Nizhnyaya Toyma River
Encyclopedia
The Nizhnyaya Toyma is a river in Verkhnetoyemsky
and Vinogradovsky District
s of Arkhangelsk Oblast
in Russia
. It is a right bank tributary
of the Northern Dvina River. The length of the river is 165 kilometres (102.5 mi). The area of its basin is 1740 square kilometres (671.8 sq mi).
The toponym Toyma occurs in various northern Russian territories, from Toyma in Karelia
to Toyma River
in the Republic of Tatarstan. It is identical to an extinct Finno-Ugric
ethnonym
known to the Novgorodians
since (at least) the beginning of the 12th century. Janet Martin considered Toima (sic) the southern extreme of Novgorodian control over the Dvina basin in this period. The first mention of Toyma, paying tribute to Novgorodians, is dated 1137 but there is no evidence that the word Toyma relates to the present-day area or its neighbor, Verkhnetoyemsky Selsoviet. The 1219 chronicle mentions the ethnonym
toymokary . The 1237 Tale of the Death of the Russian Land mentions "Toyma pagans" living between "the Karelians
" and Veliky Ustyug
, a location roughly aligned with the Northern Dvina basin.
Russian linguists argue whether the ethnonym
Toyma relates to a specific tribe, a tribal group, a language or a whole continuum
of Finno-Ugric languages. Evgeny Chelimsky applied the ethnonym Toyma to a wide area in the southern part of Northern Dvina basin and wrote that it is equivalent to the Northern Finns in Aleksandr Matveyev
's classification. Matveyev objected, writing that the Northern Finnish continuum was considerably wider than Toyma's, and that the hypothetical Toyma people occupied only a minor portion of it. He preferred to equate the Toyma with a particular tribe that lived in the Nizhnaya Toyma area, and noted that it also could belong to Permic languages
. At any rate, the Toymas disappeared before the 17th century, before their existence could be recorded in Muscovite sources, either through russification
or through earlier assimilation
by other Finno-Ugric tribes.
with hills, in the conifer forests (taiga
). It was used for timber rafting
until the 1990s.
The source of the Nizhnyaya Toyma is in the eastern part of Vinogradovsky District. The river initially flows to the south and enters Verkhnetoyemsky District, then turns south-west. The upper valley of the Nizhnyaya Toyma is not populated; the first settlement is the twin villages of Uzlikha and Borovino. Downstream of Borovino, the Nizhnyaya Toyma briefly enters Vinogradovsky District, flows through the village of Shosheltsy, and re-enters Verkhnetoyemsky District. The lower course of the river is populated. The mouth of the Nizhnyaya Toyma is located in the village of Burtsevskaya, the administrative center of Nizhnetoyemsky Selsoviet. This area is famous for its traditional wood painting crafts.
Verkhnetoyemsky District
Verkhnetoyemsky District is an administrative district , one of the twenty-one in Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. Municipally, it is incorporated as Verkhnetoyemsky Municipal District...
and Vinogradovsky District
Vinogradovsky District
Vinogradovsky District is an administrative district , one of the twenty-one in Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. Municipally, it is incorporated as Vinogradovsky Municipal District...
s of Arkhangelsk Oblast
Arkhangelsk Oblast
Arkhangelsk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . It includes the Arctic archipelagos of Franz Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya, as well as the Solovetsky Islands in the White Sea....
in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. It is a right bank tributary
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
of the Northern Dvina River. The length of the river is 165 kilometres (102.5 mi). The area of its basin is 1740 square kilometres (671.8 sq mi).
Etymology
The name of Nizhnyaya Toyma means The Lower Toyma, as opposed to the Upper Toyma, the Verkhnyaya Toyma River, also a right tributary of the Northern Dvina.The toponym Toyma occurs in various northern Russian territories, from Toyma in Karelia
Karelia
Karelia , the land of the Karelian peoples, is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance for Finland, Russia, and Sweden...
to Toyma River
Toyma River
The Toyma is a river in Udmurtia and Tatarstan, Russian Federation, a right-bank tributary of the Kama River. Its length is 124 km and its drainage basin is 1,446 km². It origins in Udmurtia and falls to the Kama near Yelabuga, Tatarstan.Major tributaries are Vozzhayka, Yurashka, Karinka Rivers....
in the Republic of Tatarstan. It is identical to an extinct Finno-Ugric
Finno-Ugric peoples
The Finno-Ugric peoples are any of several peoples of Europe who speak languages of the proposed Finno-Ugric language family, such as the Finns, Estonians, Mordvins, and Hungarians...
ethnonym
Ethnonym
An ethnonym is the name applied to a given ethnic group. Ethnonyms can be divided into two categories: exonyms and autonyms or endonyms .As an example, the ethnonym for...
