The Udmurts are a Finnic-speaking people, who live mostly between the Vyatka and Kama Rivers in the Republic of Udmurtia in present-day east-central European Russia (see Finno-Ugrians; Russians: nationality). Their ancestral territory includes the western forested foothills of the Ural Mountains. Other tribal members live in neighboring regions of European Russia—especially Bashkortostan, Mari Ei, Perm, Tatarstan— and some in central Asia and siberia. The name Udmurts is Finnic for “people of the forest.” They were formerly known in Russian as the Votyaks, a name that they consider disparaging. in its native form Udmurt is singular and Udmurtjoz is plural.
ORIGINS
The Permic branch of the Finnic populations of Russia is considered to have split from other groups in ancient times, perhaps between 2500 and 2000 b. c.e. It is believed that the Udmurts of the eighth-third centuries b. c.e. were connected with indigenous peoples of the Vyatsko-Kamski region, representatives of the Ananian archaeological culture.
LANGUAGE
The Udmurtian language is in the Permic group of Finnic in the Finno-Ugric language family. The closest linguistic relatives of the Udmurts are the KOMi. The Udmurtian written language was developed in the 18th century using the Cyrillic alphabet, and the first Udmurtian grammar was published in 1775. Some 500 words used by ancient Finno-Ugrics have been preserved in the Udmurtian language, among them blood, butter, fire, son, snow, and tree.
HISTORY
Ancestors of the Udmurts may have been in contact with steppe peoples who invaded their homeland, such as the Scythians, judging by place-names that seem to be of scythian origin, and the Sarmatians, who arrived in the fourth century b. c.e. They also had trade contacts with the indigenous Caucasians to their south and with peoples as far south as Egypt and as far east as india.
Later in their history the Udmurts paid tribute to the Bulgars, who arrived in the fifth century C. E.; the Avars in the sixth century; and the Mongols in the 13th century After the breakup of the Mongol Empire in the 14th century the Udmurts were tributary to the TATARs of the Kazan khanate. Russian Slavs first reached their homeland in about 1190. In 1490 northern Udmurts were under the suzerainty of the Russian state (Grand Duchy of Moscow); with Ivan the Terrible’s capture of Kazan in 1552, southern tribal members also were under Russian rule.
In 1920 after the Russian Revolution the Udmurt (Votyak) Autonomous Province was formed. With the subsequent civil war in Russia famine broke out the next year, and many Udmurts migrated to Siberia. In the 1930s during the era of the Soviet Union (USSR) the Udmurts experienced forced collectivization and deportation to Kazakhstan and other Asian lands. During World War II (1939-45) Russian industry was relocated to Urmurtia and, along with it, many Russian workers. The 1950s-60s saw a continuing dissolution of Udmurtian com-muni ties. Since 1991 Udmurtia has been a republic within the Russian Federation, and Udmurt communities there as well as in other areas have made renewed efforts to preserve their traditional culture.
CULTURE (see also Finno-Ugrians) Economy
For the Udmurts “the people of the woods,” the forests have been central to their economy for hunting and material culture. Yet the Udmurts are known to have farmed since the Bronze Age. Udmurts planted mainly rye as well as oats, barley, millet, hemp, flax, and later wheat, buckwheat, potatoes, and corn. Cattle breeding has also been a traditional activity.
The homeland of the Udmurts between the Kama and Vyatka Rivers has facilitated trading through river shipments on the Volga River and
Udmurts time line
UDMURTS
Location:
Udmurtia and surrounding regions of western Russia
Time period:
Eighth century b. c.e. to present
Ancestry:
Finno-Ugrian
Language:
Permic (Finnic)
C. E.
1190 First Russian settlements on Udmurt land 13th-14th century Mongol rule of Udmurts
1490 After conquest of Vyatka northern Udmurts become part of Russia. 1552 After capture of Kazan southern Udmurts become part of Russia. 1920 Udmurtia is founded.
1991 Udmurtia becomes republic within Russian Federation.
UKRAINIANS:
NATIONALITY
Nation:
Ukraine (Ukraina, the Ukraine)
Derivation of name:
From a Slavic root meaning "border territory"
Government:
Republic
Capital:
Kiev
Language:
Official language is Ukrainian (Slavic);
Russian is also spoken.
Religion:
Most Ukrainians belong to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (or the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church); about 10 percent belong to the Ukrainian Catholic Church; Roman Catholics, Jews, Muslims, and Baptists form religious minorities.
Earlier inhabitants:
Germanics (Bastarnae; Goths; Sciri; etc.); Huns; Avars; Khazars; tribal Slavs (Dulebians; Drevylans; Polianians; Severians; Tivertsians; Ulichians; Volhynians; etc.); Rus; Lithuanians
Demographics:
About three-fourths of the population are Ukrainian; about 20 percent are Russian; minorities include Belarusians, Hungarians; Moldovans, Cossacks, Jews, Poles, and Romanians.
To the sea. A main Udmurtian product has been furs, squirrel in particular. The word for “money” in Udmurtian is kondon, meaning “the price of a squirrel.”
In the early 16th century the first arms-smithy factories were built on the banks of the Izh and Vyatka Rivers. This Udmurtian tradition has endured with tribal members involved in the production of a wide range of arms: from small arms and combat guns to missiles and space equipment.
The Udmurts greet guests with bread, honey, and butter. Pelmeni (dumplings), originally used by hunters as preserved meal and later as a guest dish, has become well known all over the world. Their bread pelnyan, for “ear-shaped bread” is also known among other peoples.
The Udmurts produced high-quality domestic handicrafts; the men processed wood, leather, and wool. Early Udmurtian decorative art is complex and rich in color and pattern. Udmurtian women are still renowned for their weaving and embroidery, with geometrical ornamentation using the traditional Udmurtian colors of red, black, and white. The tradition has continued into modern times, and Udmurtian seamstresses display their works at exhibitions in Paris, St. Petersburg, and other cities.
The Udmurts had no written language, but a strong oral tradition has preserved many myths, legends, and fairy tales. Much of Udmurtian folklore, history, and daily life is preserved in song and the Udmurts are known for their singing ability. The Udmurt say that “to sing is as natural as to speak.”
The ancient Udmurts were animistic, with a religion based on idolization of nature and a number of patriarchal gods. In the 18th century the Udmurts were nominally converted to Eastern Orthodox Christianity but retained many of the rituals of their pagan religion. Some of the physical structures used in the old religion remain and are the sites of modern folk holidays.
Despite the various peoples who have invaded their homeland, situated between Europe and Asia and between woods and steppe, and have imposed alien customs, the Udmurts have managed to preserve their language and culture. Even so the sphere of usage of the Udmurtian language has been much reduced. In an attempt to keep young people using Udmurtian the parliament of the Republic of Udmurtia has declared it the official language, parallel to Russian, and expanded its usage in schools.
World History
