Rjurik Lonin
Encyclopedia
Rjurik Petrovič Lonin — this is the Veps spelling of his name — in the present Prionezhskiĭ raĭon
, Karelian ASSR
, Soviet Union
– 17 July 2009, Šoutar’v
, Prionezhskiĭ raĭon
, Republic of Karelia
, Russia
) was a Veps student of the local lore and collector of Veps folklore, founder of The Rjurik Lonin Veps Ethnographic Museum in Šoutar’v (Shyoltozero)
, and an author in the Veps
and Russian
languages. He has been characterised as the most important Veps person ever to have lived and the best known Veps person of his time.
as the first child from the second marriage of Pjotr Lonin (b. ca. 1888). His mother was Fjokla Lonina (née Ryabčikova) from Ogerišt, Vehkoi from the same area.
According to Lonin himself, he was named after Prince
Rurik
of Novgorod. His father believed that Prince Rurik had been Veps by nationality.
Lonin began school in Kaskez’ in the late 1930s
. In 1941, when he was 11 years old, the Finnish Army
occupied his home area in the Continuation War
. He then continued in the Finnish school established by the occupiers. Lonin has said that only two persons from his home village went to evacuation further in the Soviet Union
. They were the head of the local kolkhoz
, and the teacher Maria Ivanovna Pepšina (b. 1915). They were the only persons in the village who were members of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
. After the Finns retreated, he continued at school with the pre-war teacher. More than half a century later Lonin wrote a book about his war time experiences entitled Detstvo, opalyonnoye voĭnoĭ (‘A Childhood Scorched by War’). It which was published in 2004.
When Lonin was 16 years old, he moved to Petrozavodsk
and studied in a vocational school, and from 1948 on he worked as a toolsmith and farm machinery repairman at a garage
.
While living in the city, Lonin began to write poetry in Veps, and after various episodes he was asked to pay a visit to the Soviet Academy of Sciences, in its Karelian branch, at the Department of Languages, Literature and History (YALI), where Nikolai Bogdanov, researcher of the Veps language, urged him to begin to collect Veps folklore instead of writing poetry, which Lonin then began in 1956. He was no stranger to this task, having begun to collect Russian folk songs in his home village during the Finnish occupation. He now became an assistant to YALI, and he was given a letter of recommendation from the Academy of Sciences. Some items collected by Lonin were published in 1969 in the book Obrazcy vepsskoĭ reči (‘Samples of the Veps Language’). In the foreword of the book Lonin is described as “a resident of the Šoutar’v
village, who is an enthusiastic collector of Veps folklore.
In 1958, while still living the Petrozavodsk, Lonin went to a concert held in the Sulazhgora neighbourhood. When the choir sang a Veps number, “Vepsän ma om randanröunal” (‘The Veps Land Lies Along the Shore’), he was overcome by homesickness and decided to move to the village of Šoutar’v
, where his parents lived at the time. He found a job as a toolmaker at the village sovkhoz
.
, to the Veps villages of the Lodeĭnopol’skiĭ raĭon
in the Leningrad Oblast’
. In 1964, on a similar trip, the idea occurred to him that he should try to found a Veps ethnographic museum in his home village of Šoutar’v. He repeatedly presented applications to this effect to the local village soviet
, and finally in 1967, in honour of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Soviet State
, he was given two rooms from the village library for his museum. The opening was held on 28 October, a week before the anniversary of the Russian Revolution. In 1980 the museum became part of the Karelian Regional Museum, and in 1982 it was given new premises in the so-called Mel’kin House at Mel’kamättaz (‘Mel’kin’s Hill’) in Šoutar’v. It is the only museum in Russia dedicated to the presentation of Veps culture.
Lonin remained a scientific employee of the museum until 2001, and even later he worked there temporarily, when a substitute was needed, or for example, when the museum fence needed repair. His successor as the head of the museum is Ms. Natal’ya Ankhimova, originally from Ogerišt, Vehkoi.
In May 2010, the name of the museum was changed to The Rjurik Lonin Veps Ethnographic Museum in Šoutar’v (Shyoltozero)
.
