The Rjurik Lonin Veps Ethnographic Museum in Šoutar’v (Shyoltozero)
Encyclopedia
The Rjurik Lonin Museum of Veps Ethnography in Sholtozero is a museum located in Sholtozero
(Veps Šoutar’v) in the Republic of Karelia
in the Prionezhskiĭ District, located 84 km south of Petrozavodsk
, the capital of the republic.
village, sovkhoz
worker Rjurik Lonin
(1930–2009), who was originally from the Kaskez’ village, likewise located in the Prionezhskiĭ District, at the southern border of the Karelian Republic.
Lonin had been interested in collecting folklore already in his early years during the Finnish
occupation of his home area in the Second World War. Later, when he was living in Petrozavodsk
, Nikolai Bogdanov, a researcher of the Veps language in the Karelian branch of the Soviet Academy of Sciences, in the Department of Languages, Literature and History (YALI), encouraged Lonin to collect Veps folklore. When he was travelling in the Veps villages in the Republic of Karelia and the Leningrad Oblast’
in 1964, Lonin realised that there was a need to collect specimens of the material culture of the Veps people:
Artefacts began to accumulate in Lonin’s house so that the attic, the wood shed and even the living quarters were full of all kinds of things. Soon the collection was so large that the wife began to nag about it.
During the next few years Lonin repeatedly turned to the Sholtozero Selsoviet
asking for premises for a museum, but to no effect. Finally, in 1967, just before the festivities of the 50th anniversary of the Russian Revolution
, the village soviet gave Lonin two rooms in the building of the village library, which was located near House of Culture (the former church building) in the Dokuc’ neighbourhood of the village. As the opening day approached, the vice director of the Karelian Local Heritage Museum, Yefrem Rybak came to Sholtozero, but he had many doubts about the museum project. However, after he had become acquainted with Lonin, his collections and his ideas, he decided to help him. The museum was opened on 28 October 1967, a week before the anniversary of the Revolution. One of the rooms presented the Veps culture of the pre-Revolutionary times, the other concentrated on contemporary culture in the Veps villages. One stand was dedicated to the Veps people and the people of Sholtozero and their exploits in the Great Patriotic War.
When the museum had nearly 3000 artefacts in its collections, it was given a building in the Hamamättaz neighbourhood. In accordance with the decision of the Karelian Ministry of Culture, from the beginning of 1980, the museum became a branch of the Karelian Local Heritage Museum, and it was now called the Branch of Veps Ethnography. Lonin now became a full time employee of the museum.
, the museum was given new premises in the so-called Mel’kin House in the Mel’kamättas (‘Mel’kin’s Hill’) neighbourhood, where it is now located. According to the home pages of the museum, this house “was built in the mid-19th century and it is a monument of Karelian wooden architecture.” This house was built by Ivan Mel’kin, who was a famous stonemason, known for his work with porphyry stone
. According to Lonin, Mel’kin built the Red Bridge or the Theater Bridge that crosses the Griboyedov Canal, and in the past this bridge was known as “Mel’kin Bridge”. The last master of the house was Ivan Vasil’yevich Mel’kin. The last noteworthy representative of this family was Nikolai Mel’kin (b. 1929), who was a prominent and long-time member of the Sholtozero Veps National Choir.
its residents were Dmitriĭ Yegorovich Tuchin and his wife Maria Mihaĭlovna Tuchina. Dmitriĭ Tuchin functioned as the village elder in the Finnish administration, but he also accommodated Soviet partisans in his house. The novel The Operation in the Vacuum Zone by Oleg Tikhonov tells about the activities of Dmitriĭ Tuchin during the war. An excerpt of this novel has been published in Finnish in the journal Punalippu (‘The Red Flag’).
A well known resident of this house during the war was Sylvi Paaso, a Finnish-born Soviet partisan and radio operator, who kept the Soviet troops up to date on the movements of the Finnish troops along Lake Onega
.
Шeлтозерский вепсский этнографический музей имени Р. Лонина) in honour of its founder. The collections of the museum consist of ca. 6000 artefacts, of which, according to the museum, 2000 are on display. The museum is said to have up to 4000 visitors every year.
The director of the museum is Ms. Natal’ya Ankhimova, originally from the Ogerišt village in the nearby Vehkoi.
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:...
(Veps Šoutar’v) in the 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...
in the Prionezhskiĭ District, located 84 km south of 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:...
, the capital of the republic.
History of the museum
The museum was founded in 1967 by a Veps resident of the SholtozeroShyoltozero
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, 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...
worker Rjurik Lonin
Rjurik Lonin
Rjurik Petrovič Lonin — this is the Veps spelling of his name — was a Veps student of the local lore and collector of Veps folklore, founder of The Rjurik Lonin Veps Ethnographic Museum in Šoutar’v , and an author in the Veps and Russian languages...
