This is an accepted version of this page
 Finnic languages at the beginning of the 20th century | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| c.7.4–8.2 million | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Finns | c. 6.2–7 million |
| Estonians | c. 1.1 million |
| Tornedalians | c. 150,000 |
| Karelians | c. 43,000[1][2] |
| Kvens | c. 15,000 |
| Vepsians | c. 4,800[3] |
| Izhorians | c. 1,000 |
| Livonians | c. 430-610 |
| Votes | c. 100 |
| Languages | |
| Finnic languages | |
| Religion | |
| PredominantlyChristianity (eitherLutheranism orEastern Orthodoxy);[4] minorityUralic Neopaganism,Roman Catholicism andEvangelicalism[5] | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| OtherFinno-Ugric peoples | |
TheBaltic Finnic peoples, often simply referred to as theFinnic peoples,[a] are the peoples inhabiting theBaltic Sea region inNorthern andEastern Europe who speakFinnic languages. They include theFinns,Estonians (includingVõros andSetos),Karelians (includingLudes andLivvi),Veps,Izhorians,Votes, andLivonians. In some cases theKvens,Ingrians,Tornedalians and speakers ofMeänkieli are considered separate from the Finns.
The bulk of the Finnic peoples (more than 98%) are ethnic Finns and Estonians, who reside in the two independent Finnicnation states—Finland andEstonia.[6]
Finnic peoples are also significant minority groups in neighbouring countries ofSweden,Norway and Russia, especiallyKarelia.
According to the "Migration Theory" that was based primarily oncomparative linguistics, the proto-Finns migrated from an ancient homeland somewhere in north-westernSiberia or western Russia to the shores of theBaltic Sea around 1000 BC, at which time Finns and Estonians separated. The Migration Theory has been called into question since 1980 based ongenealogy,craniometry andarchaeology. Recently, a modified form of the Migration Theory has gained new support among the younger generation of linguists, who consider that archaeology, genes and craniometric data cannot supply evidence of prehistoric languages.[7]
During the last 30 years, scientific research in physical anthropology, craniometric analyses, andmitochondrial andY-chromosomal DNA frequencies have reduced the likelihood of the Migration Theory—a major westward migration as recently as 3,000 years ago. The Settlement Continuity Theory asserts that at least the genetic ancestors of theFinno-Ugric peoples were among the earliestindigenous peoples ofEurope.[8][9]
The origin of the people who lived around theBaltic Sea area during theMesolithic Era continues to be debated by scientists. From the middle of theNeolithic onward, there is a certain extent of agreement among scholars: it has been suggested that Finno-Ugric tribes arrived in the Baltic region from the east or south-east around the period 4000–3000 BC and merged with the original inhabitants, who then adopted the proto-Finno-Ugric language and thePit–Comb Ware culture of the newcomers. The members of this new Finno-Ugric-speaking ethnicity are thought to be the ancestors of modern-day Estonians.[9] The Y-chromosomal data has also revealed a common Finno-Ugric ancestry for the males of the neighbouringBalts, speakers of the Indo-EuropeanBaltic languages. According to the studies, Baltic males are most closely related to theVolga Finns such as theMari, rather than to Baltic Finns.[10] The results suggest that the territories of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have been settled by Finno-Ugric tribes since the early Mesolithic period.[9]
On the other hand, some linguists do not consider it likely that a Baltic Finnic language form could have existed at such an early date. According to these views, the Finno-Ugric languages appeared in Finland and the Baltic region only during the Early Bronze Age (ca. 1800 BC), if not later.[7]
While Finns have mostly European genes, they also have some additional East Eurasian ancestry (varies from 5 up to 10[11]–13[12]%). This component is most likelySiberian-related, best represented by the north SiberianNganasans. The specific Siberian-like ancestry is suggested to have arrived in Northern Europe during the earlyIron Age, linked to the arrival ofUralic languages.[13]
The Finnic peoples share a common cultural heritage: the art of ancient "rune" (poem) singing in theKalevala meter, estimated to be 2,500–3,000 years old. The Finnish and Estonian national epics,Kalevala andKalevipoeg, are both written in this meter.[14] The Veps are the only Baltic Finnish people with no significant corpus of Kalevala meter oral poetry. The poetic tradition has included epic poems (known mostly inKarelia andIngria, perhaps as survivals from an earlier, wider distribution), lyric poems and magic chants.
The ancient rune singing has inspired the creation of thenational epic of Finland,Kalevala compiled byElias Lönnrot, and the music ofArvo Pärt, the best-known Estonian composer in the classical field.[15]
J. R. R. Tolkien has highlighted the importance ofKalevala as a source for hislegendarium, includingThe Silmarillion andThe Lord of the Rings.[16]
The region has been populated since the end of the last glacial era, about 10,000 BC. The earliest traces of human settlement are connected withSuomusjärvi culture andKunda culture. The EarlyMesolithicPulli settlement is located by thePärnu River. It has been dated to the beginning of the 9th millennium BC. The Kunda Culture received its name from the Lammasmäe settlement site in northern Estonia, which dates from earlier than 8500.[17] Bone and stone artefacts similar to those found at Kunda have been discovered elsewhere in Estonia, as well as inLatvia, northernLithuania and southern Finland.
Around 5300BCE pottery and agriculture entered Finland.[18] The earliest representatives belong to thePit–Comb Ware culture, known for their distinctive decorating patterns. This marks the beginning of theNeolithic.
