.jpg) A group of Hill Mari people, c. 1870 | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 60,000[1] (2002, est.) | |
| Languages | |
| Hill Mari language |
TheHill Mari orMountain Mari (Hill Mari:кырык марынвлӓ)[2] are a subgroup of theMari people, aVolga Finnic ethnic group of Russia. They are concentrated inGornomariysky District of theMari El republic.[3]
The tribes of thePozdnegorodetskaya culture are believed to be the distant ancestors of the modern Hill Mari.[4]
The Hill Mari are first mentioned in the written record in the 16th century, during theRusso-Kazan Wars in the region. The Hill Mari, along with theChuvash, allied with Russia. In 1546, the Hill Mari were incorporated into theRussian state.[5]
Several institutions dedicated to preservation of Hill Mari heritage have been founded. The Ethnographic Open-Air Museum inKozmodemyansk, opened in 1983, holds a collection of artefacts and architecture relating to traditional Hill Mari farming and craft. The Nikon Ignatyev Museum of Local History, which is mainly dedicated to art and literature, was opened in Salymsola in 1995. The Hill Mari Theater of Drama was founded by then-president of Mari ElVladislav Zotin in 1994, who is of Hill Mari origin.[6]
Traditionally, the Hill Mari have mainly engaged in farming, foraging, fishing, andbeekeeping. Consequently,weather folklore is prominent in Hill Mari culture.[7]
In contrast to theMeadow andEastern Mari, most Hill Mari are Orthodox Christians and do not practice traditionalMari religion.[8]
