Mordvins

Mordvins

File:MrdvnImg1.jpg Avvakum • Patriarch Nikon • Mikhail Devyatayev • Vasily Klyuchevsky
Regions with significant populations
Russia Mordovia, Ryazan Oblast, Tatarstan, Ulyanovsk Oblast, Samara Oblast
Languages
Erzya, Moksha, Russian, (Tatar spoken by the Qaratay sub group)
Religion
Russian Orthodoxy
Related ethnic groups
Mari; other Finnic peoples

Erzya women of Penza Oblast dressed in traditional costumes.

Mordvins — The term Mordvin is mistakenly used for the Erzya and Moksha (both kindred, but different peoples).

The Mordvins (Mordva) are a people who speak languages of the Volga-Finnic (Finno-Volgaic) branch of the Finno-Ugric language family. They are divided into five sub-groups, the Erzya, Moksha, Qaratay, Teryukhan and Tengushev Mordvins.

Less than one third of Mordvins live in the autonomous republic of Mordovia, Russian Federation, in the basin of the Volga River. The rest are scattered over the Russian oblasts of Samara (116.475), Penza (86.370), Orenburg (68.880) and Nizhni Novgorod (36.705), Ulyanovsk (61.100), Saratov (23.380), Moscow (22.850), as well as Tatarstan (28.860), Chuvashia (18.686), Bashkortostan (31.932), Central Asia, (Kirgizstan 5.390), (Turkmenistan 3.490), (Uzbekistan 14.175), Siberia (65.650), Far East, (29.265), Kazakhstan, (34.370), Azerbaijan (1.150), Estonia (985), Armenia (920), and the USA.

The Erzya Mordvins (also Erzyat), who speak Erzya, and the Moksha Mordvins (also Mokshet), who speak Moksha are the two major groups. The Qaratay Mordvins live in Kama Tamağı District of Tatarstan, and have shifted to speaking Tatar, albeit with a large proportion of Mordvin vocabulary (substratum). The Teryukhan, living in the Nizhny Novgorod Oblast of Russia, have switched to Russian in the 19th century. The Teryukhans recognize the term Mordva as pertaining to themselves, whereas the Qaratay also call themselves Muksha. The Tengushev Mordvins live in southern Mordovia and are a transitional group between Moksha and Eryza. The western Erzyans are also called Shoksha (or Shoksho). They are isolated from the bulk of the Erzyans, and their dialect/language has been influenced by the Mokshan dialects.

If Mardas is used as a base of Mordvins, the list includes also now disappeared Burta, Muromi and Metserä peoples which linguistically belongs to Mardas sub group of Finno Ugrian Volga (Rav/Rava) languages.

History

Unwritten prehistory

The Mordvins where among the Finno Ugrian tribes which appeared from Altai region in Middle Asia c. 3.500 - 1.500 over Urals and settled in the Kama - Volga area. The ancestors of modern Murdases (Mordvins) settled themselves to Volga Uplands west of the river c. 2.000 - 1.500 BC. About 1.500 BC there began an intrusion from south west and west of an Alpine or mixed Alpine - Nordic people along the Desna and Oka valleys in the area. These people, the representatives of so called Neolithic Battle Axe Culture, spread in small numbers as far east as to Volga Bend, but remained on the west side of Volga. They were the last waves of larger movement from Central Europe which spread as far south as to Egypt (Hyksa) and Near East being there known as Sea Peoples or (Philisteans) (Filisteans). They lived in larger villages (100-200 inhabitants) bringing their knowledge of cattle-rearing and acriculture with them. These Battle Axe Peoples (Axe Hammer People) were assimilated into the original population c. 1500 - 1000 BC. A feature of this culture was the stone battle-axe with the wooden shaft fixed through a hole in the head, a revolutionary invention that probably originated in Mesopotamia and replaced the older and more clumsy method of tying the shaft to the axe-hammer head or having it fixed in a cleft or groove. These battle-axes spread as far as the Balkans and by 1600 BC to Troy. Some authors associate them with the "Nordic" long-skulls found in Hungary. According to the extensive research work done in the Soviet Era. The Soviet scholars tended to point out that when the Finno Ugrian tribes of the Russian forest zone were largely hunters and fishermen and food gatherers in low civilisation level the new civilisation, with urban life, trade, and writing was established in Middle East. The ancestors of the Slav branch of the European language family, from the Russians have descended, were probably the open steppe people, perhaps mixture of Alpine round head stock and the long headed people who had already settled in Denmark and Scandinavia. There is no way of knowing what languages were spoken by these Neolithic inhabitants of Russia. The modern languages of Europe are rightly referred to as Aryan but without good ground identified with an Aryan or Nordic race. This race originated in Scandinavia and spread to the south and thence eastward to Mesopotamia or (Dual Stream Land) perhaps laying the foundation there for an early civilization, and came back to Europe along the steppe plains from the east, through Southern Russia. The other stream, physically Mongoloid and linguistically Finno Ugrian, moved from the Altai region of Central Siberia around and across the Southern Urals, then along the Kama and Volga region. Still farther north there may have been a third stream of people of Mongoloid type, through the coniferous forest zone from Siberia across the Urals and into Northern Russia, Finland and Northern Scandinavia.

It appeared that one similar type occupied the whole of the central and northern forests during the Palaeolithic period. The most densely settled area in the centre and north was between the Oka and the upper Volga, destined to become the cradle of modern Russia, while to the north the population was much more fragmented and lived in very small, widely dispersed settlements of twenty to thirty persons. Ceramic remains from both the northern and central forest zones are distinct in form and manufacture from those found in the steppe. Fishing and hunting provided a large part of human food at this time, and all the settlements were close to the rivers and lakes. In the more densely populated area, for example in the Klyazma valley north of Moscow, some settlements contained as many as 150 persons who lived in the earth houses, partly under ground level. These early inhabitants of Central and Northern Russia were the ancestors of Finnish peoples, who lives also in Western and Central Siberia and spread as far west as the Baltic coast. But;

• a new power had been rising in the third millennium, this time in the northern steppe, some living on the northern flank of the Caucasus mountains obtained implements of copper from their neighbours from the south, and used axes of the type known much earlier in Mesopotamia. It was 2.600 BC or perhaps a trifle earlier, as we believe, that the men of the northern steppe, pushed outwards in every direction. Then the practice of grain-growing, of keeping domestic animals and the potter´s art spread over a large part of the continent of Europe, though the knowledge of metallurgy lagged behind. Most regent archaeological evidence suggest that as early as the end of the third millennium BC., tribes of Bronze Age culture appeared in the forest zone of European Russia amongst tribes who were still in the Neolithic stage. These newcomers brought with them the lasting gift of the people among whom the Aryan or Indo-European language originated and spread was not the Nordic long-headed skull (or the Alpine round-head) but a more excellent language and the mentality that it generated.

In Neolithic times the early forms of the Indo European languages may have come in the South Russia together with the first element of Mesopotamian and Central Asian civilization and been assimilated by the indigenous population. The types of sheep, cattle, and pigs whose remains are found in Eastern Europe in sites of Neolithic date are those that were first domesticated in what is now Soviet Central Asia. The use of copper may have first reached the steppe from Mesopotamia through Caucasus 2.600 - 2.200 BC. Those people of the Russian steppe used both stone and copper and moved about the carts. They appear to have been tall and long-headed. The use of copper diminished to the north and west.

