In everyday life and in school lessons, we get acquainted with the history of our homeland, study the peoples of Russia. The Vepsians, for some reason, remain forgotten. In fact, we are talking about multinational Russia without thinking about its roots. To the question: "What do you know about Veps?" - Almost everyone will answer that this is an almost extinct nationality. It is unfortunate that people have ceased to be interested in the peculiarities of culture, traditional activities and the customs and beliefs of a long-standing nation. Despite this, many people realize that Vepsian blood may flow in them, and this suggests that the Vepsian people are part of the history of many families, so you should not forget it in any case, because this is how you personally destroy your past. Has anyone ever thought that it is to the ancient peoples of Russia that we owe the prosperity of our land, so forgetting the Vepsians is like cutting a piece of the country's history.
Who are the Vepsians?
This is a relatively small nationality that lives within the Republic of Karelia. More often than not, the Vepsian people, imitating certain groups of southern Karelians, call themselves the word "ladinikad". Only a few use the ethnonyms “beps” or “veps”, since they have long been known to related peoples. Officially, the Vepsians called it a miracle, but in everyday life they used names with a dismissive and derogatory connotation: chukhars or kaivans.
The history of the Karelian nationality
The Veps people were officially called a miracle until 1917. A more ancient name was found in the 20th century almost never been fixed. In the work of the historian Jordan, dated to the 6th century AD, you can find references to the ancestors of the Veps, as well as mentioned in Arabic sources, in the "Tale of Bygone Years" and in the works of Western European authors. The archaeological sites of the ancient people include many burial mounds and individual settlements that appeared in the 10th - early 12th centuries on the territory of Ladoga, Prionezhie and Belozerya. The Vepsians took part in the formation of the Russian Komi. In the 18th century, the Karelian people were attributed to the Olonets arms factories. In the 30s, they tried to introduce Veps language lessons in elementary school. In the late 1980s, the teaching of the language resumed in some educational institutions, even a special primer appeared, but most of the people communicate and think in Russian. At the same time, there was a movement whose main purpose was the revival of Veps culture.
Traditionally, the Vepsians were engaged in arable farming, but animal husbandry and hunting were assigned an auxiliary role. Of great importance for domestic consumption were fishing and gathering. The development of otchodnichestvo and burlachestvo on the rivers began in the second half of the 18th century. Pottery developed on the Oyat River. During the Soviet Union, the Northern Vepsians began to engage in the industrial development of decorative stone, and meat and milk appeared in animal husbandry. 49.3% of the population live in cities, many work in the logging industry.
The roots of the Vepsian people go back to ancient times. The most important events are associated with one of the largest outposts of national importance - Ladoga, later the historical past was intertwined with the Novgorod state.
Place of residence
According to modern sources, the Karelian people settled southwest of Onega in the south-north direction, starting from the village of Gimreka (northern Veps). The largest locations are Rybreka, Sheltozero and the village, located 60 kilometers from Petrozavodsk - Shoksha.
Many villages are located along the Oyat River, and the borders coincide with the Vinnitsa district of the Leningrad region. The most significant points are Lakes, Yaroslavichi, Ladva and Nadporozhye.
On the northern and eastern slopes of the Veps Upland, one of the largest settlements is located - Shimozero, but many people moved south: to Megra, Oshta and Ascension.
In a tributary of the Megra, a cluster of villages called Belozersky was localized. It is located 70 kilometers from the White Lake. The largest settlement is Podala.
In the Chagodishi tributary there is the village of Sidorovo, where the Efim Veps live. The Shugozero group is located not far from the headwaters of the Pasha and Kapsha rivers.
Food and Utensils
The Vepsian diet combines new and traditional dishes. Their bread is rather unusual, with sourness. Recently, it has increasingly been bought in stores. In addition to the main baking, Vepsians cook fish pies (chicken), Kalitada - open pies with millet porridge or mashed potatoes, all kinds of koloboks, cheesecakes and pancakes. As for the stew, the most widespread are cabbage soup, various soups and ears. In the daily diet of Vepsians, cereals are included, for the preparation of which rye groats (powders) are used. Like the Karelian people and oatmeal jelly. From sweet dishes, cranberry juice and malt dough are common. As in all of Russia, Veps love bread kvass and barley beer. Brewing is carried out twice a year, for the upcoming holidays. But on ordinary weekdays, Vepsians enjoy strong tea.
The population almost forgotten by all did not lag behind civilization. Currently, they are free to purchase goods on the trading network that they had only dreamed of before (sweets, sausages, sugar, cookies), and the Vepsians did not even know about the existence of some products (pasta, canned goods and fruits). The largest number of products is purchased in stores by people living in forest villages. Today, the Veps people are also familiar with new dishes (borsch, goulash, dumplings, vinaigrette).