Lonin participated in the revival efforts of the Veps language and culture. He worked as a Veps language teacher at the Šoutar’v school in 1987–89, he translated the booklet Iisusan elo (‘The Life of Jesus’) and the Gospel of Mark
, and although neither was printed, this marked the beginning of Bible translation
in the Veps language. Lonin was later a part of group than commented upon the texts produced by Bible translator Nina Zaĭceva.
Lonin was a long-time member of the Veps National Choir in Šoutar’v (1957–2001), and he even wrote a song about a twirling stick that the choir has regularly performed.
Lonin participated in the third Finno-Ugrian World Congress in Helsinki
in December 2000, and he also participated in the First Veps Authors’ World Conference in Kuhmo
, Finland
, in the autumn of 2002.
(1987). He was one of the winners of the All-Union Amateur Artists’ Festival (1985) as well as in the Second All-Union Popular Culture Festival (1987). He was given the title of Distinguished Cultural Worker of the Karelian Republic in 1992, a medal and a diploma named after T. G Ryabinin for Enlightenment Work in the Russian North (1995) and an award from the Open Society Institute
of George Soros
for His Devoted Work.
Prionezhsky District
Prionezhsky District is an administrative district , one of the fifteen in the Republic of Karelia, Russia. Municipally, it is incorporated as Prionezhsky Municipal District. Its administrative center is the city of Petrozavodsk . District's population: 18,597 ;...
, Karelian ASSR
Karelian ASSR
The Karelian ASSR was an autonomous republic of the Russian SFSR, Soviet Union, with the capital in Petrozavodsk.The Karelian ASSR was formed as a part of the Russian SFSR by the Resolution of the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of June 27, 1923 and by the Decree of...
, Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
– 17 July 2009, Šoutar’v
Shyoltozero
Shyoltozero is a village in Prionezhsky District of the Republic of Karelia, Russia, located 84 km south of Petrozavodsk, close to the shore of Lake Onega.-Present-day Shyoltozero:...
, Prionezhskiĭ raĭon
Prionezhsky District
Prionezhsky District is an administrative district , one of the fifteen in the Republic of Karelia, Russia. Municipally, it is incorporated as Prionezhsky Municipal District. Its administrative center is the city of Petrozavodsk . District's population: 18,597 ;...
, Republic of Karelia
Republic of Karelia
The Republic of Karelia is a federal subject of Russia .-Geography:The republic is located in the northwestern part of Russia, taking intervening position between the basins of White and Baltic seas...
, 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...
) was a Veps student of the local lore and collector of Veps folklore, founder of The Rjurik Lonin Veps Ethnographic Museum in Šoutar’v (Shyoltozero)
The Rjurik Lonin Veps Ethnographic Museum in Šoutar’v (Shyoltozero)
The Rjurik Lonin Museum of Veps Ethnography in Sholtozero is a museum located in Sholtozero in the Republic of Karelia in the Prionezhskiĭ District, located 84 km south of Petrozavodsk, the capital of the republic.-History of the museum:...
, and an author in the Veps
Veps language
The Veps language , spoken by the Vepsians , belongs to the Finnic group of the Uralic languages...
and Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
languages. He has been characterised as the most important Veps person ever to have lived and the best known Veps person of his time.
Biography
Rjurik Lonin was born in the village of Kaskez’ on Lake OnegaLake Onega
Lake Onega is a lake in the north-west European part of Russia, located on the territory of Republic of Karelia, Leningrad Oblast and Vologda Oblast. It belongs to the basin of Baltic Sea, Atlantic Ocean, and is the second largest lake in Europe after Lake Ladoga...
as the first child from the second marriage of Pjotr Lonin (b. ca. 1888). His mother was Fjokla Lonina (née Ryabčikova) from Ogerišt, Vehkoi from the same area.
According to Lonin himself, he was named after Prince
Prince
Prince is a general term for a ruler, monarch or member of a monarch's or former monarch's family, and is a hereditary title in the nobility of some European states. The feminine equivalent is a princess...
