Izhora (people): general information, history

The people of Izhora are the smallest of all the peoples inhabiting Russia. There are about 200 of them, and 60 of them live in Estonia. This ethnonym comes from the Swedish word Ingermanland - the so-called land to the south of the Gulf of Finland. There are two versions about where this name comes from: either on behalf of Ingigerdha, the wife of Yaroslav the Wise, or on behalf of the ancient Russian prince Igor, the son of Rurik.

So what is known about the representatives of the ethnic group of the Izhora? The general information about the people, placed below, will help to learn more.

Territory of settlement

In the 12th and 13th centuries the Izhorians lived on both sides of the Neva, the approximate boundaries of their settlements were the Sister, Tosna, and Nazia rivers . At the beginning of the 16th century, their possessions reached the Oredezhi River in the south. But then the territory began to decline gradually: first the settlements on the Karelian Isthmus disappeared, then near the coastal zone of Lomonosov, and then at the Oredezh River. Now the Izhorians live only in the Lomonosov and Kingisepp districts of the Leningrad region. Some representatives of this nationality moved to St. Petersburg. But still they do not neglect their roots, but identify themselves as Izhorians.

The main area of residence is the Soykinsky peninsula, which lies between the Luga and Koporskaya Bay. The natural features of this area are such that it is almost isolated from the mainland by a succession of lakes and impenetrable swamps. That is why the people of Izhora in those settlements were able to preserve their distinctive culture, despite the factual proximity to the northern capital.

History

The first mention of Gentile Izhorans occurs in the bull of Pope Alexander, written in the 12th century. Soon in Europe it became known that Izhora is a strong and dangerous people. In the Russian chronicles, the Izhorians were first mentioned in the 13th century as allies of the Novgorodians. They were responsible for protecting the coastal areas from the Swedes.

But in 1611 their land was taken by Sweden, so many indigenous Izhorians moved to the territory subject to Rus. But in 1721 Peter the Great reconquered these lands, and they became part of the St. Petersburg province.

The census of 1732 showed that in Ingermanland there are about 14,500 Izhorians. In the 19 th century, their number slightly increased - up to 18 thousand. The statistics of 1926 shows the following figures: 16,137 people.

But World War II made its own corrections: most of the indigenous people were taken to neighboring Finland, and many settlements were simply destroyed. When they returned, they were not allowed to live in their homeland, but were moved to Siberia, where it was virtually impossible to preserve their ethnic identity and language. And those Izhors who lived on the Karelian Isthmus, also assimilated with the local population. Native speakers of the language and ancestral culture were the inhabitants of Kingisepp district (north-west of the former Ingria), and also natives of the villages along the Kovashi River.

The Terra Izhora is an endangered nation. In 1959, there were a little more than a thousand, in 1970 - 781, and in 1989 - 276. The most recent data is 266 people (2010). It's unfortunate that their average age is 68-70 years, which means that after a few years the Izhora as a nationality can disappear altogether.

Language

He belongs to the Baltic-Finnish group. Izhora has several dialects:

• Soykinsky;
• Heavsky;
• Lower Luga;
• Oredezhsky.

Soykinsky is the main one, most of the Izhora people of the peninsula speak it. Heavsky is distributed in the Lomonosov district. In the lower Luga they speak in the lower reaches of the Luga River, where the strong influence of the water language is felt, because the water and the Izhora live there mixed. Oredezhsky disappeared in the 1930s, when his last carriers died. It is believed that this was the purest of all dialects, as it avoided the influence of the Finnish language.

But the speech at first was only oral from the ethnic group of the Izhora. The people did not even have their own alphabet. The writing of the Izhorians appeared only in the 1930s on the initiative of the government as part of the program for the cultural development of small peoples. On the basis of the Latin alphabet letters were created, then a single grammar was developed. Even studies in schools were conducted in the native language of Izhora, for this purpose textbooks were published. True, this program was soon curtailed. Now only half of the Izhorians speak their native language, so since 2009 it has been included in the "Atlas of the World's Languages Endangered by UNESCO".

Worship

Izhora is a people with a rich spiritual culture. From time immemorial, the Izhorians were pagans, but in the 13th century they were actively converted to Orthodoxy. After Sweden conquered their lands, Lutheranism began to be implanted, though it did not take its roots deep. Now the religion of Izhora consists of a symbiosis of Orthodoxy and paganism. For example, the faith in the spirits of the earth, the waters, the keepers of the hearth, the sacred groves, stones, etc., are still preserved.

Crafts

Since ancient times, Izhora has been fishing and farming for many years. Cattle almost did not hold. Pottery and woodworking were developed. The fishing of Baltic herring and smelt was the main earnings of Izhorians from the coastal regions until recently. But, unfortunately, this fish almost ceased to be caught there because of the reproduction of one species of crustaceans. Therefore, the old people stayed in the villages, and their children and grandchildren moved to large cities, mainly to St. Petersburg, for a long time, in search of a good job.

Culture

Izhora - people are quite original. One of the interesting elements of the national dress was a special shawl (sappano), which the woman wore, without removing either day or night. The traditional women's and men's shirt (rutsinsya) was embroidered with rich ornamentation and fastened with an oval buckle around the neck. Women also girded with a belt, decorated with beads and shells of cowry.

Material culture was close to Russian. This is evident in traditional huts, and in implements of agriculture. Songs-lamentations are an inalienable attribute of all rites, from the wedding to the funeral.

Known to the whole world is the Lanin Paraska, the singer, her poems and songs were included in the epic "Kalevala". The monument depicting this famous artwork stands in the center of Helsinki.

Perhaps soon there will be only memories of this once mighty people. But as long as the last representatives of the Izhora exist, their ancient culture is also alive.