Mordovian people: culture, traditions and customs. Stubborn and wise Mordva

Mordva is one of the most unique peoples of Russia. Its uniqueness lies in its binarity, i.e. the duality of its constituent parts - the peoples of Moksha and Erzya. However, there is still no final answer to the question "Are Moksha and Erzya one, Mordovian people, or two different?". Both versions have supporters and opponents.

In favor of the fact that Moksha and Erzya are different peoples, only by chance united into one Mordovian people, is the fact that the ethnonym “Mordva” is absent in their language and that Moksha and Erzya have their own language. Initially, they did not call themselves Mordovians, but called Moksha and Erzey.

Against the recognition of moksha and erzi different nations says that a large stratum of representatives of these peoples has already formed, who consider themselves Mordovians, and outside of Mordovia, Moksha and Erzya almost 100% perceive themselves as a single Mordovian people.

The Moksha and Erzya languages ​​have much in common, but also many differences. As a rule, supporters of the legislative division of Mordovians into Moksha and Erzya argue that Moksha and Erzya do not understand each other's language. Supporters of a single Mordovian people argue the opposite.

It is believed that the division into Moksha and Erzya occurred in the 1st millennium. Over time, this was reflected in the language and mentality. Here the Mordovians repeat the fate of the Serbs, some of which in ancient times left Central Europe for the Balkans, and some remained where Lusatia is now located - a region within Germany where Lusatian Serbs live (the Germans call them "Sorbs"), the smallest Slavic people(60 thousand).

Today Balkan Serbs and Lusatians consider each other "cousins". The former are Orthodox, predominantly using the Cyrillic alphabet; the second - Germanized Lutherans, use the Latin alphabet.

Mordva is the most numerous Finno-Ugric people of Russia. And, as in the case of other Finno-Ugric peoples (Mari, Udmurts, Khanty, Mansi, etc.), their history contains many blank spots. The Basques immediately come to mind - a people in Spain, linguistically and culturally cut off from the Spaniards. The origin of the Basques, their language and how they ended up in the Pyrenees is a mystery to scientists. It is only known that the Basque language has common features with some Caucasian ones. The division into Moksha and Erzya is also a kind of mystery for scientists.

There are three state languages ​​in Mordovia - Russian, Moksha and Erzya. So that no one is offended. At the same time, there is the problem of narrowing the range of use of the latter two. Mordovian languages ​​(the author will allow himself this generic name for brevity) need support, and central authorities we are obliged to provide this support, because the ethnic diversity of Russia is like a motley picture, and the disappearance of even one of its shades will make it poorer.

In the old days, the Mordovian settlement area was much wider than today. There is an opinion that the Mordovians inhabited the modern Tambov, Nizhny Novgorod, Ulyanovsk, Ryazan, Penza regions. But the Mordovians got along so closely with the Russians that they assimilated quite quickly.

Indeed, outwardly it is difficult to distinguish a Mordvinian from a Russian, and the number of Russians with Mordovian blood goes, probably, to many tens of thousands. In the first half of the 20th century, the Mordvins migrated en masse to Siberia, fleeing from landlessness. They founded their Mordovian villages, where even the children of Russian immigrants gradually switched to the Mordovian language. Even in the 1950s, Mordovian first-graders still came to Siberian schools, confusing Russian cases and faces (there is no declension in faces in Mordovian languages). But then assimilation took its toll, they almost forgot the Mordovian language.

Everyone has heard about the feat of the pilot, the Hero Soviet Union Alexei Maresyev, who continued to smash the Nazis even after the amputation of two legs. Boris Polevoy dedicated the book "The Tale of a Real Man" to his feat. And who knows that Maresyev is Mordvin by nationality? Few.

Boxing fans know professional Oleg Maskaev, who has repeatedly surprised fans with intense fights in the ring. Who knows that Maskaev is also a Mordvinian? Few. And there are enough such cases.

Unfortunately, the tradition of naming children with Mordovian names has gradually become a thing of the past: Pichai, Viryas, Kezhai, Parut. Today, according to the full name, one cannot distinguish Mordvin from Russian, as one can distinguish, for example, Ingush, Tatar or Balkar. I would like to believe that the tradition of giving Mordovian names to newborns will be revived.