Written history

The first written mention of the Mordvin people was made by Herodotos in c. 430 - 425 in his history where he described the peoples living behind the Scythians. Herodotos list thirteen different peoples in the area linking them with the Scythic - Persian war in 512 -511 BC and the war trip made by Dareios I (Dareios the Great), The Great King of Persians (King of the Kings), against the Scythic nomadic Princes in north of the Euxenois (Black Sea). Usually the ancestors of modern Mordvins are connected with Androphags in Herodotos text.

Influence of the Cimmerians and the Scythians

In the old tales of the Bulgarians there are several indirect mentions to the Finno Ugrian peoples. Professor Zufur Miftakhov from Kazan has collected them together.

• In the deep memory of the legends in peoples collective minds in Volga - Kama area there existed a place called Turan in the area before the Great Water Expansion or otherwise called the Urali Flood. This can be compared to Biblical Noah and the great rains which lasted for forty days. Presumably these peoples living then in the area formed some kind of primitive society together, some of them believed that their ancestors have come from the great bird or from the spirit of the moon in the form of a wolf. Some believed that their ancestors had come from the great cosmic eternality in the form of the Great Bull named Ox or Türk. In other words it was some kind of association of the Sinds and Türks. It received its name of (Türk version) Alp - Biki Turan, or (Baltic Finno Ugrian version) Vanamuine/Väinämöinen that old wise man for times of eternal, who patronized wild animals, under earth miners, was a quinn of underground and underwater treasuries, islands and mountain lakes. The Vanamuine/Väinämöinen was the great wise man of his time, the great Merlin who appeared from the sea in Celtic tales to Camelot. The main town and spiritual center was called (Türk version) Ergi (Ärkä or Härkä meaning Bull). This can be compared to Dual Stream Country´s Baal. It was located nearby the modern city of Ufa (Uuvaa), near the Urali (Uirali) mountains. When the glaciers covered the Southern Urali and adjoining steppe areas, the Ergi become too cold to live and most of the Turan peoples left to the more suitable areas in south for living. They resettled in Targatai mountains. There the ruler of the Imens become a great ruler due to the courage of Imens. Submitted to him the Kytai (Kitai) Türks ate half cooked meat and never washed in water, because they were the descendants of great wolf Tsin, and like him, had their body full of louses. If the louses annoying too much, the Kytai Türks, like wolves, squashed them with their teeth. Imens could not stand to see that. The Imens took the young girls who were not yet accustomed to the filth. Imens led by their elder Idzhik begun to move from one Türkic settlement to other collecting the most beautiful girls suitable for the Imin men. To learn also Türk language the Imens stayed with them as long as was needed to learn the language. When the girls grew up, Imens, bringing up the girls by their own way, took them as wives and called themselves Khon. According to ancient tradition the Imen men never cut their hair. This was a birth of the Sindi Urtsian tribes. Then when the glacier started to melt and withdraw back to the north it caused the great Urali Water Expansion. When Samar Sumer (Finnish; Dual Stream Land, Mesopotamia) was under flood among Kin Imens flared a struggle for power. Upset by the rivalry, their king (The Elder) with his retinue left of to the direction where the sun goes down and conquered Türks. The Imenian men took Türkic women as wives and their children were called Khon people. They kept in purity of Imenian traditions, even a habit as to braid the men´s hair into plaits. Later, after the great flood, in the Urali region appeared an association of seven Sindian - Urtsian tribes. This association was called Idel, the seven tribe land. It was founded by (Türk version) Dzham - Ildzik. The most powerful leader of Idel (Itälä) was Burtas (683 - 633 BC). His troops conquered the Near East during so called Burttasa War in 653 BC. Before the Burtas the Idel women were equal with the men and could choose their husbands. Burtas forbade this old tradition. Burtas also consolidated the central authority over all seven Idel tribes, completely subordinating the leaders of the tribes to his rule but act as local leader of the tribe. To demonstrate his power of authority above the Beys Burtas forced them to cut their long hair. From then on long hair was connected only to signs of noble origin and "closeness to Gods" or the highest of all them called (Türk version) Tergri. In Rha Finno Ugrian Jomal, Paas, and Shakai, in Baltic Finno Ugrian version Ukko the Overlord, the Thunderer, always accompanied with his wife Akka the Lightninger driving along the heaven´s cover. Then came the Cimmerians, and one Cimmerian descendant named Kam - Tarkan become the ruler of the Sindi - Urtsian peoples. He founded a new dynasty. His new capital was built to near Samara (Sumeri) Pillars at Rha River. One of the Sindi Urtsian peoples was called Murdasa (Mardas). After the Cimmerians left to toward western direction appeared the Scythians from eastern mountains called Tarbagatai, where the Seven Stream Land is located and settled in the area where Cimmerians had lived. The reason for these wanderings was the radical changes in climate in Central Asia when Takla Makan and Gobi lost most of their usual annual rainfalls.

Participation in Scythian/Dareios I War in 512 BC

According to Herodotus the Persians attacked against the Scythians in 512 BC. The reason of this attack have been unclear since the days of Herodotus, but there have been opinions by some scholars that the reason was mainly commercial. The loose confederation of Scythians and the peoples allied with them, are among scholars still unclear. The Indo - European scholars claim Scythians as Indo-European nomadic people of Persian origin. Russian scientists claim them to Slavonic peoples, and many western scholars try to link the Scythians with Celts, speaking Indo-European language. Herodotus wrote down carefully all that he could find out during his visit to the Greek colonies located on the north shore of the Euxenois (Black) Sea. He never claimed to have been personally visiting in the areas of Scythians, but his description was based to the information what the people told him in the Greek colonies.

Herodotus says the Persian King of Kings Dareios was with his army in Egypt in 516 BC and built there some remarkable buildings as his own victory marks over the Egyptians. While staying in Egypt he was alarmed with the news of rebellions against Persian rule in Babylon and Samos Island. In addition the nomads behind Euxenois had caused big problems for his satraps in Asia - Minor, by preventing the Persian traders to participate in the fur and amber trade from the north. A trade the Scythians claimed to be a monopoly in their hands. After pacifying Egypt Dareios decided to solve these problems for good. He divided the army in his command in two. One part of it would be sent in Phoenician (Foinician) ships direct to pacify Samos and then to be moved from Samos to Hellespontos to build a bridge over the strait to be ready when he and his main force, after smashing the dangerous Babylon rebellion, could join them again at the Hellespontos, marching through Asia Minor on their way pacifying also other Hellenic colonies there of which many, like Miletos, were in near open rebellion against the Persian rule.

Dareios appeared to the Hellespontos as planned and started his marching "to the lands of Scythians" by crossing the strait with his army. They marched through Trakia (Thrace), reaching Five Mouth Istros. Here again time passed when a new bridge had to be build over the Istros, the river of Donatis, (Deaths) where somewhere behind it was Hades, the place for deaths. Behind the Gates of Hades, on the other side of Istros (Danube), were guarded by Demon Kerberos and many warriors of Dareios army felt that they were really entering the Kingdom of Deaths when crossing the Five Mouth Istros.

The Istros bridge took its own time to be completed and the native peoples, watching the Persian army entering on the south bank of the river, had send messengers to the Royal Scythians warning them of this Persian threat for them. The Scythian King send at ones a word to the other kings direct under his rule or allied with him, as it was in the case of "Peoples Behind the Scythians". Where this meeting took place is not told by Herodotus. Instead he describes:

• Their (the Scythians) greatest invention is in this; who attacks against them cannot be escaped, and that nobody can ever reach them, if they do not want to be met by the incomer. This, because they do not have built towns or fortresses, simply they just move with their tents to an other place. They are all qualified Horse Bow Warriors and they carry their living cottages with them in carts. Who can fight against the people like them and could attack against them.

