Finno-Ugric peoples

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Finno-Ugric peoples
Total population
26,505,000
Regions with significant populations
 Hungary 9,982,000
 Finland 4,948,400
 Russia 2,322,000
 United States 2,288,100
 Romania 1,434,400
 Estonia 936,000
 Slovakia 520,500
 Sweden 507,600
 Canada ~450,000
 Norway 60,000–100,000
Languages

Finno-Ugric, Russian, English, Romanian
Religion

various Christian religions
(folk religion in countryside)
Related ethnic groups

other Samoyedic peoples

The Finno-Ugric peoples are any of several peoples of Eurasia who speak languages of the proposed Finno-Ugric language family, such as the Finns, Hungarians, Maris, Estonians, Udmurts and Mordvins.[1]

Contents

Peoples [edit]

Pie chart showing the percentage rates of specific nations speaking languages of the Finno-Ugric family

Existing Peoples

People Group Language Language Goup Culture area[2] Numbers Most important territory Other traditional territories Subgroups
Finns Baltic Finns Finnish language Baltic Finnic languages Baltic culture area 6 500 000 Finland Sweden, Norway, Karelia Republic, Leningrad Oblast Tornedalians, Forest Finns, Kvens, Ingrian Finns
Karelians Baltic Finns Karelian language Baltic Finnic languages Baltic culture area 71 000 Karelia Republic Tver Oblast, Murmansk Oblast, Leningrad Oblast Karelians (proper), Olonets Karelians, Ludic Karelians
Vepsians Baltic Finns Veps language Baltic Finnic languages Baltic culture area 5 900[3] Karelia Republic Leningrad Oblast, Vologda Oblast
Izhorians Baltic Finns Ingrian language Baltic Finnic languages Baltic culture area 300[3] Leningrad Oblast
Votes Baltic Finns Vote language Baltic Finnic languages Baltic culture area 60[3] Leningrad Oblast
Estonians Baltic Finns Estonian language Baltic Finnic languages Baltic culture area 1 000 000 Estonia Latvia, Leningrad Oblast, Pskov Oblast Setos, Võros
Livonians Baltic Finns Livonian language Baltic Finnic languages Baltic culture area 400 Latvia
Sami Sami Sami languages Sami languages Arctic culture area 60 000 Norway Sweden, Finland, Murmansk Oblast Inari Sami, Skolt Sami
Mordvins Volga Finns Erzya and Moksha languages Mordvinic languages Volga culture area 744 000[3] Mordva Republic Samara Oblast, Penza Oblast, Ulyanovsk Oblast, Orenburg Oblast Erzyas, Mokshas
Mari Volga Finns Mari language Mari language Volga culture area 548 000[3] Mari Republic Bashkortostan Meadow Mari, Hill Mari, Eastern Mari
Udmurt Permians Udmurt language Permic languages Volga culture area 555 000[3] Udmurt Republic Besermyan
Komi Permians Komi language Permic languages Arctic culture area 323 000[3] Komi Republic Perm Krai Komi-Permyaks
Khanty Ugric peoples Khanty language Ugric languages Arctic culture area 21 000[3] Khanty-Mansi Yamalo-Nenets
Mansi Ugric peoples Mansi language Ugric languages Arctic culture area 12 000[3] Khanty-Mansi
Hungarians Ugric peoples Hungarian language Ugric languages Danube culture area 14 500 000 Hungary Romania, Slovakia, Serbia, Ukraine Székely, Csángó, Jász

Extinct Peoples

The Uralic peoples.

The four largest Finno-Ugric peoples are Hungarians (14,500,000), Finns (6,500,000), Estonians (1,000,000) and Mordvins (744,000). Three of them (Hungarians, Finns, and Estonians) have their independent states – Hungary, Finland, and Estonia.

The traditional area of the indigenous Sami people is in Northern Fenno-Scandinavia and the Kola Peninsula in Northwest Russia and is known as Sápmi.

Some other Finno-Ugric peoples have autonomous republics in Russia: Karelians (Republic of Karelia), Komi (Komi Republic), Udmurts (Udmurt Republic), Mari (Mari El Republic), and Mordvins (Moksha and Erzya; Republic of Mordovia).

Khanty and Mansi peoples live in Khanty–Mansi Autonomous Okrug of Russia. Komi subgroup Komi-Permyaks used to live in Komi-Permyak Autonomous Okrug, but today this area is a territory with special status within Perm Krai.