Distinctive features of the Mordovian national character- perseverance, endurance, determination. Stubborn as a Mordvin is an eloquent saying. Confirmation: Patriarch Nikon, under whom the church schism, was a Mordvin of remarkable energy. During the years of the Great Patriotic War there were no traitors among the Mordovians. The Mordovian Legion as part of the Wehrmacht is an impossible scenario.

There were no defectors among the Mordovians in the Afghan campaign and in all other wars in which the Mordovians participated on an equal basis with other peoples of Russia. Interacting with Russians since the 11th century. (Mordva is also mentioned in The Tale of Bygone Years), having officially become part of the Russian state in the 16th century, the Mordva made a significant contribution to the formation of Russia.

The capital of Mordovia, Saransk, hosted a series of World Cup games this year. Tens of thousands of foreign fans got the opportunity to get acquainted with the Mordovian culture. Excursions to ethno-cultural objects were waiting for them - the ethno-farmstead "The World of the Mordovian Village", the Museum of the Mordovian folk culture, the exhibition "Life of the Mordovian people", the project "Try on a Mordovian costume", etc.

And this is a very correct approach. Almost every tourist country includes an ethnic element in the tour program. In Tunisia, tourists are introduced to the Berber culture, in China - with the culture of the Li and Miao peoples, in Vietnam - with the culture of the Hmong. Mordovian culture can also become a tourist asset for the republic. The FIFA World Cup proved it. Now Mordovians will be heard on many continents.

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According to the 2002 All-Russian Population Census, there are 18,138 Mordovians in the Southern Urals (0.5 percent of the total population). In 1989 there were 27,095 (0.7 percent).

When I started preparing material about Mordovians Southern Urals, was immediately struck by several points. It turns out that those whom we habitually call Mordvins and Mordovians never called themselves that way, other nations gave them this name. But the heterogeneity of ethnic groups, united by the word "Mordva", did not prevent them from becoming one of the indigenous peoples of the country. The interpenetration has gone so deep that it is very difficult to figure out where the Mordovians, Russians and other Russians are.

Erzya + Moksha = Mordovians

Mordva is an exoethnonym related to two related Finno-Ugric peoples of the Volga-Permian subgroup, Moksha and Erzya. The word "Mordva" appeared in written sources quite early, scientists say. The first reliable mention is in the book of the Gothic historian Jordanes of the 6th century “On the origin and deeds of the Getae”. Speaking of nations of Eastern Europe, he also mentions Mordens, that is, Mordovians. The ethnonym goes back to the Iranian-Scythian languages ​​(in Iranian, mard is a man).

According to the 1989 census, 1,117,429 people in Russia considered themselves Mordovians. According to the 2002 census, 843,350 Russians were identified as such, including 49,624 and 84,407 identified as Moksha and Erzya, respectively.

The main territory of residence of Mokshans is the basin of the Moksha River, Erzya is the basin of the Sura River. The Mokshas have the Moksha language, the Erzyans have the Erzya language. Along with the blond and grey-eyed people who predominate among the Erzyans, there are also brunettes with swarthy skin color and finer features among the Mokshas. Many Erzyans are taller.

Mordva professes Orthodoxy, in lesser degree Lutheranism, there are also adherents of pre-Christian pagan traditions and Molokans. Main musical instrument- nude, nude (double clarinet from two hollow reed pipes fastened on the sides). The main dish is millet pancakes.

The Erzyans and Mokshans were the first of the ethnic groups of the Middle Volga region to join Russia, historians from Saransk, the capital of Mordovia, emphasize. In 2012, the country will celebrate the 1000th anniversary of the unity of the Mordovians with the peoples of our state. Although many remember that in 1985 the 500th anniversary of the accession was celebrated.

In the 16th century, the Mordovians underwent a forced mass baptism. Russification was unstoppable, many villages lost their former names, they cannot be distinguished from Russians. "My end! Beloved Russia and Mordva! Sergei Yesenin exclaimed later.

In July 1928, at a meeting of the Council of People's Commissars on the creation of the Erzyano-Moksha district, it was proposed to call it Mordovian on the basis that the words "Moksha" and "Erzya" are not well known, and the name "Mordva" is known to everyone. On July 16, 1928, the All-Russian Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars created the Mordovian District as part of the Middle Volga Region.