While the Persians prepared to enter in the lands of Scythians, the Royal Scythians held the meeting where the kings of Taurs, Agathyrs, Neurs, Androphagaes, Melanklaines, Gelons (Helons), Budins, and Sauromataes, could not agree what to do. Agathyrs took an attitude of armed neutrality, their king proclaimed that the war was not their fault and his people would attack even against the Royal Scythians - if necessary - if they cross their borders. Gelons (Helons), Budins, and Sauromataes joined the Royal Scythians. But Agathyrs, Neuris, Androphagaes, Taurians and Melanklaines did not give their warriors to Royal Scythians army to fight against the Dareios. They all proclaimed the war is not their war, and they have no reason to take part in it. This put the King of the Royal Scythians in a difficult position. How to conduct the war and how to make his stubborn allies to be drawn into the common battle against the Persians. From this one can make an opinion that the Scythians were a loose confederation of different peoples not of same ethnic background. The first to realise this was Lomossonov, the father of the Russian science, who included also Slavs, Türks, and Rha (Volga) Finno Ugrians to be members of this Scythian coalition.

From the text of Herodotus and combining his description of the Peoples behind the Scythians one can make observation how this war went on. When Dareios finally crossed Istros, the Scythians avoided the open battle, they retreated more and more inland. This tactic was successful one. The Scythians retreated to their stubborn coalition partners lands. At first to the lands of nomad Sauromataes living next east of the Scythians. The Persians followed and the Sauromataes when defending their lands were drawn into the war in side of the Royal Scythians. When compared to Herodotus' text one can see that Dareios' army had crossed Tanais (Don), reached Rha and then following the retreating of main Royal Scythians which withdrew their forces more to the north, into the lands of Finno Ugrian Budins and Hellenic Gelons (Helons), which had settled in trading place Gelonos. The Gelons, according to Herodotus, were of Hellenic origin serving the Hellenic Goods among them Bacchus, who was not originally of Hellenic origin. Here, according to Herodotus the Persians captured and destroyed a large wooden trading town called Gelonos, the basic fur trade center somewhere in the crossroad Rha/Kama river area, the eldest town behind the ancient Scythian lands. Then they (Scythians) retreated more westward through the lands of Melanklaines to the lands of Finno Ugrian Androphagaes (Mardas peoples). They with the Melanklaines, another Finno Ugrian people, now - to defend their lands - joined in the battles against the Persian army.

It is from this period the Mardas peoples received their name which spread to common use in Near East and later to Europe. The warriors of the bypassing Dareios army, when wandered through the land of black clothed native inhabitants started to call them with their own Persian dialectic words in both forms of Persian language Mord-Chwar or Mard-Chvar which means literally Man´s Gulpers. Herodotus, when hearing this name in Greek colonies, transliterated it to ancient Creek Mardxvar which was understood by transliterators of Herodotus' text as cannibals, ie. man eaters. This word have also totally different meaning in Finno Ugrian languages. In Finnish language word miehennielijä (mangulper) means an active sexual minded woman who is hunting men to fulfill her own sexual needs. The word is even today in general use for women who are the active side to pick up a passive male to satisfy her sexual ambitions. And it is very well known that this word mirrors also the word Amazons, mythic female manhunters. The word manhunt can also be taken as a symbol of classic active sexuality of the woman. When bearing this in mind name Mardxvar Mardas is literally Land of Sexually Active Women, which is far away of cannibalization as it was understood by Indo-Europeans who did not understand at all the situation where women were equal with the men and even took part in the armed resistance to defend their common homes and lands. One can compare this with Kalevala Myth of Louhetar Louhi who ruled ancient Pohjola (Northern) in ancient Greek Hyperborealis from where all these maneaters become. Really a shock for most of the Indo Aryan men who had a strong habit to use women to be hunted for his masculine ambitions. This maneater fairytale lives still strong in Indo-European researchers' minds. One has to remember that the "backbone" of all Finno Ugrian peoples are the hard minded independent women which can also think with their own brains, not echoing what her master, the men says. The best way is to couple the word Mardas to the "Land of Equality" where man and women are equal by all means. This word appears even to today in the two independent states belonging to Finnic branch of Finno Ugrians as Suomen Tasavalta (Finland´s Equal Power), Republic of Finland as it is commonly transliterated to foreign languages. Had Mardasland gained her independence in modern times it would have been named Mardasi Equal Power, or like Estonian version Eesti Vabariigi (Frei Reich die Ester), Free Area (Statehood) with borders of Estonians. The Indo European Republic is originated from Latinized Public Meeting or Opena Foruma (for Romans) traditionally also known as (Public) Market or Square Meeting. Demokratia is opposite for ancient Greek Mokratia (Selected Power for Selected Few) for selected rules called Tyrannia (Tyrannicus). (Many are called but few selected).

Next the main Royal Scythian forces retreated more westward to the lands of Neuris, by origin mixture of Baltic (ancestors of modern Lithuanians, Latvians, and later destroyed Old Prussians), Slav, and Finno Ugrian peoples. The population of "Neurolandia", the Land of Neuris, has been extensively described by Marija Gimbutas. The main Slavic populated area was that located west of Borysthenes (Dinjeper (Danjepur / Danapur) which was the Urheimat of Slavic population during the times of Herodotus. Here again the Neuris joined the battle against the Dareios (Darius). During this whole campaign the Scythians used "Hit and Run" warfare against the Persians. This wandering here and there without any specified target made Dareios very nervous, with daily casualties, without having a good change to meet the enemy in open battle, made Dareios to make the final decision to withdraw his army back to the Istros and leave the Scythians to their own fate. This was the last attempt by the Persians to enter to the area of the Scythians. This description is the first written one in written history where the Finno Ugrian Mardas peoples are mentioned. Also from the text it is possible to notice that the Persians entered quite far to the north deep in the forest zone behind the Scythians where the Finno Ugrian peoples then lived and still live. One little piece of history not observed by other researchers, than Lomossonov, (Pomorinpoika/The Son of Pomor) and Gottlieb Siegfried Bayer. In addition the academician E.I. Eichwald, who formerly worked in Kazan and Vilna Universities, based a detailed research of Herodotus' History and based on it he tried to re-construct the early histories of the Slavs, Finns, Turks, and Mongols. He came in 1888 to conclusion that the Scythians were not unified people of same ethnic origin, and the name of Scythians meant those peoples who lived then on the so-called Scythian area between Jaik (Ural) and Istros Rivers. The northern border between Scythian tribes and the "People behind the Scythians" run from the edge of the Carpathian Mountains via Kieva Kiev - Pultava (Poltava) - Harkova (Kharkov) - to Tanais (Don) - Rha (Volga) at the Samara pillars, the traditional border between the steppe and forest zones, and then along the river to the Caspian Sea. This seems to be the most correct description. All Finnish researchers have come to the same conclusion based to their estimates of the areas which were then inhabited by the Finno Ugrian peoples in the area. The area west of the ancient Amber Road was under Celtic domination.