Occupations and life
As mentioned earlier, agriculture was the basis of the economy, although cattle breeding also occupied a significant place. In the mid-19th century, large-scale development of logging began. Agricultural production focused mainly on the meat and dairy direction in animal husbandry.
In the territory where the Vepsians lived, there was no industrial production, which caused the outflow of a large number of able-bodied people to areas with a pronounced industrial and industrial specialization. Settlements are characterized by free planning. The location of the dwelling was determined by the complex relief terrain and the contours of the coastline.
Traditional dwelling
The hut was usually erected on a high peg, where there was a cellar according to the tradition of the people. Vepsians used larch logs for the walls of their dwellings. The main feature of the traditional Veps hut is a T-shaped layout. Under one roof housed a residential part and a two-story courtyard. More affluent Vepsians (people whose interesting facts from their lives are hardly known to anyone) built houses with wide, framed by step platbands windows, slightly pressed deep into the walls. The facade of the building certainly looked at the road, and all the neighboring huts stood exactly in a row. Each independently invented decoration for his home: some had a carved balcony under the roof ridge.
The interior of the double-sided cupboard with tea utensils and other household items was divided into 2 parts. On the same line with the so-called partition was the Russian stove - the center of the hut. This integral attribute of the Karelian people was used not only for heating, but also for relaxing and drying clothes. The Vepsians firmly believed that a brownie (pertijand) lives under the stove.
In each hut there was a holy corner, in the upper part of which were placed icons, and in the lower one there were needles with threads and knots with salt. Other small items, including wood and earthenware, were placed in a cupboard. According to the Finnish layout, the table occupied a place against the facade wall. The traditional Veps hut was lit with a kerosene lamp. A mandatory attribute of the house was a wooden cradle. As a rule, in the female half, not far from the bed, there was a sofa and a chest; in some huts, a loom was installed near the window.
clothing
Traditional Veps homespun clothing has not been made since the beginning of the 30s. A citywide costume became widespread. In the old days, Veps went to work in trousers and a short caftan, worn over linen. Women's clothing was identical in cut to men's clothing, only a shirt (ryatzin) and a skirt were necessarily worn underneath.
Vepsians, people (photos are presented in this material), living in Karelia, dressed smartly for the holidays. Women could be seen in bright Cossack sweatshirts and skirts with aprons. A headscarf served as a headdress, and married representatives of the weak half of humanity must also wear a warrior. Footwear was dominated by leather, bark bast shoes, or virzut, were used only for work.
The cut and material used for sewing clothes are very close to northern Russian, but with many quite distinctive features. So, in sundresses it was possible to see only Vepsians living in the south of Karelia, but the women of Onega region in longitudinally striped skirts. Men in winter wore hats made of rabbit fur and a neckerchief (caglan ike).
Today, Vepsian people don’t wear folk clothes; only the elderly have preserved the national costume. Of the traditional, headscarves, semi-woolen caftans, woolen skirts and knitwear are still used.
Vepsians (people): appearance and race
The ancient Karelian nationality is part of the Caucasian race with an Ural admixture. Vepsians are small in stature, with an average head size, their face is slightly flattened, their forehead is low, the lower jaw is slightly widened, the cheekbones protrude, the tip of the nose is raised, and a small increase in the hairline on the lower part of the face is also characteristic. The hair of the residents of the Republic of Karelia is straight, mostly blond.
Beliefs
The amazingly good Veps people did not lose their national characteristics. You will learn a little about traditions and customs a little later, but now I would like to talk about beliefs. The Vepsians worshiped spruce, juniper, mountain ash, alder; they believed in the existence of a house, water, yard and other owners. In the 11-12 centuries Orthodoxy spread among the Vepsians, but pre-Christian beliefs persisted for a long time.
Culture
From the folklore genre, proverbs, ditties, little stories and various legends about the conquerors were popular. At the beginning of the 20th century, the kantele was replaced by harmony with a minor fret. The Vepsians carved wood, wove birch bark, sculpted from clay, embroidered and woven.
Means of transport
The Veps people traveled to neighboring areas mainly by road, but the settlements of Lodeynoye Pole and Leningrad were connected by air. Southern Vepsians to the Zaborye station could take advantage of the timber mill railway. In some areas, movement was only possible on a tractor with a trailer. Vepsians living on small rivers used dug-out aspen boats. The people (photos and interesting facts from life are given in this material) moved around in shuttles (hon-goy), on the sides of which logs-floats were attached.