Rurik
Rurik
Rurik, or Riurik , was a semilegendary 9th-century Varangian who founded the Rurik dynasty which ruled Kievan Rus and later some of its successor states, most notably the Tsardom of Russia, until 1598....
of Novgorod. His father believed that Prince Rurik had been Veps by nationality.
Lonin began school in Kaskez’ in the late 1930s
1930s
File:1930s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: Dorothea Lange's photo of the homeless Florence Thompson show the effects of the Great Depression; Due to the economic collapse, the farms become dry and the Dust Bowl spreads through America; The Battle of Wuhan during the Second Sino-Japanese...
. In 1941, when he was 11 years old, the Finnish Army
Finnish Army
The Finnish Army is the land forces branch of the Finnish Defence Forces.Today's Army is divided into six branches: the infantry , field artillery, anti-aircraft artillery, engineers, signals, and materiel troops.-History of the Finnish Army:Between 1809 and 1917 Finland was an autonomous part of...
occupied his home area in the Continuation War
Continuation War
The Continuation War was the second of two wars fought between Finland and the Soviet Union during World War II.At the time of the war, the Finnish side used the name to make clear its perceived relationship to the preceding Winter War...
. He then continued in the Finnish school established by the occupiers. Lonin has said that only two persons from his home village went to evacuation further in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. They were the head of the local kolkhoz
Kolkhoz
A kolkhoz , plural kolkhozy, was a form of collective farming in the Soviet Union that existed along with state farms . The word is a contraction of коллекти́вное хозя́йство, or "collective farm", while sovkhoz is a contraction of советское хозяйство...
, and the teacher Maria Ivanovna Pepšina (b. 1915). They were the only persons in the village who were members of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
The Communist Party of the Soviet Union was the only legal, ruling political party in the Soviet Union and one of the largest communist organizations in the world...
. After the Finns retreated, he continued at school with the pre-war teacher. More than half a century later Lonin wrote a book about his war time experiences entitled Detstvo, opalyonnoye voĭnoĭ (‘A Childhood Scorched by War’). It which was published in 2004.
When Lonin was 16 years old, he moved to Petrozavodsk
Petrozavodsk
Petrozavodsk is the capital city of the Republic of Karelia, Russia. It stretches along the western shore of the Lake Onega for some . The city is served by Petrozavodsk Airport. Municipally, it is incorporated as Petrozavodsky Urban Okrug . Population:...
and studied in a vocational school, and from 1948 on he worked as a toolsmith and farm machinery repairman at a garage
Automobile repair shop
An automobile repair shop is a place where automobiles are repaired by auto mechanics and electricians.- Types :The automotive garage can be divided in so many category....
.
While living in the city, Lonin began to write poetry in Veps, and after various episodes he was asked to pay a visit to the Soviet Academy of Sciences, in its Karelian branch, at the Department of Languages, Literature and History (YALI), where Nikolai Bogdanov, researcher of the Veps language, urged him to begin to collect Veps folklore instead of writing poetry, which Lonin then began in 1956. He was no stranger to this task, having begun to collect Russian folk songs in his home village during the Finnish occupation. He now became an assistant to YALI, and he was given a letter of recommendation from the Academy of Sciences. Some items collected by Lonin were published in 1969 in the book Obrazcy vepsskoĭ reči (‘Samples of the Veps Language’). In the foreword of the book Lonin is described as “a resident of the Šoutar’v
Shyoltozero
Shyoltozero is a village in Prionezhsky District of the Republic of Karelia, Russia, located 84 km south of Petrozavodsk, close to the shore of Lake Onega.-Present-day Shyoltozero:...
village, who is an enthusiastic collector of Veps folklore.
In 1958, while still living the Petrozavodsk, Lonin went to a concert held in the Sulazhgora neighbourhood. When the choir sang a Veps number, “Vepsän ma om randanröunal” (‘The Veps Land Lies Along the Shore’), he was overcome by homesickness and decided to move to the village of Šoutar’v
Shyoltozero
Shyoltozero is a village in Prionezhsky District of the Republic of Karelia, Russia, located 84 km south of Petrozavodsk, close to the shore of Lake Onega.-Present-day Shyoltozero:...
