The fight over land
Inkeri Land - that Russia claims is Russian land. The Ingerian people
were removed from their homes and thousands were killed or exiled in the
30's and 40's. The insatiable Russian hunger for land does not care
about what happens to the rightful owners of the land. This 1935 Map clearly
shows the Inkeri (Ingerian) areas, which are now in Russian hands. Most
of the former residents have been given a free train ride to remote areas
of the country. Lake Ladoga is seen on the top and and the Gulf of Finland
on the left.
It is now time for the Ingerians to go back home to their original
farms, and develop their language and culture. Ingerians
New Hope For Ingerian People
This is easier said than done. Most have forgotten their language
and culture. The Finnish Ministry of Labor and the European Union are financing
the four-year project to rebuild the destroyed lives of the Ingerian people,
according to Suomen Silta (Finland's Bridge) magazine. The project
attempts to give the Ingerian people the hope of an alternative to immigrating
to Finland, which is what many younger Ingerians hope for dispite their
inability to speak the language. 1.5 million Finmarks was approved by the
Finnish government and implementation of the current project was begun
in January 1999. Five Finnish ministries are involved: Education, Environment,
Forestry, Social & Health - under the coordination of the Ministry
of Labor. Wladimir Kokko is the founding coordinator in St. Petersburg,
and the only salaried employee.
The aim of the project is employment, in Ingermanland, Estonia and
Eastern Karelia, but mainly in the Ingerians own lands. This is a continuation
of the 1992 - 1997 assistance project in which 10 retirement homes were
built for Ingerians. (Rumours circulating in the west are that at least
one or more was taken away from Ingerians by Russians - to be confirmed.)
Twenty-five people are being recruited in St. Petersburg to realize these
goals. They are trying to get accross to the Ingerian people that well-trained,
Finnish speaking employees are in big demand in St. Petersburg, now, and
that moving to Finland is not the answer to their problems. It is better
to stay in their own land and be employed rather than move to Finland and
be unemployed, is the message. The establishment of an Ingerian manpower
office will further this goal. Automotive and construction trades are examples
of available workers.
Villa Inkeri has received funding for the purpose of upgrading and
repairing Ingerian homes. To qualify, one retired Ingerian Finn must live
in the house who is not planning to move to Finland. The Ingerian League
is also helping administer the project. Some funding for these projects
has been received also from Sweden 1999 - 2000.
Student Exchange Programs
The project goals are not limited to economy and housing, but extend
to the preservation of the Finnish culture in Ingermanland. The Finnish
language is being taught, but a shortage of qualified teachers remains
a problem. The Ingerian League classes have been full. Just twenty years
ago, nobody thought Finnish was an important language to learn. Today it
is different. A student exchange program is being planned at the moment.
However, a condition would be that they do not immigrate to Finland. Wladimir
Kokko would like to see cheaper visas to allow more Ingerians to visit
Finland.
Churches
There are 50 Ingerian churches in Russia, of which 18 are in Ingermanland
and of these, 15 are in the Finnish language. However, officially they
are bilingual.
Since Finland is positioning itself as the gateway to the East, Finnish
speakers are in big demand on the other side of the border. The message
is: learn Finnish and develop the once great Ingerian culture on the home
turf in partnership with Finnish brothers.
Finns further away in Siberia have requested assistance too, but
the current budget supports Finns in the immediate geographical area ie.
Karelia, Ingermanland and Estonia.
Translations:
Viro - Estonia
Virolaisia - Estonians
Pietari - St. Petersburg
Suomi - Finland
Suomalaisia - Finns
Vatjalaisia - Vatjas
Inkeroisia - Ingerians
Suomalaisen-Inkerin raja - Finnish Ingerian border
LINKS
Inkeri - Arto
Tolppa
Inkeri, Finnish Karelia and East Karelia, before 1939. By rights, both Eastern, and Western Karelias should belong to the Finnish sphere of influence on historical grounds.
Inkerin
suomalaiset / the Ingrian Finns
Inkerikot
/ the Izhorians
Ilkka Savijärvi:
Western Ingria - Where Languages and Dialects Meet
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