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Pomory ethnic self-determination and ethnicity
in Russia
Pomory (coast-dwellers) - is the
distinctive native name for an ethnic community of an indigenous population
of Pomor'e (European Russian North).
Despite numerous attempts to
assimilate the Pomory and to present this ethnic community as a part of
Great Russian ethnos (in different sources Pomory are either called an
ethnic group, sub ethneos, population, estate, occupation, etc.), the Pomory
have preserved their own identity and consider themselves a separate
indigenous population, as we can see it in recent 2002 census. Before 2002,
without their consent, the Pomory were recorded as Great Russians, because
pre-revolution and later Soviet ethnography denied the Pomory existence, as
well as the existence of other small native ethnic groups in Russia (for
instance kryashen, besermyan, etc.) Because the existence of the Pomory has
never been recognized, there was no complex scientific study of this ethnic
community. The first available scientific attempt to systematize the
knowledge about the Pomory was undertaken only in the 1970s by T.A.
Bernshtam in her book "Pomory". But, in this book she examined only one sub
group of the Pomory - the population that lives on the coast of the White
Sea; while all other similar ethnic groups were excluded from research.
The author mistakenly considers Pomor'e as Belomor'e - a narrow coastal line
of the historical Pomor'e territory near the White Sea, also includes rivers
basins of European part of North Russia and some other sub ethnic groups of
the Pomory whose names are connected to the names of rivers or lakes where
they live - dvinyana (along the bank of Dvina river), pinezhana (along
Pinega river), mezena (along Mezen' river), etc.
Also, very questionable is the goal of her research - "to determine a place
for the Pomory in the Great Russian ethnos", especially if one takes into
consideration the fact that the term "Great Russians" appeared only in the
19th century and the term "Pomory" can be dated back to the 12th century,
several centuries before the Russian state itself was established.
A very important fact is that the term "Pomory", according to the general
opinion of Russian researchers, originated on the North-West coast of the
White Sea. During the next 2-3 centuries Pomor'e changed and became the name
of a vast territory, a large portion of which was not affiliated with a
seacoast (in the same way, the term Primor'e in the Far East Russia near
Pacific Ocean, does not mean only coastal territory). Thus the term Pomor
which originally, in the 10th-12th centuries, meant a person who lived near
sea gradually extended into one that referred to the population living
relatively far away from the sea. And finally in the 15th century it became
irrelevant to the sea. The sea was not a major part of economy of this
region. However, a territory of practically the whole European Russian
North, including Murmansk region, Arkhangelsk and Vologda regions, Karelia
and Komi republics, started to be called Pomor'e. In fact, the term Pomory,
as well as related culture and self-identity, has spread during several
centuries from north to south (to the cities Vyatka and Totma that
officially belonged to Pomor'e) and from west to east towards the Ural
Mountains and beyond. The economy of this large territory was related to the
sea and many famous Russian pioneers (Dezhnev, Habarov, Nevodchikov, Baranov,
etc.) were from this region even though their hometowns were far away from
the sea. The southern border between the Great Russia and Pomor'e lies on a
watershed which separates the White Sea river basin from the basins of
rivers that flow south (rivers of the Baltic and Caspian basin).
Pomory is an independent, indigenous ethnos of the European Russian North,
and their initial culture was not brought from the south (from Great
Russia), but arose gradually from the assimilation of the local Ugrian-Finn
(pre-Pomory) culture with that of the first Old-Russian (not the Great
Russian, as mentioned above) population. Some other old Russian ethnic
communities, along with their ethnic self-identity and specific names (for
example vyatichi, krivichi, severyane, etc.), have gradually "dissolved" in
the Great Russian nation. But the Pomory retained their ethnic self-identity
to the present day and still consider themselves as Pomory. In modern days,
the indigenous population of the European Northern Russia actively separates
itself from the multinational population of this territory by this specific
name - Pomory.
Interestingly, during the process of assimilation, which has been actively
conducted by the centralized Russian government, the false idea that the
term "Pomory" can be used only towards those who live near the sea and
conduct sea related business (fishing, hunting) has been planted in people's
minds. Even though it's very well known but often forgotten what the Pomory
have been doing for centuries: salt extraction; ivory crafting; timber
industry and agriculture. One should not forget the fact that famous
cattle-breeding - growing mezen's type of horses and holmogor's type of
cattle are traditional local businesses.
In the 19th century the Russian government changed the name Pomor'e to the
Russian North in the majority of official documents. This change is
questionable because Pomor'e ethnic composition is very diverse and along
with the Russians there are Karelians, Lapps, Veps, Nenets, Komi and other
native peoples. Also in the 19th century Pomory "became" (with the help of
the government) the Great Russians, which did not correspond to their ethnic
self-identity but was very convenient to the state-sponsored ideology of
assimilation. By the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th
century such substitution of terms Pomor'e and Pomory led to a very
disturbing trend. Official sources started to define Pomory only as
"Archangelsk county traders engaged in fishing and hunting in Murman". This
definition is found for instance in Brokgause dictionary. In spite of the
obvious absurdity, such ridiculous interpretation was accepted and during
the Soviet time in the 20th century, when only fishermen-peasants who lived
on a coastal line of White Sea, were considered to be Pomory.
