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The '''Mordvins''' or '''Mordvinians''' or '''Moksherzians''' are a group of nations, [[indigenous peoples of Russia]] who speak [[Volga-Finnic languages]] of the [[Finno-Ugric language]] family and share a common historic homeland - the ''Great Bend'' of [[Volga river]]. <ref name="FU">{{cite book |title=The Finno-Ugric Republics and the Russian State |last=Taagepera |first=Rein |authorlink= |coauthors= |year=1999 |publisher=Routledge |location= |isbn=9780415919777 |pages=PA147 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=QGqWcZu42hUC&pg=PA147 }}</ref>
The '''Mordvins''' (''Mordva'') are a people who speak languages of the [[Volga-Finnic languages|Volga-Finnic]] (Finno-Volgaic) branch of the [[Finno-Ugric language]] family. They are divided into five sub-groups, the '''Erzya''', '''Moksha''', '''Qaratay''', '''Teryukhan''' and '''Tengushev''' Mordvins.


Less than one third of Mordvins live in the autonomous republic of [[Mordovia]], [[Russian Federation]], in the basin of the [[Volga River]]. The rest are scattered over the Russian [[oblast]]s of [[Samara Oblast|Samara]], [[Penza Oblast|Penza]], [[Orenburg Oblast|Orenburg]] and [[Nizhny Novgorod Oblast|Nizhni Novgorod]], as well as [[Tatarstan]], [[Chuvashia]], [[Bashkortostan]], [[Central Asia]], [[Siberia]], [[Far East]], [[Kazakhstan]], [[Azerbaijan]], [[Armenia]] and the [[USA]].
The creation of [[Mordovia|Mordvin Autonomous Republic]] in 1934 left the majority of Mordvins outside of the boundaries of the Soviet administrative region. <ref>{{cite book |title=One Europe, Many Nations |last=Minahan |first=James |authorlink= |coauthors= |year=2000 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |location= |isbn=9780313309847 |pages=PA491 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=NwvoM-ZFoAgC&pg=PA491 }}</ref> The Mordvins remain scattered living in clusters as an [[ethnic minority]] among Russians and Tatars: In the autonomous republic of [[Mordovia]] in [[Russian Federation]] where they constitute 20% of the population; between Nizhny Novgorod and Ryazan in the west, and in the Gorky, Orenburg, Saratov, Penza, Ulianovsk and Kuybyshev oblasts of Russia in the east. <ref name="EDRS">{{cite book |title=An Ethnohistorical Dictionary of the Russian and Soviet Empires |last=Stuart |first=James |authorlink= |coauthors= |year=1994 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |location= |isbn=9780313274978 |pages=PA491|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=CquTz6ps5YgC&pg=PA491}}</ref>


The Erzya Mordvins (also ''Erzyat''), who speak [[Erzya language|Erzya]], and the Moksha Mordvins (also ''Mokshet''), who speak [[Moksha language|Moksha]], are the two major groups. The Qaratay Mordvins live in Kama Tamağı District of [[Tatarstan]], and have [[language shift|shifted to speaking]] [[Tatar language|Tatar]], albeit with a large proportion of Mordvin vocabulary ([[substratum]]). The Teryukhan, living in the [[Nizhny Novgorod Oblast]] of Russia, have switched to [[Russian language|Russian]] in the 19th century. The Teryukhans recognize the term ''Mordva'' as pertaining to themselves, whereas the Qaratay also call themselves ''Muksha''. The Tengushev Mordvins live in southern Mordovia and are a transitional group between Moksha and Eryza.
Often referred to so by others, the ''Mordvin'' peoples themselves have no such common name, instead they designate their identity as [[Erzians]] (population 700,000) and [[Mokshans]] (population 350,000) <ref name="FU">{{cite book |title=The Finno-Ugric Republics and the Russian State |last=Taagepera |first=Rein |authorlink= |coauthors= |year=1999 |publisher=Routledge |location= |isbn=9780415919777 |pages=PA149 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=QGqWcZu42hUC&pg=PA149}}</ref>
The western Erzyans are also called ''Shoksha'' (or ''Shoksho''). They are isolated from the bulk of the Erzyans, and their dialect/language has been influenced by the Mokshan dialects.


==Sub-groups==
==Sub-groups==

Revision as of 20:54, 7 October 2008

Mordvins
File:MrdvnImg1.jpg
Regions with significant populations
Russia
Mordovia, Ryazan Oblast, Tatarstan, Ulyanovsk Oblast, Samara Oblast
Languages
Erzya, Moksha, Russian, (Tatar spoken by the Qaratay sub group)
Religion
Russian Orthodoxy
Related ethnic groups
Mari; other Finnic peoples

The Mordvins (Mordva) are a people who speak languages of the Volga-Finnic (Finno-Volgaic) branch of the Finno-Ugric language family. They are divided into five sub-groups, the Erzya, Moksha, Qaratay, Teryukhan and Tengushev Mordvins.