, where his parents lived at the time. He found a job as a toolmaker at the village sovkhoz
Sovkhoz
A sovkhoz , typically translated as state farm, is a state-owned farm. The term originated in the Soviet Union, hence the name. The term is still in use in some post-Soviet states, e.g., Russia and Belarus. It is usually contrasted with kolkhoz, which is a collective-owned farm...
.
Founding of the Šoutar’v (Shyoltozero) Museum
In 1963, Lonin made his first folkore collecting trip outside of KareliaRepublic of Karelia
The Republic of Karelia is a federal subject of Russia .-Geography:The republic is located in the northwestern part of Russia, taking intervening position between the basins of White and Baltic seas...
, to the Veps villages of the Lodeĭnopol’skiĭ raĭon
Lodeynopolsky District
Lodeynopolsky District is an administrative district , one of the 17 in Leningrad Oblast, Russia....
in the Leningrad Oblast’
Leningrad Oblast
Leningrad Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . It was established on August 1, 1927, although it was not until 1946 that the oblast's borders had been mostly settled in their present position...
. In 1964, on a similar trip, the idea occurred to him that he should try to found a Veps ethnographic museum in his home village of Šoutar’v. He repeatedly presented applications to this effect to the local village soviet
Selsoviet
Selsoviet is a shortened name for a rural council. The full names for the term are, in , , . Selsoviets were the lowest level of administrative division in rural areas in the Soviet Union...
, and finally in 1967, in honour of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Soviet State
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, he was given two rooms from the village library for his museum. The opening was held on 28 October, a week before the anniversary of the Russian Revolution. In 1980 the museum became part of the Karelian Regional Museum, and in 1982 it was given new premises in the so-called Mel’kin House at Mel’kamättaz (‘Mel’kin’s Hill’) in Šoutar’v. It is the only museum in Russia dedicated to the presentation of Veps culture.
Lonin remained a scientific employee of the museum until 2001, and even later he worked there temporarily, when a substitute was needed, or for example, when the museum fence needed repair. His successor as the head of the museum is Ms. Natal’ya Ankhimova, originally from Ogerišt, Vehkoi.
In May 2010, the name of the museum was changed to The Rjurik Lonin Veps Ethnographic Museum in Šoutar’v (Shyoltozero)
The Rjurik Lonin Veps Ethnographic Museum in Šoutar’v (Shyoltozero)
The Rjurik Lonin Museum of Veps Ethnography in Sholtozero is a museum located in Sholtozero in the Republic of Karelia in the Prionezhskiĭ District, located 84 km south of Petrozavodsk, the capital of the republic.-History of the museum:...
.
Efforts to Revive the Veps Culture
Since the 1980s1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
Lonin participated in the revival efforts of the Veps language and culture. He worked as a Veps language teacher at the Šoutar’v school in 1987–89, he translated the booklet Iisusan elo (‘The Life of Jesus’) and the Gospel of Mark
Gospel of Mark
The Gospel According to Mark , commonly shortened to the Gospel of Mark or simply Mark, is the second book of the New Testament. This canonical account of the life of Jesus of Nazareth is one of the three synoptic gospels. It was thought to be an epitome, which accounts for its place as the second...
, and although neither was printed, this marked the beginning of Bible translation
Bible translations
The Bible has been translated into many languages from the biblical languages of Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. Indeed, the full Bible has been translated into over 450 languages, although sections of the Bible have been translated into over 2,000 languages....
in the Veps language. Lonin was later a part of group than commented upon the texts produced by Bible translator Nina Zaĭceva.
Lonin was a long-time member of the Veps National Choir in Šoutar’v (1957–2001), and he even wrote a song about a twirling stick that the choir has regularly performed.
Lonin participated in the third Finno-Ugrian World Congress in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
in December 2000, and he also participated in the First Veps Authors’ World Conference in Kuhmo
Kuhmo
Kuhmo is a town and a municipality in Finland and is part of the Kainuu region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . It has a borderline of with Russia....
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, in the autumn of 2002.