The most famous

Among the Mordovians there are many truly famous people. According to Leo Tolstoy and academician Dmitry Likhachev, the famous archpriest Avvakum (1620-1682) was a Mordvinian. Our list also includes the famous historian Vasily Klyuchevsky. There are a lot of celebrities among the Erzya: Patriarch Nikon (in the world - Nikita Minov, 1605-1681), sculptor Stepan Erzya (also write "Erzya", real name- Nefedov), the legendary commander Vasily Chapaev, singer Lidia Ruslanova, baritone bass Illarion Yaushev, People's Artist Russia, singer Nadezhda Kadysheva, supermodel Natalya Vodyanova, actor Nikolai Chindyaykin, governor of Primorsky Krai Sergey Darkin, Olympic champions in race walking Olga Kaniskina and Valery Borchin, artist Nikas Safronov, the Brothers Grimm group (twins Boris and Konstantin Burdaev) and other worthy people. Mokshans are not inferior here either: Nikolai Mordvinov (1754-1845) - Russian state and public figure, economist, count; Metropolitan Anthony (Vadkovsky, 1846-1912 years of life) - Bishop of Vyborg and Finland, Mikhail Devyatayev (pilot who hijacked a plane from German captivity, Hero of the Soviet Union), Alexei Maresyev (flyed a military aircraft in prostheses, prototype of the main character "Tale of the Present man" by writer Boris Polevoy), Andrey Kizhevatov - defender Brest Fortress, Hero of the Soviet Union (posthumously). Surprisingly, Saransk researchers found Moksha roots in the writer, director and actor Vasily Shukshin. The famous Mokshans also include: composer, laureate of the D.D. Shostakovich of the Union of Composers of Russia Nina Kosheleva, front-line poet Ivan Chigodaikin, two-time Olympic champion, gymnast Svetlana Khorkina, former WBC heavyweight boxing champion Oleg Maskaev and many other interesting people. World hockey star Alexander Ovechkin is also a Mordvinian! Artistic director Moscow Art Theater named after A.P. Chekhov and "Snuffboxes", the great Russian actor Oleg Tabakov "confessed" that his grandfather was a Mordvinian.

Appearance in the Southern Urals

Mordva moved to our region in different time. The first wave is associated with the outflow to the east of the country in connection with Russian expansion in the 16th century. Historians write that in the beginning and middle of the 17th century, Moksha and Erzya moved across the Volga, and in the 18th century they were widely settled in the Samara, Ufa and Orenburg provinces. Further migration was facilitated by the creation of the Saratov-Orenburg-Chelyabinsk line of fortresses.

The time of the mass movement of Mordovian peasants to our region was the second half of the 20s of the XX century. Busted after civil war the country could not stand up. On the territory of the Mordovian region, powerful armed uprisings of the peasantry took place. It was decided to resettle people to the east, in particular, to our region.

In 1925, a resettlement office was organized in the South Ural village of Ostrolenka. In the spring of 1928, the settlement of the village No. 48 (colloquially "Mordva", in the future, from 1961 - Berezki) began to be settled by five Mordovian families of the Stepkin brothers, as well as the families of the Syrkins and Artemovs. They brought with them livestock, household equipment, a loom, household utensils, etc. They built dugouts. They took up farming. From Mordovia, relatives and fellow countrymen who lived in their homeland in extreme need reached out to a new place. In total, there were about 80 households in the village. In the 1940s and 1950s, after the discovery of the Astafyevskoye rock crystal deposit, Berezovka workers began to work at the South mine that had opened in the neighborhood. In 1981, all the remaining residents were relocated to the Yuzhny settlement. The birches have been removed.
In the Verkhneuralsk region there is the village of Ivanovsky, which was founded in the 1920s by immigrants from Mordovia and named after one of the first settlers. It has 250 people. A resident of this village, Vasily Zdunov, became a Hero of the Soviet Union during the Great Patriotic War, a participant in the Victory Parade.

In the 1930s, the dispossessed were sent to the region. At that time, many Mordovian families came to the South Urals. Prosperous Mordovian old people then said: "If the loafers have risen, they need to eat everything." In the 40s, representatives of the Mordovians came to the region as Labor Army members. After the Great Patriotic War, the republic was hungry. There was no money, on the collective farm they worked for “sticks”. People went to the east, in Chelyabinsk they got a job at ChTZ, ChMK. Many settled in the villages of Malakul and Partizan.