Less than one third of Mordvins live in the autonomous republic of Mordovia, Russian Federation, in the basin of the Volga River. The rest are scattered over the Russian oblasts of Samara, Penza, Orenburg and Nizhni Novgorod, as well as Tatarstan, Chuvashia, Bashkortostan, Central Asia, Siberia, Far East, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Armenia and the USA.

The Erzya Mordvins (also Erzyat), who speak Erzya, and the Moksha Mordvins (also Mokshet), who speak Moksha, are the two major groups. The Qaratay Mordvins live in Kama Tamağı District of Tatarstan, and have shifted to speaking Tatar, albeit with a large proportion of Mordvin vocabulary (substratum). The Teryukhan, living in the Nizhny Novgorod Oblast of Russia, have switched to Russian in the 19th century. The Teryukhans recognize the term Mordva as pertaining to themselves, whereas the Qaratay also call themselves Muksha. The Tengushev Mordvins live in southern Mordovia and are a transitional group between Moksha and Eryza. The western Erzyans are also called Shoksha (or Shoksho). They are isolated from the bulk of the Erzyans, and their dialect/language has been influenced by the Mokshan dialects.

Sub-groups

The minor groups include:

  • The Tengushev Mordvins constitute a transitional group between the Erzya and Moksha people and live in the southern part of Republic of Mordovia.
  • The Karatai Mordvins or Qaratays live in the Republic of Tatarstan. They no longer speak a Volga-Finnic language but have assimilated with Tatars.
  • The Mishars are Mordvins came under Tatar influence and adopted the language and the Sunni Muslim religion. [2]

Distribution

Less than one third of Mordvins live in the autonomous republic of Mordovia, Russian Federation, in the basin of the Volga River. The rest are scattered over the Russian oblasts of Samara (116.475), Penza (86.370), Orenburg (68.880) and Nizhni Novgorod (36.705), Ulyanovsk (61.100), Saratov (23.380), Moscow (22.850), as well as Tatarstan (28.860), Chuvashia (18.686), Bashkortostan (31.932), Central Asia, (Kirgizstan 5.390), (Turkmenistan 3.490), (Uzbekistan 14.175), Siberia (65.650), Far East, (29.265), Kazakhstan, (34.370), Azerbaijan (1.150), Estonia (985), Armenia (920), and the USA.

Erzya women of Penza Oblast dressed in traditional costumes.

History

The early history of the Mordvins, before their Christianization in the Early Modern period, is sketchy. Early Mordvin tribes may be among those mentioned by Gothic historian Jordanes in AD 551, as conquered by Ermanarich,[3] perhaps the name Rogas reflecting the Mordvinic name of the Volga, Раво (ultimately from Iranian Rangha).[4] Jordanes' Mordens and Constantine Porphyrogenetus' Mordia have been taken as early references to the ethnonym.[5]

The separation of Erzya and Moksha probably dates to the 8th century,[citation needed] the latter group coming under East Slavic influence soon after. Following the foundation of Nizhni Novgorod in 1221, the Mordvin territory was increasingly falling under Russian domination, pushing the Mordvin populations southwards and eastwards beyond the Urals, severing cohesion among them.

Lathan notes that Mordvin is the native self-designation, identifying it as a variant of the name Mari. Lathan describes the Mordvin as taller than the Mari, with thin beards, flat faces and brown or red hair (red hair being more frequent among the Ersad than the Mokshad), quoting a total population of 480,000. Latham also reports strong pagan elements surviving Christianization, the chief gods of the Ersad and the Mokshad being called Paas and Shkai, respectively.

Latham in his account of the "Native Races of the Russian Empire" (1854) divides the Mordvin into

Lathan notes that Mordvin is the native self-designation, identifying it as a variant of the name Mari. Lathan describes the Mordvin as taller than the Mari, with thin beards, flat faces and brown or red hair (red hair being more frequent among the Ersad than the Mokshad), quoting a total population of 480,000.

Finnish born St. Petersburg academic Anders Johan Sjögren, on his return journey from a scientific expedition to the Caucasus, where he made research work among the Ossetians and Taurida Tatars from 1835 - 1838, made some research works among the Mardas (Mordvins) and located them in the correct places where they live.[citation needed]

Christianization

Christianization of the Mardas peoples took place during the 16th to 18th centuries, and most Mardas (Mordvins) today adhere to the Russian Orthodox Church all carrying Russian Orthodox names. It was mentioned by the Russian Orthodox faith monks and priests that about two out of three Mardas families escaped to the lands of eastern and southern pagans to east and south to avoid the conversation to the Holy Christianity, i.e. Russian Orthodox Faith since 1617 when this progress really started in Mardasland.

Latham reports strong pagan elements surviving Christianization, the chief gods of the Ersad and the Mokshad being called Paas and Shkai, respectively.



Soviet Union

Although the Mordvins were given an autonomous territory as a titular nation within the Soviet Union in 1928, Russification intensified during the 1930s, and knowledge of the Mordvin languages by the 1950s was in rapid decline.