Until the early 1980s, the arrival of Finnic peoples, the ancestors of the Estonians, Finns, and Livonians on the shores of theBaltic Sea around 3000 BC, was associated with the Pit–Comb Ware culture. However, such a linking of archaeologically defined cultural entities with linguistic ones cannot be proven and it has been suggested that the increase of settlement finds in the period is more likely to have been associated with an economic boom related to the warming of climate. Some researchers have even argued that a form ofUralic languages may have been spoken in Estonia and Finland since the end of the last glaciation.[19] Through archaeogenetics the population has been shown to derive the bulk of its ancestry fromEastern Hunter-Gatherers of Russia.[20]
The beginning of theBronze Age in Estonia is dated to approximately 1800 BC, in present-day Finland some time after 1500 BCE. The coastal regions of Finland were a part of the Nordic Bronze Culture, whereas in the inland regions the influences came from the bronze-using cultures of Northern Russia. The first fortified settlements,Asva andRidala on the island ofSaaremaa andIru in Northern Estonia, began to be built. The development of shipbuilding facilitated the spread of bronze. Changes took place in burial customs, a new type of burial ground spread from Germanic to Estonian areas, stone cist graves and cremation burials became increasingly common beside small numbers of boat-shaped stone graves.[21] In terms of genetics, the Bronze Age population of the East Baltic derives most of their ancestry from theCorded Ware culture with an elevated amount of Mesolithic Hunter-Gatherer ancestry, but showing no prevalence of Siberian related ancestry.[22]
ThePre-Roman Iron Age began in about 500 BC and lasted until the middle of the 1st century. The oldest iron items were imported, although since the 1st century iron was smelted from local marsh and lake ore. Settlement sites were located mostly in places that offered natural protection. Fortresses were built, although used temporarily. The appearance of squareCeltic fields surrounded by enclosures in Estonia date from the Pre-Roman Iron Age. The majority of stones with man-made indents, which presumably were connected with magic designed to increase crop fertility, date from this period. A new type of grave, quadrangular burial mounds, began to develop. Burial traditions show the clear beginning of social stratification. The first reported individuals with the y-DNA haplotypeN-M231 in the Baltic are from the Iron Age, alongside Siberian ancestry.[22]
TheRoman Iron Age is roughly dated to between AD 50 and 450, the era that was affected by the influence of theRoman Empire. In material culture this is reflected by a few Roman coins, somejewellery and artefacts. The abundance of iron artefacts in Southern Estonia speaks of closer mainland ties with southern areas, while coastal Finland and the islands of western and northern Estonia communicated with their neighbours mainly by sea.
Between 200 and 400 AD, a group of Baltic Sea Finns in southwestern Finland (Finland proper), who had traveled there from the areas of nowadays Estonia, began moving inland towardsTavastia.
Between 200 and 400 AD, the Finns proper themselves became divided geographically in three parts:
During the Migration Period in 400–600 AD, the Estonian influence gradually weakened. By the end of the period, clearly defined tribal dialectical areas –Finns proper,Tavastians,Karelians, Northern Estonians, Southern Estonians, and Western Estonians including the islanders—had emerged, the population of each having formed its own understanding of identity.[23]
The wordFinn is first mentioned in the formFenni in the 1st century AD by Roman historianTacitus. However, it is possible that he was referring to the people of northern Europe in general, particularly the Lappic orSami people. After that the nameFinni is used byClaudius Ptolemaeus (around 150) and the Eastern Roman writer Jordanes in hisGetica (551). References to Finnic tribes become much more numerous from theViking Age (800–1050). It was not until about 1171 that the wordFinni was employed to mean theFinns.
The termAestii, the name of the Estonians, occurs first again in Tacitus; however, it might have indicated Balts. In Northern sagas (13th century), the term started to be used to indicate the Estonians.
In a Norwegian text (11th–12th century)[which?], the nameKiriali, referring to Karelians, and the termcornuti Finni, interpreted as referring to the Lapps or Sami people, first appear.
The opening chapter of theOld East SlavicPrimary Chronicle (early 12th century) lists the following peoples living "in the share ofJapheth" among others:Chud,Merya,Muroma,Ves,Cheremis,Mordvin, Chud Zavolochskaya ('beyond the portages'),Perm,Pechera, Sum (Suomi, possibly referring toFinns proper), Yam (Häme, referring toTavastians),Yugra andLiv.[24][25]
TheChudes, as mentioned in the earliest East Slavic chronicles, are in a 12th-century context usually considered to beEstonians, although the name sometimes referred to all Finnic peoples in north-westernRus.[26] According to the Primary Chronicle, the Chudes' lands were bounded by the Varangian Sea (Baltic Sea).[24] In 1030Yaroslav I the Wise invaded the country of the Chudes and laid the foundations of Yuriev (the historical Russian name ofTartu, Estonia).[26] They remained until 1061 when, according to chronicles, Yuryev was burned down by the Chudes. According toOld East Slavic chronicles,[which?] the Chudes were one of the founders of theRus' state.[27]
The northern (or eastern) Chudes were also a mythical people in folklore among Northern Russians and their neighbours. In Komi mythology, the Northern Chudes represent the mythic ancestors of theKomi people.[28]
In the 13th century the east Baltic world was transformed by military conquest: first the Livs and Estonians, then the Finns underwent defeat, baptism, military occupation and sometimes extermination by groups of Germans, Danes and Swedes.[29] Finland was governed as a part of Sweden, while Estonia was under a Baltic German knightly brotherhood before becoming parts of Russian Empire. Finland and Estonia became independent in 1917–1918 (seehistory of Finland andhistory of Estonia). The Karelians remained under Russian and then Soviet rule, and their absolute and relative numbers dwindled. Whenurbanization was peaking, less-numerous peoples rapidly lost capacity to maintain their village-based cultures and so were often assimilated to the mainstream society.