They moved from Mordovia to our region and later, in the 70s. “I came to Chelyabinsk in 1971,” says the head regional center Finno-Ugric culture "Sterkh", Mordovian-Moksha Anna Isaeva. - I look, there are sausages in stores, a lot of other goods. And then it was bad for us, we stood for sausage for days. In 1972 she married a Russian. Our son signed up as Mordvin: "Mom, I want your nation to be more." My brother and sister came for me. Sister - Anastasia Burlakova, brother - Petr Parshin. Mordva lives in the Troitsky, Nagaybaksky and Varnensky districts of the region, as well as in the Leninsky, Traktorozavodsky and Metallurgical districts of Chelyabinsk. On June 30, 1891, the prose writer, playwright and publicist Alexander Zavalishin was born in the village of Kulevchi, now in the Varna region. Our list includes former head Kartalinsky district Alexander Sutunkin and the current one - Anatoly Vdovin. Valery Yakovlev is the Deputy Head of the Chelyabinsk Suburban Directorate of the South Ural Railway. The artist Vasily Neyasov lived and worked in Chelyabinsk, his daughter Olga Gladysheva teaches at an art school. The children's writer Tatyana Timokhina wrote in Russian and Mordovian. Retired Egor Chetyrkin worked all his life as a graphic designer at ChTZ. The artist Stepan Aleshkin recently passed away, his sons studied at the same school with the bard Oleg Mityaev, now they are in Saransk: artist Andrey Aleshkin (author of the coat of arms and flag of Mordovia, headed the Union of Artists of the Republic, worked in the government, studied in Finland and now without him meetings of distinguished Finnish guests are not enough) and the priest Alexei Aleshkin. By the way, many are now leaving for their historical homeland. Activists of the Sterkh center Valentina Shakhotkina and Viktor Yutkin left the region.
Not everyone knows that the famous Lyudmila Tatyanicheva was born in Mordovia, she has poems about her homeland.

Center "Sterkh"

“It is only in the last 20 years that we have begun to remember who is Erzya and who is Moksha,” says Anna Isayeva. “Before, everyone was written Mordovians.” Anna Mikhailovna, after moving to Chelyabinsk, worked as a stamper at ChTZ, then became a timekeeper, deputy chief accountant of the shop. Retired as Deputy Director municipal institution social assistance.

The State Song and Dance Ensemble "Umorina" performed in Chelyabinsk at the Days of Mordovian Culture, they were held on April 8-10, 2010 and were dedicated to the 1000th anniversary of unity with the peoples of the Russian state. It is noteworthy that the holiday took place in the year of the All-Russian population census, the Mordovians of the Southern Urals reminded of their roots in time. After the celebrations, Anna Isaeva and Natalya Dyuryagina, head of the Chelyabinsk library No. 11 named after Gashek (the Sterkh center is located in it), received certificates and gifts from the head of Mordovia, Nikolai Merkushkin. He pays great attention to diasporas in the regions.

In the village of Skalisty, Troitsk district, a regional holiday was held national culture, People's Artist of Mordovia Nina Spirkina performed at it. In the regions of the Southern Urals there are vocal groups in which Russians also sing. In Chesme, the ensemble is called "Mokshanyat" ("Mokshanochka"). In the Nagaybaksky district, in the village of Yuzhny, the descendants of the settlers created the ensemble "Kelune" ("Birch").
- I was in the first grade when my mother began to weave fabric for the Mordovian national clothes, - says A. Isaeva. - "Anna, let's fill the shuttle!" “Mom, who needs it now?” “The time will come, you will put it on yourself, and you will show it to everyone,” Ekaterina Efimovna said then to her daughter.

And so it happened. Anna Mikhailovna's costume now hangs in the Sterkha Museum. She puts it on once a year, when the city's social and political vernissage takes place. Following her, other leaders of national-cultural centers began to put on their outfits. Trying on a costume for a photo shoot, Anna Mikhailovna said that the Mordovian bride gets dressed for about two hours, and five people help her. It is necessary to put on five to seven shirts, put on a wreath (ashkotv) on the head, hang a lot of ringing jewelry (coins, bells) on the shoulders and on the belt. Anna Isayeva takes this wealth out of a special bag. “They say that at first you hear a muzzle by the strumming of jewelry,” Natalya Dyuryagina comments with a smile, “and only then you will see it.”