To describe Androphagaes as man eaters (cannibals) was a good attempt of the Greek traders living in the Euxenois (Black Sea) colonies to demonise Androphagaes is the result of exaggeration and protection of their own trading interests to keep other Hellenic tribes out of their own profitable amber and fur trade routes. And really a successful one it was. This claim was repeated again and again up to 1700s of the Finno Ugrians. What was really told to Herodotus was:

• Behind the desert (steppes) lives Androphagaes which are special people, and never Scythians. The Androphagaes have the most brutal habits of all the peoples. They are nomads and wear clothes which look similar to Scythian clothes, but they have their own language and are among these peoples the only ones who ate humans.

The use of the skulls of the killed enemies as border marks to show that there is no entry for unwanted visitors to the lands of Androphagaes can be seen as effective way or message "to stay out or we kill and eat you". Typical thinking of people who want to protect their own lands from outsiders without engaging in the other's business.

Coming of Goths

The early history of the Mordvins, before their Christianization in the Early Modern period, is sketchy. Early Mordvin tribes were among those mentioned by Gothic historian Jordanes in AD 551, as conquered by Ermanarich, perhaps the name Rogas reflecting the Mordvinic name of the Volga, Раво (ultimately from Iranian Rangha). Some other researchers claim the name of Scythian origin Rha for Volga as the source of Rhaxali/Rhoxali, the ancient name of Tshirkessi / Cirkessian, (Cherkess) people now living on the slopes of Northern Caucasus area, name said to have been connected to modern Moksha in early days. One source says this name might have something to do with Ottomane Sultane´s Soliman II first wife Rhoxelane a Tshirkessi born beaty slave woman, the mother of Sultan Selim II. She was nicknamed Kurkh hur ava, because of her laughing method which came out direct from her throat as a cat's purr but in singing ascent. Other names used for this couple in history are Suleiman the Magnificent and Roxelana, the Hürrem. When heard her beautiful "kukertava" laughing Soliman, the Great Sultan of Ottomans, was a sold man in the garden of love.

On the other hand older description by Zeuss: Die Deutschen, mentions, when compared many previous descriptions of Jordanes text, the following peoples; Gothos, Scythas, Thuidos, Inaunxis, Vasina, Broncas (Bovoncans), Merens, Mordens (Remnis), Imnis, and Caris among the peoples ruled by Ermanarik. On the other hand, many Finnish historians take this list as typical product of the age, written later, to exaggerate the power of quite usual tribal confederation chieftain. This result, comparing the population of Gotland, Samlandia, Germanic (Hermanik) and Liti tribes at that time, based to norms of best known historical facts, when the Gutas (Gothos) arrived to the pages of history about 200 AD. Jordanes' Mordens and Constantine Porphyrogenetus' (Purple born) Mordia have been taken as early references to the ethnonym.

Allied with Huns

The powerful Hunnic tribes appeared from northern borders of China after wandering through Asia to the northern shores of Black Sea in c. 340 AD. At first the Hunugurs left Tarbagatai c.200 AD and wanted to resettle on the land "Semirechye" the Seven Stream Land. When it failed the Hunugurs wandered further west and came in 329 Ad to the Middle Rha/Rava area. When tried to wanderer further south along the Rha they become in tough with the Sudavians (Sucandians) ie. Ostrogutasi. In this battle the Utig Kaani (Khan) Bulyar Dzhoga - Utig was killed together with his three sons and the Utigs were left without the tribal chieftain. Later there was a great battle where The Bulgar "Dzhagfar tarikhy (c.650 AD) (published in Krakowie 1680) says Alans tried to blockage the Huns in their wandering toward west. They were the ancestors of later Ossetians, descendants of Kara - Sakalans the western Sakalans, separated from Sindi - Urtsians in ancient times before the Great Water Expansion. The Alans, led by Kaani (Khan) Boz - Urus used the usual Tactics Sarmatianne in this combat. Their horse warriors were protected by chain mail armour, and were armed with swords. Alani attached long lances to horse necks with chains. To the striking power it gave a power equal of the fast running horse. Alani used this tactics to break through enemy foot warriors. Along with Alani were also Yazygs and Roxolans. They could not resist the onslaught of Hunugurs and escaped. It is here that the connection with Mokshas and Roloxani is mentioned the first time. One theory claims that the Roloxanis escaped north to the forest zone among the Mardasi and were assimilated to the Mardas peoples by adopting the Mardas language. Another theory goes even farther by claiming them to become as part of Vatja Vote people who eventually inhabited western Ingermanland on the southern shores of Gulf of Finland between Aestes and Inkerikkos Izhoras. The Huns crossed Rha about c.349. Their great tribal chieftain Belemer or Bulümar from Bulyar tribe crossed the Rha in c.350. The Huns settled down in the area between Rha and Tanais. They defeated the Ostrogoths near the Perekop Isthmus and forced them to move to the west from the area where they had lived located east of Dinjeper. The appearance of Huns had little effect to the Mardas peoples in the Rav / Rava bend as the Huns avoided forests and lived their nomadic steppe life. There was a zone of about two days ride above Nogai Steppe where they had close connections with Burtas people. As can be seen from the early historian descriptions this contact was nearly always peaceful with mainly trading connections between Finno Ugrian peoples on the Rava bend and the Hunnish nomadic tribes on southern steppe areas. Usually the Huns avoided to enter into area covered with forests and preferred to stay in steppe zone areas. However, the nature made again a surprise when the winter 359 - 360 in whole Eastern Europe was extreme cold and there was no rainfalls at all during the winter and spring. This was also recorded in Byzantine sources. The winter was severe, trees split from severe cold, the birds were falling in flight. There were no rains in the spring and summer. A great hunger began. A loss of the cattle herds resulted a great famine. To save his people from death, Bulümar took Hunugur people to the west of Itil. Together with Hunugurs went part of Utigs, Khots, and Huns who lived in Caspian lowland. The Byzantine and Latin historians called them all Huns. it seems that Bulümar asked also the Mardas peoples to join their western course, but it is not known if some of them joined or not Bulümar peoples toward west. North of Hunugurs the Mardas people managed to survive better in their wooden heated houses than the Hunugurs living in yurts and tents as traditional nomadic lifestyle. But that winter hit hard also Mardas people. It is common that during such severe setback many younger inhabitants take a road of immigration and leave their lands. This has happened as late as 1865-1869 in Finland. These "hunger years" started a large scale emigration to the United States of America. Eventually up to 1914 c. 450,000 Finns went to the United States of America seeking better bread.

Critical years 1220-1242

The separation of Erzya and Moksha probably dates to the 8th century, the latter group coming under East Slavic influence soon after. When the Vladimir Princes destroyed Inäzor Obram´s capital Obran Osh (Ashli) in 1220 and following the foundation of Nizhni Novgorod on the place of Obran Osh, in 1221, the Mardas territory was increasingly falling under Russian domination, pushing the Mardas populations southwards and eastwards beyond the Urals, severing cohesion among them.

Forced group Christianization

The Mardas peoples had to be Christianized by the Christians because as proved as early as 1235 by Friar Julian;

• The Morduans are awful people. Among them killing is another mature. It is considered to be an act with fame, and poor is that man who have not managed to kill his enemy. He was a contemptible person, not even a warrior class. The heroes of Morduans let the skulls of their killed enemies be carried in front of them; the more skulls, the more respected a Morduan warrior was. In their bacchanals the drinking vessels could have been made of their enemies' skulls, and those who had not managed to kill their enemy, could not even find a wife among the Morduan girls.

