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rfmcdonaldThe Setos, a small Finnic group concentrated in southeasternmost Estonia and adjacent parts of Russia, are the subject of Anneli Reigas' Agence France Presse article. Existing on the fringes of the Estonian cultural area, the Setos both retained more pre-Christian traditions than other Estonians and were exposed to other cultural influences, especially from Russia.
The 20th century, Reigas notes, saw sharp assimilatory pressures, first from the young Estonian nation-state in the interwar period then from the Soviet Union, which--apart from annexing some Seto communities directly into the Russian republic--repressed Seto religious traditions. Independence led to a resurgence in Seto freedoms, but economic pressures in this rural area of Estonia remain significant. Seto identity seems to be morphing into something more associated with ancestral traditions than actively lived identities.
Estonia's Seto, a group of only 15,000 in this Baltic nation of 1.3 million, are struggling to keep their way of life alive as young people leave their close-knit communities to seek new opportunities.
For many of the estimated 2,000 who live in what is known as Setoland, a cluster of villages in southeast Estonia, tradition is key.
[. . .]
Some suggest that the Seto were a separate group from among the Finno-Ugric tribes who settled across eastern Europe 5,000-8,000 years ago and gave birth to the modern Finns, Estonians and Hungarians.
But pointing to similarities between Seto and the southern Estonian Voru dialect, most experts consider them to be ethnic Estonians whom historical peculiarities formed into a distinct culture.
For example, the Seto are staunchly Orthodox, because their home region was under Russian rule for centuries.
Most of the rest of Estonia was long controlled by Catholic and Protestant Germans and Swedes, before being conquered by Tsarist Russia in the early 18th century.
The 20th century, Reigas notes, saw sharp assimilatory pressures, first from the young Estonian nation-state in the interwar period then from the Soviet Union, which--apart from annexing some Seto communities directly into the Russian republic--repressed Seto religious traditions. Independence led to a resurgence in Seto freedoms, but economic pressures in this rural area of Estonia remain significant. Seto identity seems to be morphing into something more associated with ancestral traditions than actively lived identities.
"The good thing is that since Estonia regained independence in 1991 the general attitude towards Setos has got better. While in Soviet time the word Seto seemed to mean you were a bit bizarre, today introducing yourself as a Seto sounds like an honour," said Aare Poolak, 46, head of the local administration.
"I'm fully Seto and very proud of it," Poolak told AFP.
But the post-Soviet freedom to flourish has been far from perfect.
"In 15 years the population of Mikitamae county -- one of the Setoland counties -- has decreased from 1,500 to 1,000," said Poolak.
"Many men from our county have to work in Finland, 400 kilometres away, because of a lack of jobs here. And many young people have left permanently because entertainment like theatres and cinemas are far away and expensive to reach," he added.
Seto living elsewhere in Estonia, or abroad, flock to their ancestral home for religious festivals and secular vacations./blockquote>