One of the most famous of the so called Berija's Gardens with a very bad reputation was GULAG Lager of Potma, located just inside Mordovia, south of Sarov. Its location was selected to be founded to the Mardasland for security reasons. It was founded in the area of woods without any large settlements nearby. And the local population were not ethnic Russians. It was part of the large GPU Lager system named GULAG and was founded in the 1930s. The name what the arriving prisoner found, when the doors of "Stolypin Pullman" were opened was written in the Station building POTMA. The whole complex consisted of 25 sub lagers scattered here and there in woods. In 1939 the Ministry of Internal Affairs even built an narrow gauge railway toward north from Potma station and named its stations after the sub lagers which this narrow gauge line passed. Even the railway personnel who operated this railway were political prisoners. The railway ended near small village of Ivanovka. Today the southern part of this line was later rebuilt to standard Russian 1524 mm gauge reaching Barashevo settlement. The northern part of the narrow gauge line has been lifted. Largest Lager was the GPU Prison Lager Nr. 241 The Temniakovskij Lager. After World War II the letters MVD were added to Lager Gate.

This 25 lager complex had a total of approximately 80,000-90,000 prisoners, each Lager Punkt housing about 2000 - 8000 prisoners. The conditions were awful and prisoners died like flies during winter months when the temperature fell sometimes to as low as -25 Celsius below freezing point. The temperature in barracks or diggings covered with primitive build roofs remained all the time below the freezing point. But the deaths were replaced by new ones in GPU rotation. Each prisoner had right to buy from Lager Shop monthly; 80 grams bread, one drinking glass full of bad quality "mahorka" (primitive tobacco) called also "kessu". One old newspaper like Pravda or Izvestiya for cigarette paper. In these Lagers were represented all minority nationals in addition to Russians in 1945-1946 which here formed the minority among the prisoners. The death rate among the prisoners was formidable. The prisoners were mainly used as labour force in the surrounding woods working daily 10 hours, except on Sundays. One of the victims of this lager system was Knjäz Sergej Mihailovitsh Obolenski, born in 1863 and died at Temniakovskij lager 241 on March 16, 1946. All he could give as his inheritance were his pleasures: a wooden "kapusta" to be delivered, if possible, to Countless Tolstova, the daughter of Lev Tolstoy. After the death of Stalin the lager punkt system was mostly scrapped, but Potma lager was used in Ministry of Internal Affairs as late as the 1970s. Some of barracks were still standing there as late as in early 1990s after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Unfortunately the name Potma still casts a shadow over Mardasland connected with bad memory names in Russia. Most of this GULAG lager area is now National Park.

Post Soviet era

After the fall of the Soviet Union, the Morvins like other indigenous peoples of Russia experienced a somewhat euphoric rise of national consciousness. The Erzya national epic is called Mastorava, which stands for "Mother Earth". It was compiled by A. M. Sharonov and first published in 1994 in the Erzya language (it has since been translated into Moksha and Russian). Mastorava is also the name of a movement of ethnic separatism founded by D. Nadkin of the Mordovian State University, active in the early 1990s.[6]

List of notable Mordvins

Erzyans

Mokshans


See also

General

Mordovia news

Mordvin toponymy (in Mordovia and throughout the Middle Volga region):

References

  1. ^ Mastyugina, Tatiana (1996). An Ethnic History of Russia. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. PA133. ISBN 9780313293153. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ Tengushev Mordvins, Karatai Mordvins, Teryukhan Mordvins, Meshcheryaks, Mishars in Stuart, James (1994). An Ethnohistorical Dictionary of the Russian and Soviet Empires. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. PA491, 492, 545. ISBN 9780313274978. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  3. ^ "Among the tribes he [Ermanarich] conquered were the Golthescytha, Thiudos, Inaunxis, Vasinabroncae, Merens, Mordens, Imniscaris, Rogas, Tadzans, Athaul, Navego, Bubegenae and Coldae" — The Origin and Deeds of the Goths (116).
  4. ^ Victoria Bulgakova, Dittmar Schorkowitz, AHF 90 (May 2008), Die Kiever Rus’ und die Steppe, University of Leipzig.[1]
  5. ^ Latham, The nationalities of Europe (1863), p. 219.
  6. ^ Tatiana Mastyugina, Lev Perepelkin, Vitaliĭ Vyacheslavovich Naumkin, Irina Zviagelskaia, An Ethnic History of Russia: Pre-revolutionary Times to the Present, Greenwood Publishing Group (1996), ISBN 0313293155, p. 133; Timur Muzaev, Ėtnicheskiĭ separatizm v Rossii (1999), p. 166ff.
  • Robert Gordon Latham, The Native Races of the Russian Empire (1854), chapter VII, pp. 91f.
  • James Minahan, One Europe, Many Nations: A Historical Dictionary of European National Groups (2000), ISBN 0313309841, pp. 251f.
  • Denis Sinor, The Cambridge History of Early Inner Asia: From Earliest Times to the Rise of the Mongol Empire, Cambridge University Press (1990), ISBN 0521243041, pp. 489-492.
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