known to the Novgorodians
Novgorod Republic
The Novgorod Republic was a large medieval Russian state which stretched from the Baltic Sea to the Ural Mountains between the 12th and 15th centuries, centred on the city of Novgorod...
since (at least) the beginning of the 12th century. Janet Martin considered Toima (sic) the southern extreme of Novgorodian control over the Dvina basin in this period. The first mention of Toyma, paying tribute to Novgorodians, is dated 1137 but there is no evidence that the word Toyma relates to the present-day area or its neighbor, Verkhnetoyemsky Selsoviet. The 1219 chronicle mentions the ethnonym
Ethnonym
An ethnonym is the name applied to a given ethnic group. Ethnonyms can be divided into two categories: exonyms and autonyms or endonyms .As an example, the ethnonym for...
toymokary . The 1237 Tale of the Death of the Russian Land mentions "Toyma pagans" living between "the Karelians
Karelians
The Karelians are a Baltic-Finnic ethnic group living mostly in the Republic of Karelia and in other north-western parts of the Russian Federation. The historic homeland of Karelians includes also parts of present-day Eastern Finland and the formerly Finnish territory of Ladoga Karelia...
" and Veliky Ustyug
Veliky Ustyug
Veliky Ustyug is a town in the northeast of Vologda Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Sukhona and Yug Rivers. Administratively, it is incorporated as a town of oblast significance . It also serves as the administrative center of Velikoustyugsky District, by which it is completely...
, a location roughly aligned with the Northern Dvina basin.
Russian linguists argue whether the ethnonym
Ethnonym
An ethnonym is the name applied to a given ethnic group. Ethnonyms can be divided into two categories: exonyms and autonyms or endonyms .As an example, the ethnonym for...
Toyma relates to a specific tribe, a tribal group, a language or a whole continuum
Continuum (theory)
Continuum theories or models explain variation as involving a gradual quantitative transition without abrupt changes or discontinuities. It can be contrasted with 'categorical' models which propose qualitatively different states.-In physics:...
of Finno-Ugric languages. Evgeny Chelimsky applied the ethnonym Toyma to a wide area in the southern part of Northern Dvina basin and wrote that it is equivalent to the Northern Finns in Aleksandr Matveyev
Aleksandr Matveyev
Aleksandr Konstantinovich Matveyev was a Russian linguist known for his works in toponymics , onomastics , and etymology .-Biography:...
's classification. Matveyev objected, writing that the Northern Finnish continuum was considerably wider than Toyma's, and that the hypothetical Toyma people occupied only a minor portion of it. He preferred to equate the Toyma with a particular tribe that lived in the Nizhnaya Toyma area, and noted that it also could belong to Permic languages
Permic languages
Permic languages are a branch of the Uralic language family. They are spoken in the foothills of the Ural Mountains of Russia.* Komi** Komi-Permyak** Komi-Yodzyak ** Komi-Zyryan...
. At any rate, the Toymas disappeared before the 17th century, before their existence could be recorded in Muscovite sources, either through russification
Russification
Russification is an adoption of the Russian language or some other Russian attributes by non-Russian communities...
or through earlier assimilation
Cultural assimilation
Cultural assimilation is a socio-political response to demographic multi-ethnicity that supports or promotes the assimilation of ethnic minorities into the dominant culture. The term assimilation is often used with regard to immigrants and various ethnic groups who have settled in a new land. New...
by other Finno-Ugric tribes.
Geography
The Nizhnyaya Toyma flows through a plainPlain
In geography, a plain is land with relatively low relief, that is flat or gently rolling. Prairies and steppes are types of plains, and the archetype for a plain is often thought of as a grassland, but plains in their natural state may also be covered in shrublands, woodland and forest, or...
with hills, in the conifer forests (taiga
Taiga
Taiga , also known as the boreal forest, is a biome characterized by coniferous forests.Taiga is the world's largest terrestrial biome. In North America it covers most of inland Canada and Alaska as well as parts of the extreme northern continental United States and is known as the Northwoods...
). It was used for timber rafting
Timber rafting
Timber rafting is a log transportation method in which logs are tied together into rafts and drifted or pulled across a water body or down a flatter river. It is arguably the second cheapest method of transportation of timber, next after log driving...
until the 1990s.
The source of the Nizhnyaya Toyma is in the eastern part of Vinogradovsky District. The river initially flows to the south and enters Verkhnetoyemsky District, then turns south-west. The upper valley of the Nizhnyaya Toyma is not populated; the first settlement is the twin villages of Uzlikha and Borovino. Downstream of Borovino, the Nizhnyaya Toyma briefly enters Vinogradovsky District, flows through the village of Shosheltsy, and re-enters Verkhnetoyemsky District. The lower course of the river is populated. The mouth of the Nizhnyaya Toyma is located in the village of Burtsevskaya, the administrative center of Nizhnetoyemsky Selsoviet. This area is famous for its traditional wood painting crafts.