Russian North

Russian North (Russian: Русский Север) is an ethnocultural region in the northern part of European Russia (including, but not limited to, Republic of Karelia, Arkhangelsk Oblast, Komi Republic and Vologda Oblast).[1] It is known for its traditions of folk art - in particular, wooden architecture, wood and bone carving and painting.[2] Due to its remoteness, the rural parts of Russian North preserve much of the archaic aspects of Russian culture during the 19th and 20th centuries, making it of particular interest to historians, culturologists and ethnographers.

A landscape with 18th century churches in rural Kargopolsky District
Kizhi Pogost

History

The initial Russian colonization of the Russian North started independently from Novgorod and Rostov. Genetic studies show that the populations of Russian North have a significant Finnic admixture, which is not typical for more southern Russian populations.[3] The pre-Russian (most likely Finno-Ugric) populations of Russian North were recorded as "Zavoloshka Chudes" in chronicles. Russian North is rich in toponyms and hydronyms of possibly Finno-Ugric substrate origin, which were extensively studied by many linguists, most notably A. K. Matveyev.[4]

Most of the Russian North territories never had serfdom, at least the way it existed in central Russian agricultural regions.

Demographics

The White Sea coastal part of the Russian North is home to Pomors, a unique subethnic group of Russians with a maritime culture not typical of other Russian subethnic groups. Moreover, Russian north is home to numerous Old Believer communities.

Tourism

Russian North is a major tourist destination due to the large amount of both natural and cultural places of interest (Kizhi Pogost, Valaam, Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, etc.)

  • A church in Matigory (built 1686-1694)
  • Church of the Annunciation (Solvychegodsk)
  • A fresco on a church in Dymkovo (Veliky Ustyug)
  • An open-air wooden architecture museum in Malye Korely
  • Young peasant women in Vologda Governorate, early 20th century
  • Nature in the national park near the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery
  • A taiga forest near Pinega
  • Spinning wheel board from Arkhangelsk Oblast (19th century)

See also

References
  1. Сергей Лебедев "Русский Север". Русская народная линия, 06.12.2014 (in Russian)
  2. Овсянников О. В. Люди и города Средневекового Севера : Монография. — Архангельск: Северо-Западное книжное издательство, 1971. p. 78. (in Russian)
  3. Балановский О. П. «Панорама народов на фоне Европы. Восточные и западные славяне (серия II)» // «Генофонд Европы», М., 2015 (in Russian)
  4. Aleksandr Matveyev "Substrate toponymics of Northern Russia" (vol. 1, 2), Yekaterinburg, 2001.
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