Finno-Ugric identity [edit]

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In Finnic- and Ugric-speaking countries such as Finland, Estonia and Hungary, which find themselves surrounded by unrelated tongues, language origins and language history have long been relevant to national identity.[4] At the same time, nationalist ideologies in Hungary have been hostile to historical linguistics for demonstrating the close relationship between Hungarians and the Ugric peoples of central Russia, the Khanty and Mansi subsistence hunters and fishermen. Hungarian nationalists envision Hungarian kinship with more "prestigious" peoples such as the Sumerians,[4] and the discovery of the Finno-Ugric linguistic links was a "psychological blow", as Hungarians had long prided themselves in their supposed Scythian origins, and indeed many Hungarians refuse to accept linguistic findings even today.[5] Thus Finno-Ugric is not an ethnic group based on common culture or identity, but rather a discovery of linguistics:

[The] affinity of the Finno-Ugric peoples is based solely on the linguistic affinity of these nationalities, and often no other fact can be presented to prove it. [...] linguistic affinity is really a proof of cultural affinity, but only of the far distant past when the structure of the culture was far different from that which we investigate today. The common features of primitive culture are often found spread over very extensive areas and in several different language families.
—Gustav Ränk, p. 2[6]

The peoples, or rather their linguistic ancestors, have a hypothetical common history based on linguistic reconstruction. However, they do not necessarily share a common ancestry, since entire peoples may change their language. In addition, while the Finnic and Ugric languages are undoubtedly related to each other, there is some debate[who?] over whether they are closer to each other than they are to the third branch of Uralic languages, Samoyedic, and thus whether Finno-Ugric is a valid genealogical group, or merely a geographic one. Linguistic ancestry may not necessarily correspond to biological ancestry, and genetic studies have so far been unable to demonstrate a relationship between the various Finno-Ugric peoples.[7]

Mythology [edit]

Main article: Uralic mythologies

Shamanism has had a historically important influence on the mythologies of Siberian peoples, including the Finnic, Ugric, Scandinavian, Yeniseian, Turkic, Mongolic, Tungusic, and other northern Eurasia and Central Asian peoples. Central concepts in their cosmologies is the myth that the world was created from an egg, myths about the Milky Way, ideas about the existence of the World tree or pillar, and the idea that asterisms represent animal spirits.[8] Myth about a bird floating on the primary ocean and dives for the ground is a central Finno-Ugric (Uralic, and even North-Eurasian) cosmogonic myth.[9]

International Finno-Ugric societies [edit]

Established in Syktyvkar in 1992,[10] the World Congress of Finno-Ugrian Peoples is convoked at least once in four years.[11] The members of the Finno-Ugric Peoples' Consultative Committee include the Erzyas, Estonians, Finns, Hungarians, Ingrian Finns, Ingrians, Karelians, Khants, Komis, Mansis, Maris, Mokshas, Nenetses, Permian Komis, Saamis, Tver Karelians, Udmurts, Vepsians; Observers: Livonians, Setos.[12]

The first Festival of the Finno-Ugric Peoples was held in Yoshkar-Ola in 1990. The tradition continued covering turn by turn all regions of the Finno-Ugric world: the Republic Mari El, Mordovia, Hanty-Mansijsk, Estonia, Udmurtia, Hungary.[13] In 2007 the festival was hosted by the President of Russia and visited by the leaders of Finland and Hungary, Finnish President Tarja Halonen and Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany.[14]

Population genetics [edit]

A study of Population Genetics of Finno-Ugric speaking humans in North Eurasia carried out between 2002–2008 in the Department of Forensic Medicine at the University of Helsinki showed most of the Finno-Ugric speaking populations possess amalgamation of West and East Eurasian gene pools, genetic drift, and recurrent founder effect. North Eurasian Finno-Ugric-speaking populations were found to be genetically a heterogeneous group showing lower haplotype diversities compared to more southern populations. North Eurasian Finno-Ugric-speaking populations possess unique genetic features due to complex genetic changes shaped by molecular and population genetics and adaptation to the areas of Boreal and Arctic North Eurasia.[15]

The proposal of a Finno-Ugric language family has led to the postulation not just of an ancient Proto–Finno-Ugric people, but that the modern Finno-Ugric–speaking peoples are genetically related.[16] Such hypotheses are based on the assumption that heredity can be traced though linguistic relatedness.[17] However, Finno-Ugric has not been reconstructed linguistically; attempts to do so have been indistinguishable from Proto-Uralic.[18] Like in any other human population, individual groups within the Finno-Ugric language family have a diverse array of cultural, environmental, and genetic influences. However, modern genetic studies have shown that the Y-chromosome haplogroup N3, and sometimes N2, having branched from haplogroup N, which, itself, probably spread north, then west and east from Northern China about 12,000–14,000 years ago from father haplogroup NO (haplogroup O being the most common Y-chromosome haplogroup in Southeast Asia), is almost a specific trait, though certainly not restricted, to Uralic- or Finno-Ugric-speaking populations, especially as high frequency or primary paternal haplogroup.[19][20]

Recent study found that haplogroup NO of the Finno-Ugric peoples and their descendants probably spread north, then west and east from Northern China about 12,000–14,000 years ago from father lineage and today is found in Eastern Europe.[21] Medicine at the University of Helsinki showed most of the Finno-Ugric speaking populations possess amalgamation of West and East Eurasian gene pools supporting the idea of mixed origins in these modern populations.[15]

