this system now blame an international conspiracy. The Moscow analysts claim that the plot is to overthrow Moscow and sieze the oil production! What paranoia! This is the kind of ideology that sparks wars.Washington Times Report

As of 1999, the development of fascism in Russia threatens all minorities in Russia with ethnic cleansing.

Fascism or Ultra-Nationalism
Recently a sinister new threat comes from neo-fascists called the Russian Fascists Organization (RNE - Russian National Unity) - "Russkie Vitjazi." Their estabishment of a youth wing in Karelia in May 1999 is particularly alarming since there is a movement in Karelia to take her out of Russia by peaceful means and join it to Finland. Finland however, may not want several hundred thousand Slavs wanting language rights inside the country, which is understandable. They would have to go back where they came from after the war, which would not be a pleasant or practical thing to do. ProKarelia

Derussification of the Finno-Ugric People in FSU: a struggle against racism/fascism.

Finno-Ugrians in Estonia.

As a consequence of Russia's Slavic imperialistic policy, inwards as well as outwards, an important part of Finno-Ugrians live outside their ethnic homeland (as for Maris and Mordvinians, over 50%). Since the 16th century some have come to Estonia, too. During Estonia's independence (1918-1940) there were, according to the figures from the census in 1934, almost a thousand Ingrian-Finns living in Estonia.

Soviet deportation and immigration: a part of the Russification policy.

With the Soviet occupation in 1940 a policy of demographic change was initiated in Estonia by the Russians. Russia developed large scale industry there. This required additional manpower, from all over the Soviet Union, mainly Russians and other Slavs, to replace the tens of thousands of Estonians who were deported to Siberia. There were few Finno-Ugrians among the newcomers, except for Ingrian-Finns and Izhorians. For political reasons they were not allowed to live in their homeland in North-Western Russia and chose to settle nearby, in Estonia. For this reason, the Estonian people are justified in trying to reverse these injustices today. It is the right thing to do.

As a result of this policy, 18% of all the Ingrian-Finns in the Soviet Union were living in Estonia in 1959 (as were 34% of the Izhorians) - altogether about 17000 persons, which formed a relatively large minority group. This figure remained unchanged during the next 30 years. No other Finno-Ugric peoples are represented by more than a thousand individuals in Estonia. The larger groups according to the census in 1989 were: Mordvinians (985), Karelians (881), Udmurts (413) and Maris (359). The total number of the Finno-Ugrians from the former Soviet Union only formed 1.2% of the total population of Estonia. Most of them have arrived during the 60's and 70's. The migration was mainly directed towards the cities, areas with large scale industry, ie. Tallinn and North-Eastern Estonia. Most of the immigrants were young people.

Russian Language Increases at the expense of native languages.

Although Estonian is a language related to their own, the Finno-Ugrians were quickly russified even in Estonia, as Russian had become the dominant language of communication in the above mentioned areas. Less than half of the Finno-Ugrians have kept their mother tongue as first language. As for Finns, whose language is fairly close to Estonian, nearly 50% have changed to Estonian, whereas over 50% of the other Finno-Ugrians in Estonia have changed to the Russian language.

Finno-Ugric People Fight Back

Attitudes changed radically after the restoration of the Republic of Estonia. Like other ethnic minority groups in Estonia, the Finno-Ugric minorities have formed ethnic cultural associations (Finns, Mordvinians, Maris, Komis, Hungarians). Finnish and Ingrian-Finnish in Finnish associations are especially active, as these groups are several times more numerous in Estonia than all the other Finno-Ugric minorities combined. During the last few years people of Finnish or Ingrian-Finnish origin have also moved to Finland, with support from the Finnish government. Although Finland would like to bring more Ingrians to Finland, it is feared that this might totally wipe them out in Russia. Therefore restrictions have been made according such criteria as language skills and links to relatives in Finland. Ingrians, ("Inkeriläiset" in Finnish) are an offshoot of Karelians living between Estonia, St. Petersburg, and Finland; forceably dispersed throughout Russia after WW2 by train and dumped there in the middle of winter.

It is now time to account for every person who disappeared from 1920 to 1990 and expose the guilty parties. Those who lost homes must be restored to those homes or be paid compensation. Racism, Communism and Slavic chauvanism liquidated many Finno-Ugrians, and there is strong evidence racism is on the rise today by fascists. For this reason, Finno-Ugrians should receive the protection of the government.

An excerpt from Only Believe by Dan Wooding and Hannu Haukka, a Finnish Missionary to Russia from Vancouver B.C.:

"The war was over but the Inkeri people found no peace. Under German occupation, Estonia had welcomed them. Then came the Russians. After about three years, all those with Finnish surnames were to be expelled from Estonia. The Heinonen family were again detained in a prison camp. This one was called Ostrova. Another winter was spent behind barbed wire. They were eventually released by the Germans who were busy with the siege of Leningrad. But all was not well with this siege. Members of the Inkeri tribe intuitively sensed that it would be wise to flee to neighbouring Finland. But they were not even safe in Finland, for when the war finally ended, a peace agreement was signed between Finland and Russia, in which all Soviet residents would be forcibly returned to the USSR and were deported to an unknown destination.

