| Description |
The history of Russia demonstrates a trend in imperialistic behavior: One culture overtaking another. As seen in contemporary "Soviet" history, Russia has imposed its politics, language, and economics on other countries. Many of these countries have found opportunity to reject this imposition and rekindle national culture. But, what of the internal cultures, the nomads who made their way through pre-Slavic Russia centuries ago only to have their way of life abolished? These peoples, perhaps, did not have the man-power or advantage of established boundaries and political sympathy to maintain a strong cultural tie. Centuries of changes and various influences have forced such tribes of people, within Russian boundaries, to need to adapt. The Vepsians are one example of a mutant culture affected by the Great Mother Russia. They had a very distinct cultural personality: Finno-Ugric, pagan peasants who lived without cares and in the richness of their own culture. The warring and desires of Swedish and Russian peoples caused this peaceful existence to be altered in many ways. Vepsian traditions were obliged to match the needs of religious, political, and social evolution within their region. And, eventually, the Russian government refused to recognize the existence of the Vepsian Nation. Since 1989, scholarly efforts have been made to promote the culture, history, language, and traditions of the past. But, the elder Vepsians, the group comprising the majority of the population of less than 8,000, are of the opinion that it should all die along with them, allowing younger generations the chance to exist productively in their Russian environment - particularly today when racial tensions are high and when the Soviet period of "sameness" has erased the desire to declare one's race for fear of persecution. Through interviews with scholars and Vepsian people, the translations of local studies, books, and newspapers, and comparative studies involving cultural rebirth, I have analyzed the value and the detrimental effects of trying to preserve a dying culture. I will provide a time line of the influences on the Vepsian nation, the motivations for a nationalist movement, and the practicality of such measures at this point in time. |
