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HISTORY
удк 94(47) A.A. Bashkarev
ETHNIC ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS ON THE TERRITORIES OF COMPACT RESIDENCE OF THE VEPS in the 1920s - 1930s
The paper provides information about the territory of settlement and living conditions of the Veps ethnolocal groups (Finno-Ugric group) in the 20th century as well as evolution of population size of the Veps and official policy of the Soviet state towards them.
Key words: the Veps, Finno-Ugric, territory, ethnoiocai, settlement, USSR.
A.A. Башкарев
НАЦИОНАЛЬНЫЕ АДМИНИСТРАТИВНЫЕ ЕДИНИЦЫ НА ТЕРРИТОРИЯХ КОМПАКТНОГО ПРОЖИВАНИЯ ВЕПСОВ в 1920 - 1930-х годах
Статья содержит информацию о территории расселения и условиях проживания этнолокальных групп вепсов (финно-угорская группа) в XX в., а также материалы, связанные с изменением численности вепсов и политикой советских властей по отношению к ним.
Ключевые слова: вепсы, финно-узорский, территория, этнолокальный, расселение, СССР.
Since ancient times, vast territory between Lake Ladoga, tive and territory separation of the population, differences
Lake Onega and White Lakes considered to be the places of socio-economic conditions of the Northern, Central and
of settlement of the Veps. The core place of the ancient Southern Veps which stopped consolidation of the ethnic
Veps as the ethnic group was southeastern cost of Lake groups [4, p. 11].
Ladoga [1, p. 143 - 146], where ethnolocal groups of the In the Central of 1920s the territory of historical settle-Northern, Central (the Oyat Veps) [2] and Southern Veps ment of the Northern Veps (the Onega Lake cost Veps)
had formed before the end of the 14th century. The history was included into the Autonomic Karelian Republic of the
of the Veps was defined by learning waterways that was Soviet Union. The rest of the area, where the Oyat River
the beginning of the Veps assimilation which continued Veps and Southern Veps lived, was incorporated into Len-
during all the 20th century. ingrad region (see the picture). Those years the soviet au-
The first census taken place in 1897 brought the initial thorities initiated national and territory regions basing on
most significant data of the Veps in Russia which num- the data of census carried out in 1926. That was the year
bered 26.7 thousand people [3, p. 332]. The Veps territory when the population of the Veps reached the highest fig-
happened to be divided by administrative borders due to ures - 328o0 people. Some 17300 Veps resided the area
history events. There were some reasons like administra- in Leningrad region, 8600 people lived on the territory of
Karelian Soviet Republic, 6900 individuals settled in Vologda region (Vologda district of the North Area before 1936). This information gives the ground to talk about the Veps assimilation halt [4, p. 11]. Favorable conditions of development caused a demographic uptrend of the Veps and the population of the ethic group continued increasing up to the 1930s. However, demographic situation changed dramatically afterwards. It concerned to the Veps, as well as to other smaller peoples of the Finno-Ugric group settled on the territory of the USSR for the period of the 1920s-1930s. According to the censuses of 1939-1959 the Veps numbered 29700 and 15300 respectively in the region. It proves significant reduction of ethnic group for the period of 1926-1959.
From the late1930s age structure of the Veps started changing. In the second half of the 20th century the population of the ethic group grew much older. Besides the traditional reasons (exogamic marriages, strengthening of migration processes due to industrialization) of assimilation of smaller peoples of the USSR including the Veps, territory factors negatively influenced the population size of the Veps in the 20th century [6]. Migration processes connected with partial change of settlement of the Veps were conditioned by administrative and territory unit reforms when some units were abolished and some new were established. Leningrad region was established in 1927, and ten years later Vologda region appeared. The borders of the new regions separated historical settlement territory of the Veps.
Taking into consideration soviet national policy concerning the Veps, we should focus on the consequences of establishment of new territory units for traditional settle-
Picture: Territory of settlement of the Veps ethnolocal groups [5]
1 - the Northern Veps (the Lake Ladoga cost Veps);
2 - the Central (the Oyat River Veps); 3 - the Southern Veps
ment of this smaller population. Even more important is to enlighten the history of establishment of the Veps national districts and their being in frames of administrative units of the USSR.
During the 1920s-1930s the authorities of the USSR carried out the policy of aborigenization with the aim to equalize political, cultural and economical development of non-Russians and other ethnic minorities with so-called “advanced nations”. This policy resulted in strengthening status of ethic and territory units as well as increasing selfawareness of the peoples resided the territory of the USSR. In addition, the soviet government rendered assistance to raise the number of national representatives in local governments in order to reinforce Bolshevik power. To overcome national inequality, the federal officials fulfilled the system of correlated measures, benefits and privileges which could accelerate shaping national elite and working class. Office work was done in ethnic languages. Secondary education and cultural activities were taught in the languages of local peoples. All mentioned above contributed to institutionalization of the ethnic group as well as increase of self-awareness of the peoples [7, p. 12].
We should mention that Declaration of the rights of the peoples of Russia happened to be the first document of Soviet authorities adopted by the Council of soviet people's commissioners of Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic in November 1917. That Declaration proclaimed free development of national minorities and ethnic groups inhabited the territory of Russia. The policy of aborigenization appeared to be the fruit of such Declaration and supposed to have had a great influence on cultural space shaping in such multinational country as the USSR. Besides, soviet officials believed that popularization of national languages and cultures as well as local representatives in local governments could stop autonomy and separatist intentions.