(1930–2009), who was originally from the Kaskez’ village, likewise located in the Prionezhskiĭ District, at the southern border of the Karelian Republic.
Lonin had been interested in collecting folklore already in his early years during the Finnish
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...
occupation of his home area in the Second World War. Later, when he was living in 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:...
, Nikolai Bogdanov, a researcher of the Veps language in the Karelian branch of the Soviet Academy of Sciences, in the Department of Languages, Literature and History (YALI), encouraged Lonin to collect Veps folklore. When he was travelling in the Veps villages in the Republic of Karelia and 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, Lonin realised that there was a need to collect specimens of the material culture of the Veps people:
Artefacts began to accumulate in Lonin’s house so that the attic, the wood shed and even the living quarters were full of all kinds of things. Soon the collection was so large that the wife began to nag about it.
During the next few years Lonin repeatedly turned to the Sholtozero Selsoviet
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...
asking for premises for a museum, but to no effect. Finally, in 1967, just before the festivities of the 50th anniversary of the Russian Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
, the village soviet gave Lonin two rooms in the building of the village library, which was located near House of Culture (the former church building) in the Dokuc’ neighbourhood of the village. As the opening day approached, the vice director of the Karelian Local Heritage Museum, Yefrem Rybak came to Sholtozero, but he had many doubts about the museum project. However, after he had become acquainted with Lonin, his collections and his ideas, he decided to help him. The museum was opened on 28 October 1967, a week before the anniversary of the Revolution. One of the rooms presented the Veps culture of the pre-Revolutionary times, the other concentrated on contemporary culture in the Veps villages. One stand was dedicated to the Veps people and the people of Sholtozero and their exploits in the Great Patriotic War.
When the museum had nearly 3000 artefacts in its collections, it was given a building in the Hamamättaz neighbourhood. In accordance with the decision of the Karelian Ministry of Culture, from the beginning of 1980, the museum became a branch of the Karelian Local Heritage Museum, and it was now called the Branch of Veps Ethnography. Lonin now became a full time employee of the museum.
The Mel’kin House
In 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...
, the museum was given new premises in the so-called Mel’kin House in the Mel’kamättas (‘Mel’kin’s Hill’) neighbourhood, where it is now located. According to the home pages of the museum, this house “was built in the mid-19th century and it is a monument of Karelian wooden architecture.” This house was built by Ivan Mel’kin, who was a famous stonemason, known for his work with porphyry stone
Porphyry (geology)
Porphyry is a variety of igneous rock consisting of large-grained crystals, such as feldspar or quartz, dispersed in a fine-grained feldspathic matrix or groundmass. The larger crystals are called phenocrysts...
. According to Lonin, Mel’kin built the Red Bridge or the Theater Bridge that crosses the Griboyedov Canal, and in the past this bridge was known as “Mel’kin Bridge”. The last master of the house was Ivan Vasil’yevich Mel’kin. The last noteworthy representative of this family was Nikolai Mel’kin (b. 1929), who was a prominent and long-time member of the Sholtozero Veps National Choir.
The Tuchin House
The Tuchin House, located behind the Mel’kin House, is also part of the museum. This house was originally located in the village of Kalinansar’, along the road to Matfejansel’g (Matfeyeva Sel’ga), and it was moved to its present location in 1977. During the Finnish occupationContinuation 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...
its residents were Dmitriĭ Yegorovich Tuchin and his wife Maria Mihaĭlovna Tuchina. Dmitriĭ Tuchin functioned as the village elder in the Finnish administration, but he also accommodated Soviet partisans in his house. The novel The Operation in the Vacuum Zone by Oleg Tikhonov tells about the activities of Dmitriĭ Tuchin during the war. An excerpt of this novel has been published in Finnish in the journal Punalippu (‘The Red Flag’).
A well known resident of this house during the war was Sylvi Paaso, a Finnish-born Soviet partisan and radio operator, who kept the Soviet troops up to date on the movements of the Finnish troops along Lake Onega
Lake 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...
.
The museum at present
The name of the museum is, as of May 2010, the Rjurik Lonin Museum of Veps Ethnography in Sholtozero (Russ.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...
Шeлтозерский вепсский этнографический музей имени Р. Лонина) in honour of its founder. The collections of the museum consist of ca. 6000 artefacts, of which, according to the museum, 2000 are on display. The museum is said to have up to 4000 visitors every year.
The director of the museum is Ms. Natal’ya Ankhimova, originally from the Ogerišt village in the nearby Vehkoi.
External links
- Veps National Volost www.gov.karelia.ru — Official server of the republic’s administration.