There are many traditional Mordovian whistles in the museum of the Sterkh Center. Anna Isayeva brings them back from her homeland every year. Wonderful products are given to her by the director of Ruzaevskaya art school Vladimir Kalmykov. Among the exhibits are funny horses (author Alexander Gaushev), a doll in national costume, nesting dolls, an old woodman, rugs from the 30s of the XX century, baskets for picking mushrooms.

Proud people

As far as I understand, the most important qualities of the Mordovians are pride, willpower and a certain swiftness. This is impregnated with a huge book “MORDVA. Erzya. Moksha” (991 pages!), published in Saransk in 2004. Its authors emphasize the self-sufficiency of the Erzya and Moksha. In the chapter on joining Russia, it is noted that there was no subjugation. Saransk scientists also write that it is wrong to assume that the Mordvins were part of the Volga Bulgaria (modern Tatarstan).

I asked the representatives of the Chelyabinsk Mordovians what is the difference between Erzya and Moksha. I was told that nothing, only the language. In our region, as in other regions, these dual peoples really do not have any contradictions. Meanwhile, in the Republic of Mordovia, everything is more complicated. I realized this when I looked at the sites of RM. I was immediately surprised that in almost all jokes the relationship between Moksha, Erzi and Mordovians is played up. Trying to understand this phenomenon, the author suddenly discovered that many modern Erzya and Moksha people do not consider themselves Mordvins and Mordovians. Most of"Passport" Mordvins live outside the republic.

The Erzyans are especially persistent, they fear for their identity. The debate escalates before the census. These days there are calls to "remember your name." The Erzya consider themselves descendants of the Aryans (Erzya - from the words "Eriy", "Aryan" - a resident) and are outraged that Russian scientists do not notice them. They are convinced that the Erzya past is the history of Russia.

This map shows the exact territories of the Erzya and Moksha ethnogenesis, with the only difference that for the Erzya lands, the boundaries of the lands in which the ethnogenesis of the people took place before it became part of the Muscovite state in the 16th century are determined.
These are not invented or fictional territories, this is the official position of scientists and researchers, namely erzya this is the interfluve of the Volga, Oka, Sura, Moksha rivers; moksha this is the river basin. Tsna, Moksha and the upper reaches of the Sura river.
In addition, the territories of modern national autonomy the Erzya and Moksha peoples, this is the Republic of Mordovia (in green). Why Erzya and Moksha and not Mordovians, where did Mordovia come from, and why are its territories significantly inferior to the historical lands of the ethnogenesis of these peoples? So in a row.
Everyone probably heard about such a people "Mordovians", and someone probably heard sayings about Mordovians: "stubborn as a Mordvinian", "transverse Mordvinian", "Mordovian nail is a knot" and the like. Many have heard about such a subject of the federation as the Republic of Mordovia (RM) or earlier the Mordovian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (MASSR) and its capital - Saransk, someone probably even knows that in 2018 matches will be held there, not a lot, not a little, but Football World Cup. And it seems that there are no questions, Mordvins - Mordovia, and all this is somewhere incomprehensible where. But let's figure out where this name (Mordva) came from.
So, Mordovians are an exoethnonym, that is, the external name of the peoples who call themselves (in their native languages) Erzya and Moksha. Externally, it means that the Mordovians, the Erzya and Moksha peoples, were called by their neighbors, and not by themselves. The very form of the word "Mordva" is Russian-speaking and in this form spread from the Russian language, i.e. from the west (it is worth noting that eastern neighbors this word was never used, they used our ethnonyms: the Chuvash called us - irse, the Tatars - mukhsha.) But the root of the word has more ancient origin, namely Iranian from mard, murd - a man or a person. So how did this word from the Iranian languages ​​get into Russian? For this you need to contact ancient history peoples of Eastern Europe. Here is the first mention of "Mordovians": It refers to the 6th century AD, the Gothic historian Jordanes mentions a certain people "Mordens", which is listed in the list of peoples conquered in the 4th century, by the Gothic king Germanarich: “thiudos: Inaunxis Vasinabroncas Merens Mordens Imniscaris Rogas Tadzans Athaul Nauego Bubegenas Coldas” [Jordan, 116]. It should be interpreted as a heavily corrupted fragment of a text in the Gothic language [Anfertiev 1994: 150-151], the original of which, in the part concerning the territories of interest to us from the Baltic to the middle Volga, can be restored approximately as “*þiudos: in Aunxis Vas, in Abroncas Merens, Mordens in Miscaris, Ragos stadjans / stadins ”and translate: '[conquered] the peoples: in Aunuks - all, in Abroncas (?) - I measure, Mordovians in Meshchera, [along] the Volga of the area [ataul, navego, bubegens, kolds]' .
Wikipedia (Meshchera)