In 1927 two national districts were established in the places of compact residence of the Veps. They were: Vin-nytsia district as a part of just-formed Leningrad region and Sheltozersk district integrated in Karelian Autonomy Soviet Socialist Republic. The places of historical settlement of the Lake Onega Veps were included into Sheltozersk district while the areas with the Oayt River Veps were attached to Vinnytsia district. Up to 1939 most Soviet Councils of the settlement were the Vepsian.
Unfortunately, the project targeted to support national identification of the Veps was winded up by 1930. Authorities' change of priorities could be easily explained by so-called campaign “struggle with bourgeois nationalism” which led to struggle with national identity indeed. History researches of nations turned out to be prohibited as nationalistic. History of certain territories only was welcome to search. That policy struck a hard blow for development and strengthening of spiritual unity of kindred nations.
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Due to separation of North region adjacent to Leningrad region into two Arkhangelsk and Vologda regions, the latter included the northeast and east districts with the Veps Soviet of Settlements (8,000 people) of Leningrad region in September 1937 [7, p. 13]. Vinnytsia district of Leningrad region was transformed from Vepsian (as “synthetically made”) into ordinary in 1938.
Hereby, we can come to the conclusion that the first phase of the Veps national renaissance was over. The federal authorities stopped supporting ethnic and cultural development of the Veps, as an ethnic group. Administrative and territory isolation of the Veps as well as the lack of transport communications linking territory units of the USSR (in particular between Leningrad and Vologda regions) resulted in further weakening of ethnic, cultural and language relations. New political situation created the necessary prerequisites allowing accelerate language and political assimilation of the Veps [7, p. 14].
Undeveloped road infrastructure on the territory of compact settlement of the Veps as well as federal approach to national minorities reasoned to carry out some reorgani-zational measures. Settlement consolidation campaign along with abolition of certain national unpromising communities happened to be one of the most negative trends in post war period. Following the tendency Sheltozersky district of Karelo-FinskaB SSR was abrogated in 1956; Vinnytsia district of Leningrad region was abrogated in 1963. The districts became part of other administrative units. As we mentioned above, those districts had never been Vep-sian by the time of their abolition.
In the 1990s there was another wave of revival and strengthening processes of national identification of the Veps. That was the time when the plans to restore national status appeared. In fact, the official administrative status of national territory was attached to the area separated out of the Karelian Republic only There was the Veps national volost from 1994 till 2006. This territory is resided by the Northern (Lake Onega) Veps. The Oyat and Southern Veps, who used to inhabit the territories of Leningrad and Vologda regions, never obtained their national administrative units in the 1990s.
According to the data obtained in 2002, 59.1% of all the Veps resided the territory of the Karelian Republic (from the ethnic and cultural point of view, they could be referred to the northern (the Onega) group). Shokshinsky, Sheltozersky and Ryboretsky communities are the places of the
Veps residence in the Republic (since 2006 as the parts Onega cost district). In 2002, some 28.4% and 5.2% of all the Veps settled the area in Leningrad and Vologda regions respectively. Nowadays the residence of the Oyat and Southern Veps in Leningrad region is located in the four districts which are: Podporozhsky and Lodeynopol-sky (the Oyat Veps), Tikhvinsky and Boksitogorsky (the Southern Veps). The geography of these regions is in the watershed of the Veps upland (Oyat, Pasha, Kurba, Kolp and Lid river basins). These days very few of the Oyat Veps live in Vytegorsk and Babaevsk districts of Vologda region.
Today as a part of Leningrad region, Vinisk rural colony has appeared to be a municipal unit (the southeastern part of Podporozhsk district). We believe that it's reasonable to attach national official status to this municipal unit as it was done in the neighboring Karelian Republic in 1994, when the Veps national volost was established. This measure could hardly escape slowing down the assimilation processes, but will make possible to attract the ethnic representatives into local government, to preserve cultural traditions, infrastructure of healthcare and education.
1. См.: Голубева Л.А. К проблеме этногенеза вепсов // Древние славяне и их соседи. М., 1970. Р. 143 - 146; Ее же. Весь и славяне на Белом озере. X - XIII вв. М., 1973; Проблемы истории и культуры вепсской народности. Петрозаводск, 1989; Вепсы: история, культура и межэтнические контакты. Петрозаводск, 1999; Современная наука о вепсах: достижения и перспективы (памяти Н.И. Богданова). Петрозаводск, 2006.
2. Название данной этнолокальной группы происходит от гидронима - река Оять.
3. Прибалтийско-финские народы России. М., 2003.
4. Пименов В.В., Строгальщикова З.И. Вепсы: расселение, история, проблемы этнического развития // Проблемы истории и культуры вепсской народности. Петрозаводск, 1989.
5.Составлено на основе карты З.И. Строгальщиковой.
6. См. подроб.: Петухов А.В. Административная разобщенность - фактор ускорения ассимиляции вепсов // Проблемы истории и культуры вепсской народности. Петрозаводск, 1989.
7. См.: Вепсы: модели этнической мобилизации: сб. материалов и документов / под ред. Е.И. Климентьева, А.А. Ко-жанова, З.И. Строгальщиковой. Петрозаводск, 2007.
удк 94(47) I.G. Ibragimov
HEROIC RESISTANCE OF THE AGULS AGAINST IRANIAN CONQUEROR NADER SHAH in the first half of the 18th century
The paper deals with the period of resistance of people of Dagestan against the Iranian conqueror Nader Shah. The Aguls together with the people of Southern Dagestan put up considerable resistance to an ominous invader despite numerical superiority of the enemy. This event was reflected in folklore, legends and traditions of the Dagestan people.
Key words: revolt, domination, conquest, feudal possessors, destruction, liquidation, heroic resistance, legends, folklore.