R1a1a7-M458

Although the R1a1a* is more common among Indo-Aryan and Dravidian speakers, however the subhaplogroup R1a1a7-M458 frequency peaks among Slavic and Finno-Ugric peoples.[22]

R1a1a1i (Z280+)

This group seems to have connection with Finno-ugric peoples.[23] It is the North-East European subclade of R1a1a1 and spread from the Baltic to the Ural Mountains as well as the Carpathian Basin. The majority of the Steppe Magyars likely belonged to this haplogroup, carrying the Ugric Hungarian language.[24]

Gallery [edit]

See also [edit]

References and notes [edit]

Sinor, Denis (1990). The Cambridge History of Early Inner Asia. Cambridge University Press. pp. 229–252. ISBN 0-521-24304-1. 

  1. ^ Peter Hajdu, 1975, Finno-Ugrian Languages and Peoples, Andre Deutsch Ltd (translated by G.F. Cushing); Toivo Vuorela, 1997, The Finno-Ugric Peoples, RoutledgeCurzon
  2. ^ Korhonen, Mikko: Uralin tällä ja tuolla puolen. In the book Laakso, Johanna (edit.): Uralilaiset kansat, p. 23.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Demoskop Weekly No 543-544
  4. ^ a b "A 'Paradigm Shift' in Finnish Linguistic Prehistory". Merlijn de Smit. ButterfliesandWheels.com. 2003. Retrieved 2009-03-07. 
  5. ^ "Hungarian Revival". LÁSZLÓ MARÁCZ. Mikes International. 2007. Retrieved 2009-03-07. 
  6. ^ Gustav Ränk, 1997 [1949], Old Estonia, Routledge. Reissued from The Uralic and Altaic Series, vol 112. Translation 1974 by John R. Krueger
  7. ^ Richard Villems, et al., Reconstruction of Maternal lineages of Finno-Ugric speaking people and some remarks on their Paternal inheritance, Societas Historiae Fenno-Ugricae, Turku 1998
  8. ^ Leeming, pp. 136
  9. ^ Напольских В. В. Древние финно-угорские мифы о возникновении земли // Мировоззрение финно-угорских народов. Новосибирск: Наука, 1990. С. 5-21.
  10. ^ Council of Europe (2007). Parliamentary Assembly. Council of Europe. p. 162. ISBN 92-871-6191-7. 
  11. ^ "Statutes of the Consultative Committee of Finno-Ugrian peoples". Finno-Ugric Peoples' Consultative Committee. Retrieved 2009-03-05. 
  12. ^ "Finno-Ugric Peoples' Consultative Committee, Members". Finno-Ugric Peoples' Consultative Committee. World Congresses of the Finno-Ugric Peoples. Retrieved 2009-03-05. 
  13. ^ "IX International Festival of the Finno-Ugric Peoples". Ministry of Culture of the RK. 24 May 2001. Retrieved 2009-03-05. 
  14. ^ Herald Tribune (July 19, 2007). "Putin hosts leaders at Finno-Ugric festival". Retrieved 5 March 2009. 
  15. ^ a b Pimenoff, Ville (2008). Living on the edge: population genetics of Finno-Ugric-speaking humans in North Eurasia. Department of Forensic Medicine, University of Helsinki. pp. 27–28. ISBN 952-92-4331-6. 
  16. ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=7rmgP02a_mkC&pg=PR7&ots=BX_ZloC9mA&dq=proff+Hungarian&sig=tg85J7fSIQSnBEMkfYH1g_ujmHY
  17. ^ Origin of Finnish and related languages- thisisFINLAND
  18. ^ Salminen, Tapani (2002): Problems in the taxonomy of the Uralic languages in the light of modern comparative studies
  19. ^ European Journal of Human Genetics – Abstract of article: A counter-clockwise northern route of the Y-chromosome haplogroup N from Southeast Asia towards Europe
  20. ^ http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/AJHG/journal/issues/v74n4/40783/40783.web.pdf?erFrom=-1818203271335085617Guest
  21. ^ Siiri et al. (2007). "A counter-clockwise northern route of the Y-chromosome haplogroup N from Southeast Asia towards Europe". European Journal of Human Genetics 15 (2): 204–211. doi:10.1038/sj.ejhg.5201748. PMID 17149388. 
  22. ^ http://www.nature.com/ejhg/journal/v18/n4/full/ejhg2009194a.html
  23. ^ http://www.suduva.com/virdainas/proto.htm
  24. ^ http://www.familytreedna.com/public/Hungarian_Magyar_Y-DNA_Project/default.aspx?section=results

Further reading [edit]

  • Mile Nedeljković, Leksikon naroda sveta, Beograd, 2001.

External links [edit]

Peoples speaking Uralic languages
Finno-Ugric peoples
Mari · Mordvins (Erzyas · Mokshas) * * * Merya · Meshchera · Muroma
Samoyedic peoples
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