Personal life
Rjurik Lonin’s wife Anna Lonina (b. 1937, Mecantaga) is also an accomplished poet in the Veps language. One of her works is entitled Mecantahgižed (‘The People of Mecantaga’).Honours and Decorations
During his life, Lonin was awarded the Hero of Labour medal (1970) and with the title Veteran of LabourVeteran of Labour Medal
The Veteran of Labour Medal was a medal of the USSR. It was established by a Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on 18 January 1974...
(1987). He was one of the winners of the All-Union Amateur Artists’ Festival (1985) as well as in the Second All-Union Popular Culture Festival (1987). He was given the title of Distinguished Cultural Worker of the Karelian Republic in 1992, a medal and a diploma named after T. G Ryabinin for Enlightenment Work in the Russian North (1995) and an award from the Open Society Institute
Open Society Institute
The Open Society Institute , renamed in 2011 to Open Society Foundations, is a private operating and grantmaking foundation started by George Soros, aimed to shape public policy to promote democratic governance, human rights, and economic, legal, and social reform...
of George Soros
George Soros
George Soros is a Hungarian-American business magnate, investor, philosopher, and philanthropist. He is the chairman of Soros Fund Management. Soros supports progressive-liberal causes...
for His Devoted Work.
Works by Rjurik Lonin
- Lühüdad pajoižed (‘Short Songs’, a collection of chastushkaChastushkaA Chastúshka is a traditional Russian or Ukrainian folk poem which makes use of a simple rhyming scheme to convey humorous or ironic content...
s). Petroskoi: Karjalan valdkundan rahvhaližen politikan komitet, 2000. Painua: 1000. - Minun rahvhan fol'klor (‘The Folklore of My People’). Petroskoi: Periodika, 2000. Tiraž: 2000.
- Katalog lichnogo arhhiva Ryurika Petrovicaa Lonina. (‘Catalogue of the Personal Archive of Rjurik Lonin’) Petrozavodsk: Sholtozerskiĭ ètnograficheskiĭ muzeĭ i Karel’skiĭ gosudarstvennyĭ krayevedecheskiĭ muzeĭ, 2000. Tiraž: 50.
- Zapiski krayeveda (‘Notes from a Student of the Local Lore’). Petrozavodsk: Muzeĭnoye agenstvo, 2000. Tiraž: 150.
- Detstvo, opalyonnoye voĭnoĭ (‘A Childhood Scorched by War’). Petrozavodsk: Verso, 2004. Tiraž: 500.
- Khranitel vepsskoĭ kultury (‘Keeper of the Veps Culture’). Petrozavodsk, Sholtozero: Karelskiĭ nauchnyĭ centr RAN, 2007.
- * The Juminkeko Foundation in KuhmoKuhmoKuhmo is a town and a municipality in Finland and is part of the Kainuu region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . It has a borderline of with Russia....
, FinlandFinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, is planning to publish a FinnishFinnish languageFinnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
translation of Rjurik Lonin’s book Detstvo, opalyonnoye voĭnoĭ (‘A Childhood Scorched by War’). The tentative date for this publication is 2012. The possibility of an English translation is being contemplated.
Lonin’s articles on the history of the Šoutar’v museum published in Finnish
- ”Vepsän vainioilla” (Beginning of Lonin’s memoirs). Punalippu (Petrozavodsk) 1/1982, p. 106–111.
- ”Vepsän vainoilla” (End of Lonin’s memoirs). Punalippu 2/1982, p. 116–123.
- ”Kiinnostukseni taustat”. (‘How I became interested (in my people’s culture)’) Punalippu 2/1989, p. 123–128.
Other writings by Lonin
- “O sosdanii muzeya vepsskoĭ kul’tury v sele Shëltozero” (‘On the Founding of the Veps Museum in Šoutar’v.’). In: V. V. Pimenov, Z. I. Strogal’ščikova, Yu. Yu. Surhasko (ed.), Problemy istorii i kul’tury vepsskoĭ narodnosti (‘Problems of the History and Culture of the Veps People’). Petrozavodsk, 1989.