The method of Christianization by Russian Orthodox Church was different of that style adopted by Roman Catholic church in Estonia and Finland. When a Mardas person was baptized into the Russian Orthodox Faith he/she lost his/her pre-Christianization name and had to take a new Russian name instead of his/her former original Mardas name. In this way Mardas was linked to "One and Only Real Believer Fate" through common (human) Slavonic name. In Finland the Roman Catholic church did not even try such a method. No, the church men had even to change their Latin Lord name to Finnish language dialects to make it easier to take a new Ierussalama Jerusalem Doctrine by renaming Latin Good to Finnish Jumala which was nothing else than new competitor of pre-Christian era Ukko the Thunderer (Jyrisijä) know also as Jomala. In Mari languages Jomal. By adding name salama (lightning) to form word Ierussalama to new faith the name of Lord in Finland is practically Jyriseväsalama (Thundering Lighting). And this is the practice even today. Christian Lord is still served in 2008 in Estonia and Finland under name Jumala in the churches (Herran Temppelit). In Hungarian language the word of Sumeri language originated Temple (sacred place) appears in form Tempelom, in Finnish Temppeli.

The method was in principle the same in one principal matter both in Orthodox and Roman Catholic method. These hermit monks started their conversion work with women and children. When they had a mother baptized also the child was baptized but with their original Finnish non Christian names. The stubborn men were the last to be baptized. Over hundreds of years it become custom or habit go to the church before noon and during afternoons go to the sacrificed place of old non Christian faith to show also the respects to the old faith Ukko and Akka. Many people thought now I have blessings of new Ierussalama Doctrine or Fate Jumala in Lord's Temple so I can go also to serve Ukko (Jyrisevä) in his holy forest grove. This way I secure blessings from two sides. For this reason name Juri (In Orthodox Church) and Jyri (in Roman Catholic Church) among the Finno Ugrian peoples were widely adopted forenames. When looking the list of the early Russian Princes one must bear this in mind. The name Slav might have been formed this way in old Slavonic languages through Finno Ugrian word salvata/voitelu which means Herran voideltu (Lord´s greased, literally, Greased by the Lord). This theory is supported with notice that just during this era the old Slavonic peoples names like Severjani, Krivitshi, Derevitshi, Sloveni etc. were replaced by the Salavatut in old Slavonic Church Slav which was single common name for all Lord´s Greased. The Slavs. Thus Yuri Svjetislav is Holy Thunderer Greased (anointment) by Lord, or Thunderer Ierussalava (Holy Thunderer Anointed Jerusalemer), Yuri Jyrisijän poika (pogoi) from Jarosslav/Ierosslaff (Jerusalem/Jerusalamma). "Salvata" in the Karelian dialect of Agricola´s compromise Finnish language is a word with dual meanings. It can mean to grease, or to castrate (animals or men), i.e. Enarei, Eunukki (Eunoch). Hippocrates says clearly that among the Scythians were many men who were not men and were used in women's works, they act like women and talk like women, but are men which are not men (by sexual means). It was a favourite habit especially in the Near and Middle East and also in the Hanmanni State (China), the Statehood of Central, since ancient times to humiliate men of their enemies, the Orja/Orjat/Slave/Slaves. Either half eunuchs or full eunuchs. Can be compared to name Oyrat/Oyrats.

Christianization of the Mardas peoples took place during the 16th to 18th centuries, and most Mardas (Mordvins) today adhere to the Russian Orthodox Church all carrying Russian Orthodox names. It was mentioned by the Russian Orthodox faith monks and priests that about two out of three Mardas families escaped to the lands of eastern and southern pagans to east and south to avoid the conversation to the Holy Christianity, i.e. Russian Orthodox Faith since 1617 when this progress really started in Mardasland.

The Great Disperse

Latham in his account of the "Native Races of the Russian Empire" (1854) divides the Mordvin into

• the Ersad, on the Oka River
• the Mokshad, on the Sura River
• the Karatai, in the neighbourhood of Kazan.

Lathan notes that Mordvin is the native self-designation, identifying it as a variant of the name Mari. Lathan describes the Mordvin as taller than the Mari, with thin beards, flat faces and brown or red hair (red hair being more frequent among the Ersad than the Mokshad), quoting a total population of 480,000. Latham also reports strong pagan elements surviving Christianization, the chief gods of the Ersad and the Mokshad being called Paas and Shkai, respectively.

On the other hand, Finnish born St. Petersburg academic Anders Johan Sjögren, on his return journey from a scientific expedition to the Caucasus, where he made research work among the Ossetians and Taurida Tatars from 1835 - 1838, made some research works among the Mardas (Mordvins) and located them in the correct places where they live.

Mardas peoples in Alaska

According to the preserved church books (both Lutheran and Orthodox) a number of Mardas people were settled to Russian Alaska particularly at Novoarchangelsk/Sitka or as locally named Uus Arkangeli and Aleutian Islands mainly to Attu and Kiska islands from where they moved from Ohotsk (Ohot), on the shore of Ohotsk Sea, and Russian Far East and Alexandrovsk in Sakhalin where they seems to have formed the majorities of the Russian inhabitants of these communities. A number moved also to Petropavlovsk in Kamchatka. Sitka seems to have been a really Russian Wild West settlement from 1799 - 1867. The majority of European-born populations were Finno Ugric, mostly ethnic Finns and in lesser numbers Balts from Courland or Pskov area. Many forenames of the members of the Orthodox church had pre-Christian Mardas names like Tapai, Tepai, Partai, Kopai. Even one Komi Zyrianovich/Zyrianova surname was found in the church register. Many of them intermarried Aleutian women or local women from surrounding Indian tribes near Sitka. Some of them moved to the Canadian side of the border to Vancouver Island and some to Spanish California, to the Russian founded Fort Ross fortress settlement north of the Spanish colony of San Francisco. Their descendants live still in the above mentioned areas and seem to have been the first Mardas people to settle in Alaska. In 1867 they became citizens of the United States of America when Imperial Russia sold Alaska Territory to the United States.

Historical Mardasland and railway age

The Railway Age made significant changes in Mardasland. This former border area become closer connected to the reast of the Imperial Russia. On the other hand, the railways meant also easier and much faster communications. This made the movement much easier for the internal emigration in Russia. Many serf families all around Imperial Russia wandered around after the abandonment of land serfdom and state serfdom in 1860 by Imperial ukaza of Alexander II, seeking new place where to settle with free land available for them to start as independent peasants with their own land. Many newcomers of Russian or Ukrainian origin settled in the area, along new constructed railway lines and settled nearby new stations and formed new settlements diminishing the formerly united Mardas population in smaller enclaves with mainly ethnic Russian settled corridors along the new railway lines. This age 1860-1914 formed a base for the Russian population in Mardasland when they replaced the remaining Mardas people as the main population there. The land hungry newcomers pushed Mardas peoples aside from the population centres, the small towns, and took the best agricultural land for their own use. Some of the former large noble estates, which had passed to the ownership of rich industrial barons from their previous owners, because of the depths, were split to smaller peasant farms (Hutors). They differed from original Cossack or earlier incomers Majdans which were established as armed frontier posts against the Tatar Khanates since the Muscovites conquered the area. During this period of new gained areas, the Industrialisation and coming of railways the population of European side of Imperial Russia increased from 23 millions to 97 millions in period 1820 - 1897. The one and only official account of the whole population was made in Imperial Russia only once, in 1897.

