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other Finnic peoples |
Veps or Vepsians are a Finnic people that speak the Veps language, which belongs to the Finnic branch of the Uralic languages. The self-designations of these people in various dialects are vepslaine, bepslaane, and (in northern dialects, southwest of Lake Onega) lüdinik and lüdilaine. According to the 2002 census, there were 8240 Veps in Russia. Of the 281 Veps in Ukraine, 11 speak Vepsian. (Ukr. Census 2001). The most prominent speaker and researcher in Finland is Eugene Holman of the University of Helsinki.[5] Western Vepsians have kept their language and culture. Nowadays almost all Vepsians speak fluently in Russian.
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In modern times, they live in the area between Lake Ladoga, Lake Onega (Änine), and Lake Beloye (Valged’ärv, Белое Озеро) - in the Russian Republic of Karelia in the former Veps National Volost (the northern Veps dialect area), in Leningrad Oblast along the Oyat River in Podporozhsky and Lodeynopolsky Districts and further south in Tikhvinsky District (western parts of the Central Veps dialect area), in Vytegorsky and Babayevsky Districts of Vologda Oblast (eastern parts of the Central Veps dialect area), and in Boksitogorsky District of Leningrad Oblast (southern Veps dialect area)[6].
From archeological studies and old names suggest that they lived at least in the valleys of the Sheksna, the Suda, and the Syas. They probably also lived in Olonets Karelia and on the northern coast of Lake Onega. One of the eastern routes of Vikings went through their area. Tomb findings prove that they had contact with Staraya Ladoga, western Finnish area and Meryans, other Volga Finnic tribes and later with Novgorod and other Russian principalities. Later Vepsians inhabited also Western and Eastern shores of Onega.
In early Russian chronicles, they are called "Весь" (Ves’) and in some Arabic sources they are called Wisu. It is assumed that Bjarmians were at least partly Vepsians. From 12th century their history is connected with first Novgorod and then Russia. Russian settlement reached Äänis-Veps in approximately the 14th or 15th century[7]. Eastern Vepsians in Kargopol area merged linguistically with Russians before 20th century.
In the beginning of 20th century there were some signs of national awakening among Vepsians. Early Soviet nationality politics supported this progress, and 24 administrative units with the status of national village soviets were formed. Some Veps language schools were founded and written language was created. Oppression of Veps culture begun in 1937. All national cultural activities were stopped and the national districts were abolished. When Finland invaded the area of Äänis-Veps in Continuation war, some of them joined the Finnish army in so called Kindred Battalion. These troops were relinquished to the Soviet Union after the war.[7]
In the postwar period many Veps moved from historic Veps villages to larger cities. Many Veps were ashamed of their heritage, and reported themselves as Russians in official censuses[6]. In 1983, on the initiative of national academics, an inquiry was carried out which showed that there were nearly 13,000 Veps in the Soviet Union, 5,600 of whom lived in Karelia, 4,000 in the Leningrad region and just under a 1,000 in the Vologda region.[7]
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