If we are really talking about "Mordovians", then you can see that the root of the word is the same "mord", the ending "ens" from the Germanic languages ​​\u200b\u200bis added. Based on the fact that the Goths and the early Slavs in those days were almost mixed up (this is the era of the migration of peoples), then most likely it was from the Goths that the Slavs adopted the designation of our peoples, which began to have the Slavic form "Mordovians". But how did this exoethnonym get from Iranian languages ​​to the Goths? Here such a science as archeology will already help. At the beginning of the 1st millennium AD, in the vast territories of the European part of Russia, scientists identified related archaeological cultures Dyakovskaya and Gorodetskaya. Who does not know what it is, but wants to know - in in general terms described in Wikipedia, including the territories where these archaeological cultures were located. They are defined as Finno-Ugric, that is, the peoples who left the artifacts of these cultures spoke Finno-Ugric languages, and related to Erzya.
By the way, here is a fragment of the ethnic map of Europe, which shows the resettlement of ethnic groups in the 1-2 century. AD: (see full view here: http://www.roman-glory.com/images/img050101-05.jpg)

To make it approximately clear what territories were occupied by the Gorodetskaya and Dyakovo cultures (on the map "Finno-Ugric tribes"), I plotted the locations of some current Russian cities. As you can see, they occupied the main part of the East European plain. At the beginning of our era, the so-called great migration of peoples begins, groups of the southern neighbors of the Tissagetes (as Herodotus calls the tribes of the Gorodets culture) invade the north - the Sarmatians-Aorses. Experienced Aorsi warriors brutally suppress the resistance of the local forest hunters - Tissagets, subdue them, and form something like a trading post on the middle Oka, which subsequently becomes isolated. It was then, apparently, that the word "mord" came from the Iranian-speaking Aors to the territory of Meshchera. Later, the empire of the Gothic king Germanarich reaches the Oka not long before its collapse as a result of the invasion of the Huns. The Goths take control of the middle Oka, after which the Ryazan-Oka tribes begin to form (3rd century). It was then that the tribes on the Oka became known to the Goths under the name "mordens". Later, the Ryazan-Oka tribes are independent and begin to develop independently, the Gothic elite assimilate among the local population. It was then that they begin to move to the lands east of the Oka in the Okso-Sura interfluve and participate in the ethnogenesis of the Erzya people, the other part settles on the Tsna and the upper reaches of the Sura, forming the Mokshan ethnos, which from the very beginning had differences from the Erzya in the orientation of soil burial grounds, the Mokshans were oriented head to the south, southeast, the Erzya ones - to the north, northwest. This already speaks of the differences in the religious and mythological ideas of the peoples (the burial rite is entirely connected with the religious and mythological ideas of the peoples). However, despite the fact that the Erzya and Moksha peoples are different, in the west, among the Slavic tribes, the common name of these peoples from the time of the Sarmatian rule over their ancestors is still preserved - "mord" with the collective ending "va". That is why many centuries later, the chronicler of Russia - Nestor mentions “And along the Otser River, where to flow into the Volga, Murom your tongue, and Cheremis your tongue, Mordva your tongue”. It is worth noting the Finno-Ugric people of Murom (the pre-Russian population of Murom), also formed under the influence of Ryazan-Oktsev, but the chronicler writes about the difference in the language of "Mordovians" (in this case Erzi) and "Muroma".
So, we figured out where the name "Mordva" came from. Obviously, this is a foreign ethnic name, and not a people, the Erzya and Moksha peoples did not define themselves in this way. That is, the definition of Mordovians as a people is erroneous, but at the same time it is widely exaggerated by the authorities and official science. Academician A. A. Shakhmatov and Academician Lepekhin I. I. pointed out the fallacy of using one ethnonym in relation to two different peoples: “The difference between the two Mordovian generations is also visible from the fact that before their baptism, Mokshans were not allowed to take Yerzyans, and Yerzyans - Mokshans ; but everyone was content with his own kind. Obviously, both ethnic groups had and have their own self-consciousness (Erzya or Moksha).
Often, from the side of supporters of Mordvinization, one can hear a reproach that compares the "Mordvinians" and the Mari. The essence of the reproach lies in the fact that the Mari are divided by language into meadow and mountain, but at the same time remain Mari. And we, they say, unfairly divide the Mordovians by language into Erzya and Moksha. Often they explain this to the population, relying on their lack of knowledge about their people, thereby convincing them that they are right. However, they are somewhat cunning and do not say much.