As dawn broke and the snow continued to float down from heaven, the train came to a grinding halt at the Krestsy station. The train soon emptied of its passengers. Krestsy was apparently a random choice for the authorities. There was no logic in the decision except to splinter the Inkeri people and spread them throughout Russia, thus prohibiting uncontrolled contact among them." Yes, the same old divide and conquer trick. This way, a few generations pass, and the people have become Russians. (1970's and 80's new Ingerian generations grow in scattered places, and are part of something very big going on in the USSR)

Estonia Has a Long History in Finno-Ugric Studies.

During communist rule, a relatively large number of students and postgraduates of Finno-Ugric origin were enrolled at institutions of higher education in Estonia. Tartu University in particular has always promoted Finno-Ugric studies and tried to provide study possibilities to researchers of Finno-Ugric minorities. This tradition continues.

It is hoped that the newly updated law on cultural autonomy of ethnic minorities (enacted October 1993) will also help further develop the ethnic identity of all national minority groups in Estonia.

This is not about Slavic majority being bad and the minorities being good. It is about civil and human rights pure and simple. It is about people determining their own futures. The newly formed Soviet Union originally promised the local people language rights, but in reality, they worked hard to take them away, especially in the 1930's. The time has come for all these people to vote according to who can help their own languages to survive.

Peace of Tartu 14.10.1920: A trail of unkept promises.

1. Arkangel and Aunus (Olonets) Karelian East side of Lake Laatokka (Ladoga) population will enjoy their own national autonomy.

2. These Eastern Karelian people will be autonomous in internal affairs.

3. The representatives of these people will be selected by their own people.

4. The governmental and judicial language will be that of their own people.

5. Eastern Karelian autonomic area will control their own economic affairs according to their requirements and in harmony with the overall economy of the Republic.

5. The occupational army will be withdrawn in these areas and a militia will be formed for the defence of these areas...

Tarton Sopimus (Finnish)

Communist promises - can they be trusted? As far as promises made to the Karelian people, no. In 1921, the Eastern Karelians, because of unkept promises, wanted independence from the Soviet Union and by October the people were ready for armed revolt. They asked Finland, Estonia and Poland for support. Finland's position was that the Soviets had not permitted self-government, thus breaking the Treaty. The Soviets just accused the Finns of being part of a "Western conspiracy" (the standard Communist knee-jerk response) to overthrow their communist state and moved four army divisions into the Karelian Isthmus. From then on, the Tartu Treaty was just a piece of paper because any monitoring of it was an intrusion into the Soviet's "internal affairs." The Eastern and Viena Karelians were doomed to Russification and genocide.

Viena Karelia Villages

A very similar process has been concluded recently between the British Columbia Government and the Nisga'a of B.C. (see below) This ensures the integrity of the Nisga'a culture, in the same way the above treaty was supposed to.

The Russians were able to vote in more representatives because even soldiers from other parts of Russia were brought in to vote. Thus the Finnish related people lost all representation promised them, and this was the beginning of the end for their language and culture.

Today, Russians, like the Finno-Ugric people, want to preserve their cultural and national values, and the Pamyat (memory) society even seeks out "plots" against these values. Many Slavs feel their control threatened and want to renew hostilities towards other cultures, languages and religions. But it is the Finno-Ugric cultures and languages, not the Slavic language and culture, inside the Russian Federation that are now on the endangered list. The society has recently become more radical/fascist and have made threats against minorities, especially Jews. One member told a neighbour Jew that, when the time is right, they will kill all the Jews, and "you are my Jew." It is no wonder that so many Jews are leaving and settling in Israel. The Bible has predicted this, and some say that eventually Russia will follow these people to their land and try to destroy them there, but will be totally destroyed in the attempt.

But a greater threat to freedom of cultural and religious expression comes from the Communist-Orthodox Church coalition. Russian Communist dominated Duma has passed anti-religion laws, making certain religions more socially acceptable than others, again the government telling the people what they can think. (The government again treating the people like they were kids and not competant to think) Freedom of religion is a good index of how well a country is doing in its over-all level of freedom.

How Canada is resolving old conflicts between conquerors and the conquered:

The Nisga'a of British Columbia Canada (1998):

The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that aboriginal people may hold title to lands they historically occupied.

The Canadian Government is giving the Nisga'a 2000 square kilometers of their land, back to the people who owned it prior to the English invasion of their land.

The Nisga'a will own the forest and mineral resources on their land and must manage them within B.C. laws and standards.

Public access to provincial roads through Nisga'a land is assured as is public access to Nisga'a land for recreational purposes.

the Final Agreement has been initialled by the Nisga'a Tribal Council, the Federal Government, and the Government of B.C.

The Nisga'a will receive 312 million Canadian dollars over fifteen years.

The intention of this treaty is to make the Nisga'a self-reliant, remove their tax-exempt status, and give them back the land that rightfully belongs to them.

Since the "Slavs" are just as nice and reasonable as Canadians, although sometimes misguided by fairy-tale utopian socialist ideas and ultranationalism, perhaps they would like to give back some land to the Uralic/Finno-Ugric people. Many Slavic people are living right now in homes which were taken away from some people who were banished or killed. My parents and grandparents are such people from Karelia. Putin has warned that discussion of these issues are dangerous. Until these wrongs are corrected the slavic progress will be slow.

"He who is prepared to give up freedom for security, deserves neither."

Cooperating Karelians

Rich Karelian offers to buy back Karelia*

ProKarelia (in Finnish)*

ProKarelia (in English)*

Karelians United - Karjalan Liitto*

Antti's Photo Gallery

*Organizations/people involved in peaceful repatriation of Karelia back to Karelians.

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