The private Moscow - Ryazan Railway was opened from Moscow to Ryazan/Räsan 198 km on 20 July 1862 and extended over 835 km Kazan in 1884, this line kept its original title, and was only renamed Moscow - Kazan Railway on 11 July 1891. It remained in private hands until 1918, and was in fore-front of locomotive development in the first decade of 1900s. Most of the early locomotives came from France and Great Britain, the first Russian built locomotives, built by Kolomna Works in 1873. The railway run through historical Mordvaland to Kazan via Ruzajevka and Saransk/Saran Osh to Kazan. The railway network was steadily enlarged from 1033 km by opening the lines from Ruzajevka to Simbirsk through Inza, and from Inza to Syzran in 1898 - 1899 and from Penza to Ruzajevka and Timirjazevo to Nizhnij Novgorod in 1901-1903, total 569 km, from Liubertsy to Arzamas, 397 km in 1912, the missing Kanash to Arzamas section was completed in the middle of World War I in 1916.

In summer 1914 the Moscow - Kazan Railway had opened the following stations of which some developed later to larger settlements or even to small towns. All the listed railway lines were single 1524 mm (5ft) lines. One can easily find out from the station list many noble estate places which received even their own platforms to call for the noble families in trains.

• Ryazan - Ruzajevka line 392 versts: Ryazan (0), Lesok, Turlatovo, Listjanka, Vyshgorod (27), Polovskij, Jasakovo (48), Pronja (60), Sushkij, Sheluhovo (81), Zalybrovje, Shilovo (103), Tyrnitsa, Ushinskij, Nazarovka (130), Tsutskovo (139), Unkosovo, Nizhnje-Maltsevo (154), Sotnitsovo, Sasovo (172), Tairovka, Kustarjevka (197), Pitskirjajevo (209), Vad, Teplyi-Stan, Zubova-Poljana (236), Vihrovo, Torbjejevo (265), Vodjenjapinskij, Samajevka (292), Apapovo (311), Majdan, Inzar (343), Kaloshkino, Hovanshtshina (367), Pajgarm, Ruzajavka (392).
• Kusarjevka - Zemjetsino Syzran-Vjazma Ry. Station line 96 versts: Kustarjevka (0), Svezhjenkaja (30), Izjvet, Tupik (48), Mosrovo (62), Tsashkovo, Otorma, Zemjetsino Mosc.Kaz.Ry.Station, Zemjetsino Syzran-Vjazma Ry.Station (96).
• Ruzajevka - Syzran line 287 versts: Ruzajevka (0), Arkangelsko-Holitsynskij, Holitsynskij, Zhurlovka, Vojevodskoje (33), Katsjelai, Sura (66), Tsais, Notska (89), Inza (105), Varypajevska, Lodzhnikovo, Bazarnaja (135), Patrikshevo, Zavodskaja Rjeshotka, Barysh (166), Akstsurinskij Tup., Polivanovo (185), Naljeika (194), Kuzovatjovo, Bezvodovka (227), Ratsjeika, Balasheijka (257), Zabarovka, Syzran Mosc.Kaz.Ry.Station, Syzran Syzran-Vjazma Ry.Station (287).
• Inza - Simbirsk line 155 versts: Inza (0), Jugovka, Glotovka (32), Sharlovo, Veshkajma (62), Tshuvarovo (83), Majna (102), Vyry, Ohotintsja (134), Kindjakovka, Simbirsk (155).
• Ruzajevka - Penza line 132 versts: Ruzajevka (0), Melvjedovka, Bulytsjevo (29), Anutsino, Tajvejevka (60), Holstsovka (75), Lunino (88), Prokjazna (96), Vazjerki, Grabovo (112), Passazhrirskaja pl. 120 versts, Penza Mosc.Kaz.Ry.Station (130), Penza Ryazan-Uralsk Ry.Station (132).
• Ruzajevka - Nizhnij Novgorod line 337 versts: Ruzajevka (0), Arkangelsko-Holitsynskij, Saransk, Jelhovka, Timirjazjevo (52), Obrotsnoje (83), Uzhovka (113), Nikolaj-Darj (141), Lukojanov (159), Babjanskago pl, Shatki (186), Arzamas (217), Serezha (238), Surovatiha (258), Zimjenki (286), Kulma (309), Salovskaja platforma, Platforma 273 verst, Myza, Nizhnij Novgorod (337).
• Ljubertsy - Arzamas line 371 versts: Ljubertsy I (0), Ljubertsy II sort., Doniko, Gzhel (35), Shevljakino, Kurovzhaja (63), Dorohovoi, Zapytnaja (86), Krivandino, Tserusti (128), Iljitsjev, Neshajevskaja (165), Zakolpje (187), Dobrjatino pl., Butylitsi (226), Murom (251), Navatshino pl, Rodjakovo pl, Stepurino (292), Tesha, Muhtolovo (325), Kostyliha, Arzamas (371).
• Timirjazjevo - Svijazhsk (- Kazan) line 305 versts (374 versts):Timirjazjevo (0), Ogarjenka pl, Tsamzinka (35), Atjashevo (64), Ardatov (94), Alatyr (119), Kirja (155), Buinsk pl, Ibresi (189), Shihrany (225), Urmary (262), Tjurlema (282), Svijazhsk (305).
• Arzamas - Kanash line 239 versts: Arzamas (0), Shelrovka, Bobylskaja, Valok, Revjesjen, Prinskij Perevoz, Kemary (59), Smagino, Kamenishe, Kamkino, Tartalej, Sergatsh (107), Atska, Andosovo, Jumorga, Pilna (136), Knjäzhiha, Shumerlja (178), Myslej, Piner, Tsarkli, Vurnary (213), Apnerka, Atskas, Mokry, Kanash (239).

Private Ryazan - Uralsk Railway was taken over by the State on January 1, 1916. It had been formed from Tambov - Kozlov Railway, Tambov - Saratov Railway and Ryazan - Kozlov Railway in 1892.

• Ryazan - Kozlov line 199 versts: Ryazan Kaz. (0), Ryazan Uralsk Ry.Station, Stenkino, Denezhnikovo (21), Shevtsovo (34), Staroshilovo (45), Hrushtshjevo (58), Tsemodanovka (67), Birkino, Korablino (85), Podvislovo, Rjazhsk (109), Sheremetjevo, Aleksandrovo-Nevskaja (134), Zimarovo, Bogojavljensk (158), Brigadirskaja, Hobototo (178), Kozlov (199).
• Kozlov - Voronezh (- Liski - Rostov on Don) line 168 versts: Kozlov I (0), Kozlov Voronezh Station, Nikolskoje, Sertrjeika (13), Izberdej, Peskovatka, Platforma 54 verst, Grjazi (60), Tsibytkino (71), Drjazgi (85), Moskovka, Usman (100), Bjeljajevo, Grafskaja (130), Platforma 137 verst, Trisvjatskaja (144), Shubjerskoje pl, Somovo (156), Otrozhka, Voronezh (168), Otrozhka, Pridatsa, Maslovka (193), Bojevo, Kolodeznaja (216), Anoshkino, Davydovka (238), Boltshevo, Liski (259).
• Kozlov - Rtishtshjevo line 244 versts: Kozlov (0), Turmasovo (6), Nikiforovka (22), Saburovo (38), Seljezni (43), Pushkari, Tambov (68), Ljada, Rajeskalovo (92), Platonovka (105), Lomovis (116), Inokovka (133), Kalaist, Kirsanov (157), Preobrazhjenskij, Umet (175), Tamala (194), Durovka, Vertunovskaja (219), Polgorjenka, Rtishtshjevo (244).
• Penza - Rtishtshejevo line 148 versts: Penza Syzran-Vjazma Ry. Station (0), Penza Ryazan-Uralsk Ry Station (6), Krivozjerovka, Ardym (21), Aljenjevka, Kromshtshino, Salovka (48), Skrjabino, Kolyshlej (66), Zhmakino, Baltinka (84), Tashtshilovka, Serdobsk (103), Kollobash, Bajka (123), Dubasovskij, Rtishtshejevo (148).