Firstly, before the revolution, the Mari were defined by the exoethnonym "Cheremis" (Nestor mentions them, see above). After the revolution, the Cheremis achieved that their people would be defined by their own ethnonym (name in their own language) - Mary, Mari. From that moment on, they become widely known as Mari, and their autonomy also arises - Mari El with the capital Yoshkar-Ola (red city), before that it was Russian name- Tsarevokokshaysk. Obviously, this became possible due to the fact that both meadow and mountain Cheremis are Mari, their native ethnonym is the same, which indicates unity Mari people. Mordovians do not have this. Erzi and Moksha do not have a native ethnonym that would unite them, historically it so happened that they did not. That is why today the authorities, in order to sit on their chairs, begin to add the ending “s” to the foreign word “Mordva”, as a result, a nightmare called “Mordva” is obtained, yet “Vas-Vas” is not enough to substitute ...
In general, you can collect a whole list of differences, which shows that Erzya and Moksha are two peoples, and not sub-ethnic groups of one.
1) Erzya and Moksha languages ​​are different languages. (As you know, there is no language - no people) General vocabulary in Erzya and Moksha villages of remote regions of Mordovia - 73%, for example: Russian and Ukrainian - 86%, As for literary languages, then the authorities adjusted the general vocabulary to 90%, but no one communicates in pure literary language. Therefore, such a figure is only on paper.
2) Erzya and Moksha are ethnonyms of two peoples, there is no common ethnonym, there is only a foreign exoethnonym.
3) They differed in religious and mythological terms (described above), also pre-Christian deities had different names (Ineshki paz, Cham paz - Erzya; Verde shkay, Shkabavas - moksha) - supreme gods. The same applies to other deities.
4) National Costume and decoration are different.
5) Architecture
6) Anthropological type
7) As for the Shoksha, it is precisely the Erzya ethnographic group: they also call themselves Erzya. That is, Erzya is a common ethnonym for both Erzi and Erzi of the Tengush region (Shoksha). Therefore, Erzya and Shoksha are one people.
8) On the historical lands no interlacing the residence of Erzya and Moksha, that is, the peoples of Erzya and Moksha lived in the neighborhood, but not mixed. Only after the Tatar-Mongolian invasion did the Erzya and Moksha peoples set in motion - Erzya villages appeared in the Penza region. mixed with Moksha. But even so, they retain their Moksha or Erzya self-consciousness. (And this is after many centuries!) There are many more minor differences that are not included in the list.
However, despite the fact that we are two peoples, we remain closely related. We have a lot in common, and we formed on the same "platform" with the Russified peoples of Merya, Murom, Meshchera.
When in the 30s of the 20th century the issue of establishing autonomy for the Erzya and Moksha was discussed, there were options to call the autonomy Erzya-Moksha, but due to the fact that, they say, few people know us by their names, they decided to name the autonomy in honor of our exoethnonym - Mordovskaya, they say, under this name, everyone knows us for sure. (I have a question, do the Mari, Udmurts honor their roots more than we do? Why didn’t they ask this question? "Mordovians" as it was "Mordovians" has remained, where is the pride? Where does this indifference come from?
As can be seen from the very first map, the Republic of Moldova is much inferior in size to the ethno-historical territories of the Erzya and Moksha. The reason is generally banal, just when the MASSR was created, it included only those territories where the percentage of the population of Erzya and Moksha was at least 30%, those territories where this percentage was lower were simply included in neighboring regions, and in the composition of the MASSR was no longer included, even if these territories are primordial - Erzya and Moksha. As soon as today the Erzya lands are not called, then "the land of Seraphim of Sarov", then "Land of Nizhny Novgorod" or something else, but not Erzya, hiding in every possible way real story edge, in other words, the history of the subordination of the edge.
By the way, it is important for puchem to bend his line now. The mentality of the Erzyans and Mokshans is such that when a guest arrives, they immediately give him the best chair, and they themselves sit by the stove, when the guest is Russian-speaking, then everyone in the house starts speaking Russian, well, like, what would he ( guest) was comfortable. These are the deeds, undoubtedly these are good qualities in terms of ethics, they speak of the high morality of the people, of caring for their neighbor, but they led to very bad consequences - the complete Russification of many villages. His language was considered second-rate, such as "Russian is more important and everyone understands, it's more convenient", when the TV speaks only in Russian from morning to evening, then willy-nilly (see psychology) you become convinced that you must speak the same way. However, the peasant is not the kind of person to realize that there is no country of Erzyania across the river, and that Erzyania is preserved only in his house - it did not matter to him, it was important to realize that all the cattle in the yard were fed, that the cow was tired. .. It didn’t matter to him that Erzya is under threat, while the Russian language is more than a hundred million people, in villages, in villages, in cities, that the Russian language is under the protection of the vast Russian Empire / Soviet Union / Russian Federation, it’s all MUST teach. Our culture has no protection. Therefore, it's time to realize that our native culture is under threat, it's time to respect our own, it's time to throw destructive fatalism far away and develop, develop our own. The Erzya people paid too high a price to history, too many people did not return from other people's wars, too many taxes were paid for other people's yachts, too much of their native was lost.

