The show is part of the exhibition series at Vapriikki presenting small nations and cultures. Earlier shows in the series have presented Kvens and Ingrians. The National Fates exhibition offers a concise presentation of all Fenno-Ugrian nations, examining also issues of language, identity and minorities. The section entitled Vepsians Through Time provides a more detailed account of the fate of one nation.
Fenno-Ugrian nations are united by their common linguistic history going back thousands of years. Over the centuries, language kinship has developed between very different nations and groups. Current theory has abandoned earlier notions of a common origin or ancestral nation.
Among the Fenno-Ugrians, only the Finns, Estonians and Hungarians have their own states, the twelve others, with the exception of the Sami, are all minorities in Russia. Vepsians currently number about 12,000, of whom twothirds speak Vepsian and all speak Russian. Vepsian is in the process of becoming a language spoken only by old people, and assimilation with the Russians is accelerating. Young people are moving to cities in pursuit of a higher standard of living, and Vepsian villages are becoming deserted. The story of the Vepsians has many similarities with the fate of other related nations.
The exhibition is produced in co-operation with Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography, or Kunstkammer. Co-operation between Vapriikki and Kunstkammer goes back to 1997. The section Vepsians Through Time is based on a research trip that Vapriikki and Kunstkammer made in 2003 to the Vepsian homeland, the main target being the village of Ladva. One result of the trip was the book VEPSÄ – maa, kansa ja kulttuuri (Vepsia – Land, Nation and Culture) published in 2005 in co-operation with the Finnish Literature Society.
City of Tampere
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