State owned Moscow - Kursk Railway (which was formed with former Murom Railway and Moscow - Nizhnij Novgorod Railway) to the Moscow - Kursk and Nizhnij Novgorod Railway in 1906.

• (Moscow) - Oka - Tula (-Orel) line 182 versts: Serpuhov (93), Oka (98), Svinskaja (105), Tarusskaja (116), Spaso-Kazanskaja platforma, Pahomovo (131), Shulgino (137), Laptjevo (149), Revjakino (162), Homjakovo (171), Tula Moscow-Kursk Station (182).

State owned Syzran - Vjazma Railway.

• Tula - Rjazhsk line 184 versts: Tula Moscow-Kursk Ry.Station (0), Protopologo, Tula Syzran-Vjazma Ry.Station, Prisaly (15), Novoselje platforma, Obolenskoje (31), Djeljadovo raz, Uzlovaja (47), Bobrik-Donskoj (57), Jepifan (72), Lvovskij, Kljekotki (96), Millionnaja (107), Kremljevo (118), Paveljets Syzran-Vjazma Station (119), Lazinka raz. Nr 17, Skopin (143), Brigetnaja (149), Zheltuhino (163), Govorovo raz.Nr 20, Rjazhsk III Syzran-Vjazma Station, Rjazhsk I, Rjazhsk III Syzran-Vjazma Station.
• Rjazhsk - Syzran - Batraki line 622 versts: Rjazhsk I (0), Rjazhsk II Syzran-Vjazma Ry Station, Jeholdajevo (12), Kjenzino junction station (24), Suharjevo, Zhjelobovo (24), Maljutino, Verda (60), Remizovo, Jagodnoje (87), Hludovo, Bjezobrazovo (105), Jelizabeta platforma, Morshaisk (122), Korshunovka (129), Vazhli raz. Nr.25, Fitinhof (151), Dashkovo (160), Vernadovka (169), (junction station with 25 versts Zjemjetstinovo branch line), Pominasvka raz. Nr.26, Sosjedka (191), Hutor, Kandijevka raz. Nr.27, Bashmakovo (216), Gljebovka raz. Nr.28, Pjatitskoje paz. Nr.29, Patselma (239), Vygiljadovka paz. Nr.31, Titovo (264), Andikajevka (278), Vojejkovo (292), Lermontovskij raz. Nr.35, Studenets (312), Pantsulidzjevka raz. Nr.36, Simanshtshina (331), Posljovka raz. Nr.37, Ramzaj (350), Arbekovo raz. Nr.39, Penza I Syzran-Vjazma Station (374), Sjeliksa raz. Nr.41, Leonidovka (395), Shnajevo raz. Nr.42, Kanajevka (419), Asjejevskaja raz. (425), Nikonovo raz. Nr.44, Tsazljevka (441), Platforma 908 verst, Jeljuzan raz. Nr.46, Sjuzjum (462), Blagodatki raz. Nr.47, Kuzvjetsk (486), Ogolynovka raz. Nr.49, Jeldashevo (501), Nikulino (516), Kljutsiki, Sajevka raz. Nr.52, Praskovnjino (540), Kanalej (550), Novospasskoje (563), Kopajevka, Repjevka (587), Syzran (609), Batraki Pristan (Harbour), Batraki Pass. (622).

The railway lines connected several important towns and trading places, and settlements in the Volga - Oka area, such as Rtishtshejenjo located south-west of Penza. It was described by one foreign writer who visited there in 1913 as "a typical small town without pavement. A forlorn little market in the mud, and a collection of barrows and stalls without windows; just a traders' settlement, a market conveniently of a score of miles away."

The contryside between Penza and Volga was described as follows in 1902:

• "Morning shows from train windows a contryside as flat as a billiard table, patched with fields of corn stubble, with stretches of emerald-coloured winter rye and intervals of birch forest, scattered over with grey-roofed villages, all huddled together and reminding one of the kind of grey scab that clusters and spreads on the back of the diseased leaf. There is nothing of the industry and economy of French cultivation, nor the rich farmyards and sleeks of England, but the soil is tilled everywhere, and the harvest is gathered and sold. All the houses are of wood, grey of age, said to be those which the Mordvins left and now owned by the new rich landmasters of Moscow which bought with them their serfs from Kaluga, Tula, Orel estates to house the empty Mordvin villages, often dilapidated, the wide roads straggle through them, mere mud tracks in rainy weather, and to take care of the souls of these poor people, there is almost always a church with a green roof. But never a superior house, never a residence of someone well-to-do. As we get farther east we pass the more prosperous colonies of Bashkirs, one of the many native races scattered over eastern Russia. Here is the agriculture in its most primitive aspect. Much of the grain goes to windmills which cluster round little towns."

From the above list one found also a small station name Lermontovskij near Penza. It has a direct link to this text: "In summer 1939 the village of Lermontovo in the Penza district was a long ribbon of low, thatched-roofed cottages on the edge of the vast flat cultivated, almost treeles plain, and it is probably not very much different today (1959)."

It was over the Moscow-Tula-Penza-Syzran-Samara(-Ufa- Tsheljabinsk) route the most famous of all the trains which run in Imperial Russia, twice weekly (once a week from St. Petersburg via Vologda-Perm-Jekaterinburg-Tsheljabinsk) only 1st and 2nd class sleeping car train with full service restaurant car provided by the International Sleeping Car Company run all the way to Vladivostok. Ones a week a direct sleeping car from Warsaw was coupled into Kurier train 1i (i for Irkutsk) on Kursk station in Moscow providing the most lenghtly direct sleeping car connection in the world. The train was well patronized by officers, nobility, rich industrialists, and rich intelligentsia (and of course their dear mistresses). There is notable literature published over this journey and of the first sights in the morning were from ancient Mardasland when the express train steamed toward the east, at first to reach Volga "where the Greatest River (Inej vez) as the local call it) and the greatest railway bridge in Russia, a master piece of Count Stryve, a notable count of Kolomna, the founder of the Kolomna Iron Works and bridge builder, meet on the way to Urali and Sibiri."

Creating of Autonomous Region

Although the Mordvins were given an autonomous territory as a titular nation within the Soviet Union in 1928, Russification intensified during the 1930s, and knowledge of the Mordvin languages by the 1950s was in rapid decline.

Homeland of the Gardens of Berija

One of the most famous of the so called Berija's Gardens with a very bad reputation was GULAG Lager of Potma, located just inside Mordovia, south of Sarov. Its location was selected to be founded to the Mardasland for security reasons. It was founded in the area of woods without any large settlements nearby. And the local population were not ethnic Russians. It was part of the large GPU Lager system named GULAG and was founded in the 1930s. The name what the arriving prisoner found, when the doors of "Stolypin Pullman" were opened was written in the Station building POTMA. The whole complex consisted of 25 sub lagers scattered here and there in woods. In 1939 the Ministry of Internal Affairs even built an narrow gauge railway toward north from Potma station and named its stations after the sub lagers which this narrow gauge line passed. Even the railway personnel who operated this railway were political prisoners. The railway ended near small village of Ivanovka. Today the southern part of this line was later rebuilt to standard Russian 1524 mm gauge reaching Barashevo settlement. The northern part of the narrow gauge line has been lifted. Largest Lager was the GPU Prison Lager Nr. 241 The Temniakovskij Lager. After World War II the letters MVD were added to Lager Gate.

