Volga Finns

The Volga Finns referred to an ethnic group that summarizes several small peoples of the Finno -Ugric language group. Their settlement area is the middle Volga.

The group of Volga Finns include the peoples Mari, Moksha and Ersja (the latter are summarized in part as Mordvins ).

After being part of the tsarist Russia in the 17th century a process of Russification, which greatly affected the identity of the peoples began. However, at the beginning of the 20th century there was a brief cultural renaissance of the Volga Finns. The formation of autonomous republics for these peoples in the Soviet Union helped them to maintain their national identity to some extent.

Famous Volga Finns

  • Nikon (1605-1681), the Orthodox Patriarch
  • Avvakum (1621-1682), founder of the Old Believers movement and important representative of Old Russian literature
  • Vasily Klyuchevsky (1841-1911), an important historian
  • Mikhail Dewjatajew (1917-2002), lieutenant and fighter pilots of the Red Army ( Moksha )
  • Finno - ugrischsprachige ethnicity
  • Ethnic minority
Volga River Mari people Mokshas
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