Uralic neopaganism encompassescontemporary movements which have been reviving or revitalising theethnic religions of the various peoples who speakUralic languages. The movement has taken place since the 1980s and 1990s, after the collapse of theSoviet Union and alongside the ethnonational and cultural reawakening of theFinnic peoples of Russia, theEstonians and theFinns.[1] In fact, Neopagan movements inFinland andEstonia have much older roots, dating from the early 20th century.
Among the Finnic peoples of theVolga Federal District ofRussia (theVolga Finns andUdmurts), scholarVictor Schnirelmann has observed two cooperating patterns of development of Neopaganism: the reactivation of authentic rituals and worship ceremonies in the countrysides, and the development of systematised doctrines amongst the urbanintelligentsia rejectingRussian Orthodoxy as a foreign religion.[2] TheUralic Communion, founded in 2001, is an organisation for the cooperation of different institutions promoting Uralic indigenous religions.
The Estonian native religion (Estonian:Maausk, literally "Native Religion" or "Land's Faith"),[3] or Estonian Neopaganism, is the name, inEnglish, for a grouping of contemporary revivals (often called "Neopagan", although adherents of Estonian native religion generally don't use the term[4]) of the indigenousreligion of theEstonian people.
It encompasses "Taaraism" (Estonian:Taarausk literally "Taara Faith"),[5] amonistic religion centered on godTharapita founded in 1928 by intellectuals as a national religion; andMaausk[5] as a much broader definition of "Native Faith", encompassinggrassroots movements of local gods worship,nature worship andearth worship.[4] Both the kinds of the movement are administered by theMaavalla Koda organisation. According to a 2002 survey, 11% of the population ofEstonia claim that "out of all the religions they have the warmest feelings towards Taaraism and Maausk".[6]
The Finnish native religion (Finnish:Suomenusko: "Finnish Faith"), or Finnish Neopaganism, is the contemporary Neopagan revival ofFinnish paganism, the pre-Christianpolytheistic ethnic religion of theFinns. A precursor movement was theUkkousko ("Ukko Faith", revolving around the godUkko) of the early 20th century. The main problem in the revival of Finnish paganism is the nature of pre-Christian Finnish culture, which relied on oral tradition and very little is left.[7] The primary sources concerning Finnish native culture are written by latter-era Christians. They may be biased, tainted or unreliable. The national epic is theKalevala.
There are two main organisations of the religion, the "Association of Finnish Native Religion" (Suomalaisen kansanuskon yhdistys ry) based inHelsinki and officially registered since 2002,[8] (120 members in 2008) and the "Taivaannaula" association (around a dozen members in 2008) headquartered inTurku with branches in many cities, founded and officially registered in 2007.[9] The Association of Finnish Native Religion also caters toKarelians[8] and is a member of theUralic Communion.[10]
TheHungarian Native Faith (Hungarian:Ősmagyar Vallás), also termedHungarian Neopaganism, is amodern Pagannew religious movement aimed at representing anethnic religion of theHungarians, inspired bytaltosism (Hungarian shamanism),ancient mythology andlater folklore. The Hungarian Native Faith movement has roots in 18th- and 19th-centuryEnlightenment andRomantic elaborations, and early-20th-century ethnology.[11] The construction of a national Hungarian religion was endorsed in interwarTuranist circles (1930s–1940s), and, eventually, Hungarian Native Faith movements blossomed inHungary after the fall of theSoviet Union.[12]
The boundaries between Hungarian Native Faith groups are often traced along their differing ideas about theethnogenetic origins of the Hungarians, which have historically been a matter of debate.[13] Many organisations acknowledge the linguistic connection of Hungarians with speakers of otherFinno-Ugric languages. Other Hungarian Native Faith groups, however, cultivate further links withScythian,Sumerian,[14]Turkic[15] and other cultures.
The Mari religion (Mari: Чимарий йӱла,Čimarij jüla), also called Mari paganism, is the ethnic religion of theMari people, aVolga Finnicethnic group based in therepublic ofMari El, inRussia. Mari religion has been practiced predatesChristianization attempts, and hence is not itself an example of neopaganism; however it has neopagan revivalist adherents, such as theKugu sorta.[16]
The Mari religion is based on the worship of the forces of nature, which man must honour and respect. Before the spread ofmonotheistic teachings amongst the Mari, they worshipped many gods (thejumo, a word cognate to theFinnishJumala), while recognising the primacy of a "Great God",Kugu Jumo. In the 19th century, influenced by monotheism, the pagan beliefs altered and the image of anOsh Kugu Jumo, literally "Great God of Light", was strengthened.
Subject to persecution in theSoviet Union, the faith has been granted official status since the 1990s by the government of Mari El, where it is recognized as one of the three traditional faiths along with Orthodox Christianity and Islam. Some activists claim that the Mari native religion believers are subject to pressure by Russian authorities as part of a wider campaign toRussify Mari culture.Vitaly Tanakov, an adherent of the faith, was charged withinciting religious, national, social and linguistic hatred after publishing the bookThe Priest Speaks.[17]
The Mordvin native religion, also called Erzyan native religion, or Mordvin-Erzyan Neopaganism, is the modern revival of the ethnic religion of theMordvins (Erzya andMoksha), peoples ofVolga Finnic ethnic stock dwelling in theirrepublic ofMordovia withinRussia, or in borderinglands of Russia. The name of the originating god according to the Mordvin tradition is Ineshkipaz.
TheMordvins were almost fullyChristianised since the times ofKievan Rus', although Pagan customs were preserved in thefolklore and few villages preserved utterly the native faith at least until further missionary activities of theRussian Orthodox Church in the 17th century and in the early 20th century.[18] The Neopagan revival was started in 1990,[19] alongside that of many other native religions in Russia, just in the verge of dissolution of theSoviet Union.
According to scholarVictor Schnirelmann 2% of the Mordvins adhere to the Mordvin native faith.[20] Adherents of theErzyan Mastor organisation organise theRas'ken' Ozks (Mordvin for: "Native Prayer"), a national Mordvin worship service held yearly, with participation also of members of theMastorava organisation and other ones.[21][22][23]
Udmurt Vosh (Udmurt: Удмурт Вось, literally "Udmurt Faith") is the ethnic religious revival of theUdmurts, aVolga Finnic ethnic group mostly inhabiting theirrepublic withinRussia, that isUdmurtia. Amongst the Udmurts, as in other Finnic republics in the Volga region, the revival of Paganism is inextricably intertwined with the revival of national-ethnic culture and awareness.[24]
The Udmurtian Pagan revival circles sprang out of theDemen (Udmurt for "Society") movement which was established in December 1989 for the protection and restoration of the Udmurt ethnic culture.[19] Udmurt Vos as an institution was founded in 1994.[25]
According to 2012 statistics, 2% of the population ofUdmurtia adheres to forms of Paganism.Victor Schnirelmann reported an adherence of 4% for the Udmurts alone.
The Uralic Communion was founded in 2001 with the aim of facilitating joint work among adherents of theUralic native religions. Founding members of the Communion include:
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