This 25 lager complex had a total of approximately 80,000-90,000 prisoners, each Lager Punkt housing about 2000 - 8000 prisoners. The conditions were awful and prisoners died like flies during winter months when the temperature fell sometimes to as low as -25 Celsius below freezing point. The temperature in barracks or diggings covered with primitive build roofs remained all the time below the freezing point. But the deaths were replaced by new ones in GPU rotation. Each prisoner had right to buy from Lager Shop monthly; 80 grams bread, one drinking glass full of bad quality "mahorka" (primitive tobacco) called also "kessu". One old newspaper like Pravda or Izvestiya for cigarette paper. In these Lagers were represented all minority nationals in addition to Russians in 1945-1946 which here formed the minority among the prisoners. The death rate among the prisoners was formidable. The prisoners were mainly used as labour force in the surrounding woods working daily 10 hours, except on Sundays. One of the victims of this lager system was Knjäz Sergej Mihailovitsh Obolenski, born in 1863 and died at Temniakovskij lager 241 on March 16, 1946. All he could give as his inheritance were his pleasures: a wooden "kapusta" to be delivered, if possible, to Countless Tolstova, the daughter of Lev Tolstoy. After the death of Stalin the lager punkt system was mostly scrapped, but Potma lager was used in Ministry of Internal Affairs as late as the 1970s. Some of barracks were still standing there as late as in early 1990s after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Unfortunately the name Potma still casts a shadow over Mardasland connected with bad memory names in Russia. Most of this GULAG lager area is now National Park.

Post Soviet era

After the fall of the Soviet Union, the Morvins like other indigenous peoples of Russia experienced a somewhat euphoric rise of national consciousness. The Erzya national epic is called Mastorava, which stands for "Mother Earth". It was compiled by A. M. Sharonov and first published in 1994 in the Erzya language (it has since been translated into Moksha and Russian). Mastorava is also the name of a movement of ethnic separatism founded by D. Nadkin of the Mordovian State University, active in the early 1990s.

Subgroups

• The Erzya people or Erzyans, (Erzya: Эрзят/Erzyat), speakers of the Erzya language. Less than half of the Erzyans live in the autonomous republic of Mordovia, Russian Federation, in the basin of the Moksha River, Sura River and Volga River. The rest are scattered over the Russian oblasts of Samara, Penza, Orenburg, as well as Tatarstan, Chuvashia, Bashkortostan, Siberia, Far East, Armenia and USA.
• The Moksha people or Mokshans, (Moksha: Мокшет/Mokshet), speakers of the Moksha language. Less than half of the Moksha population live in the autonomous republic of Mordovia, Russian Federation, in the basin of the Volga River. The rest are scattered over the Russian oblasts of Samara, Penza, Orenburg, as well as Tatarstan, Siberia, Far East, Armenia, Estonia, Australia and USA.
• Qaratays are an ethnic group within Mordvins in (Kama-Ustjin) Kamsko-Ustyinsky District, Tatarstan around the village of Mordva Qaratay. They speak Tatar complemented by Mordvin words (substratum), sometimes considered as a Qaratay Dialect of the Kazan Tatar language. They number about 100. Once they lived in three villages, but one of them was drowned by Kuybyshev Reservoir. Another one was re-settled as "unperespective" during the 1950s. The village of Mordva Qaratay became the last Qaratay village. Their ancestors were Finno-Ugric tribes who lived in the territory of today Tatarstan and were assimilated by Volga Bolgars/Tatars between the 8th and 15th centuries. Living around Tatars, they started speaking a Tatar language. Neighbouring Mordvins in the (Tetjushi) Tetyushsky District however still speak a Finno-Ugric language. Qaratays have a local saint, Michail the Killed (Ubienny in Russian), who was killed by Qaratays 300 years ago. His house is now regarded as a sacred place.

List of notable Mordvins

Erzyans

• Patriarch Nikon, patriarch of Russia
• Avvakum Petrov, the leader of Old Believers sect, inside Russian Orthodox Church, burned alive in Narjan Mar.
• Alyona Erzymasskaya Erzyan female ataman, the heroine of civil war.
• Stepan Erzya (Stepan Nefedov, 1876 - 1959), sculptor
• Nadezhda Kadysheva
• Makar Yevsevyev
• Kuzma Alekseyev
• Kosma Ananyim peasant leader in 1727 rebellion, senected to death.
• Nesmeyan Vasiliev Erzya rebel leader in 1743 - 1745 uprising. Was burned alive by the Russians.
• Lidiya Ruslanova
• Fedor Vidyaev (1912-1943), hero-podvodnik, three times escort of order of Red Colour and order of the Britannic empire of 4th degree.
• Sergey Darkin, is the current Governor of Primorsky Krai, Russia.
• Vasily Chapayev

Mokshans

• Zakhar Dorofeev, (1890-1952), Mokshan poet, scientist
• Avksentiy Yurtov, Mokshan linguist, scientist
• Iosif Cherapkin, Mokshan linguist scientist
• Kirill Samorodov, Mokshan writer, translator
• Mikhail Devyatayev (1917-2002)
• Aleksey Mokshoni, (1898-1971), Mokshan writer
• Aleksandr Malkin, (1923-2003), Mokshan poet
• Petr Levchaev, (1913-2003), Mokshan poet, writer
• Vasiliy Viard, Mokshan writer
• Vasiliy Radin, (1923), Mokshan writer
• Yakov Piniasov, Mokshan writer, playwright
• Maksim Beban, Mokshan writer, poet, translator
• Anatoliy Tyapaev, (1928), Mokshan writer, playwright
• Alexander Feoktistov, (1928), Professor, scientist
• Vasiliy Elmeev, Saint Petersburg University Professor
• Ivan Pudin, Mokshan writer, dramatist
• Oleg Maskaev, Russian-American boxer

References

• Robert Gordon Latham, The Native Races of the Russian Empire (1854), chapter VII, pp. 91f.
• James Minahan, One Europe, Many Nations: A Historical Dictionary of European National Groups (2000), ISBN 0313309841, pp. 251f.
• Denis Sinor, The Cambridge History of Early Inner Asia: From Earliest Times to the Rise of the Mongol Empire, Cambridge University Press (1990), ISBN 0521243041, pp. 489-492.

See also

• Finnic peoples
• Finno-Ugric peoples
• Merya
• Meshchera
• Mordvinic languages
• Muromian
• Volga Finns

External links

General

• Library of Congress: A Country Study: Soviet Union (Former)

Mordovia news

• Info-RM Template:En icon
• Info-RM (In Moksha language)
• Info-RM (In Erzya language)

Mordvin toponymy (in Mordovia and throughout the Middle Volga region):

• Sándor Maticsák, Nina Kazaeva. "History of the Research of Mordvinian Place Names" (Onomastica Uralica)
• Info-RM Mordovia republic news in Moksha language
• [2] Finno-Ugric World news, articles in Mokshan
• [3] Mokshan-English-Mokshan on-line dictionary
• Congress of Erzyans of People (Erzyan Rasken Inekuzho), Saransk, on March, 23 1995 year