Mokshas

The Moksha ( historically Moksha - Mordvins ) are a people in Russia, mainly in the Republic of Mordovia. They belong to the Volga Finns.

The Moksha are considered by some anthropologists as the smaller of the two main groups of Mordvins (the larger are the Ersja ), while others assume that there are two different peoples. Accordingly, the mokschanische language is either a dialect of Mordovian, or as a separate language.

In the Russian census 2002 49.624 people Moksha reported as a nationality, that is 5.9% of the Mordvins ( 10.0% and 84.1 % Ersja that are not specified by these groups ). 96 % of people who have explicitly indicated as Moksha nationality, live in the Republic of Mordovia; taken from all Mordvins together only 34 % live in Mordovia. Of the population of Mordovia to 5.3% among the Moksha ( 8.9% Ersja, 17.7% Mordvins unspecified).

To 99 % of both Moksha, and the Mordvins total command of the Russian language. One of Mordovia dialects ( or languages ​​) speak almost 73 % of all Mordvins in Russia, Mordovia itself almost 85 %.