The past few years have been turbulent for cooperation among Finno-Ugric peoples, with various events and organizations promoting such cooperation ceasing to exist or scaling back their activities one after another.
In the Russian Federation, the prevailing view is that there is neither the money nor any real need to continue developing cooperation among Finno-Ugric peoples in its previous form as this draws Russia's Finno-Ugric peoples away from the richness of the Russian language and culture. Even when Finno-Ugric cooperation is discussed there, it is invariably in the context of the unity of the Russian Federation's ethnic groups and its imperialist policies, which leave no room for contacts with Estonians, Finns or Hungarians. It is as though we do not exist and it is clear that such cooperation is regarded as hostile to the Russian Federation.
At the same time, events involving Finno-Ugric peoples do still take place in Russia. Unfortunately, however, all major Finno-Ugric gatherings there are accompanied by the militaristic, propagandistic beating of war drums demanding blood. Shed blood, blood, blood, dear Finno-Ugric peoples! Defend and liberate the land and die because that is precisely what Russia needs right now!
Of course, no one in Russia talks about the rights of Finno-Ugric peoples, the root causes of their languages becoming endangered or their current situation as ethnic groups. Attempts to raise these issues, whether at home or in international organizations, are punishable. As a result, several Finno-Ugric activists are being held in pretrial detention or even in penal colonies, while still more have received suspended sentences or fines. Some protesters and dissidents, meanwhile, have left the country.
We're not small together
How should we Estonians — the Republic of Estonia — act now? What opportunities do we have to support Finno-Ugric peoples and do we even want to support them? Let me explain what I mean by support. I certainly believe it is essential to continue organizing a wide range of events that promote cooperation among Finno-Ugric peoples and raise awareness of them. This should take place at the academic level, but especially in the fields of culture and education. It is extremely important to foster a sense of unity among Finno-Ugric peoples — small nations — and to create a perception that we are equals and that our national achievements are valued.
One important occasion for fostering this sense of unity is the celebration of Kindred Peoples' Day, which should be a natural part of the calendar, particularly in our educational institutions. Unfortunately, this is not the case because for some reason the Finno-Ugric issue is seen as something separate, peripheral, something concerning Finns or other Finno-Ugric peoples. What is forgotten is that this is our own concern, that we ourselves are a Finno-Ugric people and that our language, Estonian, is a Finno-Ugric language.
Supporting Finno-Ugric peoples is therefore, in fact, supporting ourselves and our national identity. Of course, it also means supporting Finno-Ugric peoples without states of their own, valuing their languages and cultures and keeping them in our thoughts amid their current, indescribably difficult circumstances. Thinking about them is certainly the least Estonians can do, but even the smallest initiative that raises awareness of Finno-Ugric peoples and thereby of ourselves is of great national value.
On the one hand, this allows us to see Estonians as part of something larger — after all, we have nearly 25 million linguistic relatives, which is no small number. On the other hand, thinking this way also brings us to a deeper cultural value that underpins our identity — consider, for example, the works of Kaljo Põllu and Veljo Tormis or the films of Lennart Meri.
Only three Finno-Ugric peoples — Estonians, Finns and Hungarians — have states of their own and in the current circumstances, this is particularly significant. We belong to both the European Union and NATO, but our peoples are also connected by even closer ties that encompass almost every aspect of life. Even so, it seems that we need an even stronger sense of unity that would allow us to consolidate these closely related peoples more effectively. To bring us together so closely that we would be almost one. Estonia, for example, has numerous cooperation and friendship agreements with Finland and local governments and schools in our kindred countries also maintain contacts to some extent. However, this cooperation is haphazard and, from what I have observed, a far cry from what was happening in the early 1990s.
Why is that? It is worth reflecting on, especially in these difficult times, when alongside national security we should also be talking about the security of our national identity. Should we not make a determined effort to strengthen our ties through more frequent exchanges, at least during Kindred Peoples' Day celebrations, but ideally, of course, throughout the year? After all, we are kindred peoples regardless of the season.
Kindred People's Program must continue
There is another level of support that particularly concerns me. This is the level of the Estonian state — our national policy and, I would say, our moral responsibility. It is true that the very existence of the Estonian state supports Finno-Ugric peoples, but the state also provides funding to the Fenno-Ugria Foundation whose statutory mission is to develop cooperation among Uralic peoples and support the development of their culture, education and research. At Fenno-Ugria's initiative and by a decision of the Estonian government, the Kindred Peoples' Program was established in 1998.
Over more than 25 years, this program, now officially referred to as a support measure, has funded nearly 1,000 projects. Educational projects have accounted for the largest share, enabling hundreds of students from Finno-Ugric peoples to study at Estonian universities. The program has also supported the development of academic research in Finno-Ugric languages and the publication of translated literature and works of fiction.
The Kindred Peoples' Program became an important source of support for writers producing literature in Finno-Ugric languages who often had to hear Russian government officials tell them there was no money to publish their books. The program's efforts to recognize cultural figures and community leaders among Finno-Ugric peoples have also been highly valued as it presents several awards that encourage the work of Finno-Ugric activists.
Unfortunately, we recently received news that the Kindred Peoples' Program, administered by the Ministry of Education and Research, may be discontinued because Russia launched its war against Ukraine and Estonia has ended cooperation with Finno-Ugric peoples living in Russia. In other words, supporting Finno-Ugric peoples no longer has a place in our country's policies — or so the ministry officials administering the Kindred Peoples' Program seem to be saying.
This suggests that we have forgotten that Finno-Ugric peoples without states of their own form our cultural and linguistic hinterland. If they disappear, we might as well start asking today who will be next. The current situation is such that the survival and development of the languages and cultures of Russia's Finno-Ugric peoples are almost impossible without outside assistance. Who else should help them if not Estonia, Finland and Hungary?
As Estonian President Lennart Meri said during the Kindred Peoples' Day celebrations in 1993: "Estonia, Hungary and Finland are the only Finno-Ugric peoples to have established independent states of their own. We must clearly recognize our obligations toward our linguistic relatives. President Toomas Hendrik Ilves has also spoken about Estonia's responsibility toward small stateless peoples, their cultures and their distinct identities.
We now appear to be entering an era that could be characterized as an age of great-power ambitions, threatening those who are weaker and smaller. Smaller countries that stop supporting small stateless peoples and their own kindred peoples thereby undermine their own fundamental national values and their linguistic and cultural roots.
There is another interesting aspect to consider: Russia's reaction. The news that the Republic of Estonia may stop supporting Finno-Ugric peoples is probably music to the ears of Russian government officials. Applause rings out in the Kremlin — you did it, and you did it to yourselves!
Support for Finno-Ugric peoples has long been a thorn in the side of Russian officials. One example is the reaction of Sergei Naryshkin, the former speaker of the Russian State Duma, to Udmurt linguist and poet Aleksei Arzamazov. When Arzamazov praised Estonia's Kindred Peoples' Program for supporting the publication of literature in Udmurt, something Russia itself was not doing sufficiently, Naryshkin responded that Estonia was supporting the Udmurts not with its own money but with American funds and that the purpose of this support was to divide Russian society and exert external pressure on Russia.
Where do we go from here? The Kindred Peoples' support measure (program) must certainly continue operating in Estonia because this is a matter of our national security, national identity and values. By supporting Finno-Ugric peoples, we are helping ourselves.
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