Mordva is a Finno-Ugric people living in the Republic of Mordovia and adjacent regions. The republic, formed in 1930, is part of the Volga federal district. The capital of Mordovia is the city of Saransk.

The Mordovian people are divided into two subcultural ethnic groups - Erzya and Moksha. Erzya and Moksha are distinguished by their literary languages, traditional life and culture. Moksha live in the southern and western parts Mordovia, Erzi - in the eastern and northeastern. The generally accepted language in the republic is Russian.

Most of the Mordovian people adhere to Orthodoxy, Lutherans, Molokans, Buddhists, Jews, Muslims and representatives of pagan religions also live in the republic.

Culture and life of the Mordovian people

Mordovian culture is closely intertwined with Russian culture, but is distinguished by its originality. Spiritual culture is based on folk rituals, consisting of oral and poetic creativity, dances and arts and crafts. Most of the rituals are connected with the seasons, family traditions and religious holidays.

Mordovia celebrates Christmas, Easter, Maslenitsa and Trinity. Since ancient times, Erzi and Moksha have been playing the bagpipe, flute, clarinet, rattle and xylophone. Modern musical culture represent several popular musicians, as well as ensembles performing works in national languages.

On the territory of Mordovia there are many ancient monasteries where pilgrims come from all over Russia. Operate: Republican local history museum, Museum fine arts, the Temnikovsky Local History Museum, the Museum of Military and Labor Feats, as well as about a hundred small museums. The pride of the republic are National Library named after Pushkin and the Puppet Theatre.

In 2006, the Volga Center of Finno-Ugric Peoples' Cultures was opened in Mordovia. Large international fairs, festivals and congresses of Finno-Ugric peoples are held in Saransk. In 2012, the millennium of the unity of the Mordovian and Russian peoples was widely celebrated in the republic.

In the old days, the Mordovian people lived as one clan in small settlements on the banks of rivers and along the edges of forests. The houses were located in the middle of large courtyards, surrounded high fence. The house consisted of a hut and a vestibule and separate outbuildings. Families numbered 30-40 people.

Since ancient times, the Mordovian people have been successfully engaged in agriculture, beekeeping, fishing, hunting, collecting wild berries and herbs. Widely developed folk art– embroidery, patterned weaving, beading, woodcarving, manufacturing jewelry, weaving and spinning.

Traditions and customs of the Mordovian people

The modern traditions of the Mordovian people came from ancient times. They were formed on the unity of man with nature. Many Erzya and Moksha traditions are associated with the creation of a family and the appearance of a child. From the time of paganism, beliefs and customs regarding the burial and veneration of deceased ancestors have been preserved.

The Mordovian people are distinguished by cordiality and hospitality. On big church holidays, Russians came to the Mordovian settlements from the nearest villages to taste delicious dishes to take part in folk festivals.

The traditional cuisine of the Mordovian people is similar to Russian. Popular dishes are various porridges, cabbage soup, boiled meat, fried liver, sauerkraut, kvass, curdled milk, drinks made from honey, barley, hops and malt.

Since ancient times, Mordovian girls have been engaged in fortune telling. Are popular folk games on the fresh air. Much attention is paid to instilling diligence in children, respect for elders, accustoming them to work and instilling ancient family traditions.