Moksha people

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mokshans
King Tyushtya•Mikhail Devyataev•Aleksey Mokshoni•Kirill Samorodov
Total population

~800.000
Regions with significant populations
Russia
Mordovia, Penza Oblast, Tambov Oblast, Tatarstan, Saratov Oblast
Armenia,Australia, USA
Languages
Moksha, Russian, Tatar
Religions
Russian Orthodoxy, Lutheranism, Samana
Related ethnic groups
other Finno-Ugric peoples

The Moksha or Mokshans (Moksha people), (Moksha: Мокшет/Mokshat), indigenous Finno-Volgaic population of Middle Volga. Mokshas are typical Caucasians with North-Pontic racial type predominance. Mokshan (Moksha) is one of the Finno-Volgaic, branch of the Finno-Ugric language family. Close languages are Erzya and Mari.

Less than one second of Mokshas 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, as well as Tatarstan, Siberia, Far East, Armenia and USA.

The Qaratay Moksha ethnic group live in Kama Tamağı District of Tatarstan, and have shifted to speaking Tatar, albeit with a large proportion of old Mokshan vocabulary (substratum). The Qaratay call themselves Muksha.

Since 1950s the number of Mokshas in Mordovia, and their knowledge of their mother tongues has decreased due to bilingualism.

Contents

[edit] History

Mokshans took part in Scythian-Persian war 514 BC in alliance with Scythians and Sarmatians when 80.000 army of Darius the Great was defeated. In 4th century AD Mokshans became Ostrogothic kingdom's tributary in the reign of Ostrogothic king Ermanaric. Mokshans joined Hunnic Hord together with Sarmatians and Hungarians and invaded Ostrogothic Kingdom around 377 AD. They also took part in Attila's invasion to Rome in 5th century. In 7th century Mokshans are in vassalage to Khazar Khaganate. In the beginning of 10th century Mokshan and Erzyan lands covered territory of 100.000 sq. km with total population around 70.000.

[edit] List of notable Mokshans

  • Tyushtya, the Great Mokshan and Erzyan King
  • Tsovks known as Nightingale the Robber, Mokshan prince
  • Puresh, XII c AD, Mokshan king
  • Narchatka, Mokshan princess
  • Zakhar Dorofeev, (1890-1952), Mokshan poet, scientist
  • Avksentiy Yurtov, Mokshan linguist, scientist
  • I.G. Cherapkin, Mokshan linguist scientist
  • Kirill Samorodov, Mokshan writer, translator
  • Mikhail Petrovich Devyatayev, (1917-2002) WWII hero, escaped from Peenemunde prisoner of war camp by plane
  • Aleksey Mokshoni, (1898-1971), Mokshan writer
  • Aleksandr Malkin, (1923-2003), Mokshan poet
  • Petr Levchaev, (1913-2003), Mokshan poet, writer
  • Vasiliy Viard, Mokshan writer
  • Vasiliy Radin, (1923), Mokshan writer
  • Yakov Piniasov, Mokshan writer, playwright
  • Maksim Beban, Mokshan writer, poet, translator
  • Anatoliy Tyapaev, (1928), Mokshan writer, playwright
  • Alexander Feoktistov, (1928), Professor, scientist
  • Vasiliy Elmeev, Saint Petersburg University Professor
  • Ivan Pudin, Mokshan writer, dramatist

[edit] List of Mokshan papers

  • Moksha (literature, culture)
  • Mokshen pravda (newspaper)
  • Yakster Tyashtenya (for children)

[edit] External links

General

  • Info-RM Mordovia republic news in Moksha language
  • [1] Finno-Ugric World news, articles in Mokshan
  • [2] Mokshan-English-Mokshan on-line dictionary