According to the opinion of the Pomory themselves, whose interests since
1992 have been officially represented by National Cultural Center "The
Pomory Revival" (the oldest ethnic Pomory public organization in Russia),
the ethnogeny of an indigenous population cannot be considered a completed,
static phenomenon. The present-day rise of the Pomory self-identity has to
be regarded from the point of view of dialectic development of this ethnic
association. The Pomory had agreed with such double ethnical
self-identification (Pomory as people and the Great Russians as nation)
until recent times. But, now we can see that ethnic association with "Great
Russians" is no longer acceptable as a nation, by definition, because the
modern nation has different name - "Russians". In our day such double
self-identification deprives the Pomory of their rights of being an
indigenous people of the North, harms their original culture and substitutes
their original cultural notions. Today, the Great Russians are just a
nationality within the Russian nation but they are different from other
nationalities in Russia because they don't have their own ethnic territory
which they can manage with the recognized rights of indigenous populations.
In the Soviet Union the Great Russians did not have their own republic. The
Russian Federation in comparison with other republics of the Soviet Union,
has never been national Russian Republic. As a result, in the modern Russian
Federation, Russians-Great Russians don't have their own ethnic territory
where they are considered a native population. Thus, if Pomory would reject
their name, and substitute it with Russians-Great Russians, it could mean
the loss of their rights as an indigenous people in their motherland. Pomory
can not agree with this definition, and are actively seeking, even demanding
that lawmakers and the executive branch of government, include their ethnic
association in the "List of small indigenous populations of Russian North".
The time of the so called "socialism" changed to different political,
economic, state and sociological relations that, on one hand, accelerated
the decline of the Pomory population, but on the other hand, intensified the
sense of ethnic self-preservation. The Pomory understand that they have two
choices - regression (if Pomory discard their ethnic self-identity and
finally dissolve into the Great Russian environment) or choose the
progressive way which helps Pomory to preserve themselves as indigenous
ethnic group maintaining their rights as the native people of the North. The
part of the Pomory population that may choose regression, automatically
sacrifices all rights of indigenous population on the territory of their
ancestors.
Ethnic self-identification is a matter of a free choice for a person, and
the further imposing of the Great Russian self-identification to the Pomory
is wrong. The indigenous Pomory population should be aware of those social
and legal consequences of renunciation of the native people's rights. It is
necessary to note, that the catastrophic situation connected to the Pomory
disappearance, is the consequence of a centuries-old careless policy of the
centralized state concerning this original ethnic community.
The pressure placed upon the Pomory to assimilate can be described in
several concrete ways. Practically assimilation never stopped but has not
resulted in the full disappearance of the Pomory consciousness.
The depersonalized term "Northerners" is conceptually an artificial mixture
which insults the indigenous history of the people and results in their
really being considered aliens. The process deprives the Pomory of
traditional self-management and legal systems developed in fair practices of
sale and purchase of land as far back as the 15th century. These systems
were destroyed by the centralized state.
Other sins of the state included: persecutions of "Pomory Old Believers"
along with bans on spiritual architecture like chapels, creation of worship
crosses and hip temples. The state attempted to destroy traditional Pomory
life by issuing imperial decrees forbidding construction of ships extending
to collectivization of farms in Soviet times. Even the dialect, a living
language of the Pomory came under attack during the so-called, "... struggle
against the vestiges and dialecticisms", in the USSR.
Completing this shameful list was the requisitioning of traditional Pomory
hunting and fishing areas for industrial and military objectives, plus the
forced mass migration of aliens from southern Russia to Pomor'e. All of
these actions could have resulted in the disappearance of the Pomory as an
ethnic group. Yet, they survive to this day.
However, as the result of the policy of assimilation, in which it is not
difficult to see all attributes of Pomory ethnic genocide, the situation of
this ethnic community is catastrophic. The number of indigenous population
of the Russian north continues to decline and Pomory settlements (small
villages) continue to disappear, and these negative trends have increased
during recent years. The National Cultural Centre "The Pomory Revival" is
compelled to declare, that all branches of government are guilty in the
genocide of the Pomory people. But, most of all, regional legislature, which
for the last 10 years has refused to be look into the Pomory situation,
ignored the appeals of scientists and representatives of the indigenous
population, calling to legislatively assign, at a regional level, to the
Pomory the status of indigenous people of the North living on the territory
of the Arkhangelsk area.
Only in 2002, with the initiative of the National Cultural Centre "The
Pomory Revival" and the support of the administration of the President of
Russia, the Pomory were included in the All-Russia census register under the
register number 208.
The results of the Russian population census are the official evidence that
the Pomory see themselves to be a separate, independent native people, and
that they need immediate legal protection on the part of the state. Several
thousand native residents of the Arkhangelsk, Murmansk regions and Karelia
Republic, deliberately entered in the column "nationality" the ethnic
self-name - Pomor. Thus, opponents of the Pomory's recognition as native
people of the North, don't have strong argument against the lawful
recognition of ethnic rights of this ethnic community.
However, the National Cultural Centre "The Pomory Revival" is compelled to
officially declare, that even today, the Pomory constantly face the facts of
ethnic intolerance and xenophobia. Also, apparent by their frank ignorance,
and incompetence in the question of human rights is the absence of any
desire of some representatives of authorities, to recognize ethnic Pomory
rights.
Many officials and legislators do not even know that the right to consider
themselves a native people, according to the international and Russian laws,
belongs exclusively to the representatives of the people. The duty of the
state is not to interfere with this right, but to provide the indigenous
people of the North with a lawful observance of their ethnic rights.
The National Cultural Centre "The Pomory Revival" declares, that today, the
Pomory in Russia and in the Arkhangelsk area in particular, still remain
deprived of civil rights as a native people. It is the indigenous people of
the North that are not mentioned in the state's "List of native peoples of
Russia " in spite of the fact that the Pomory actively declare their
existence and demand legislation securing of their rights, as it was
confirmed by the Russian population census of 2002. Today the Pomory in
Russia are a native people that are exposed to legal ostracism and require
protection of the state and human rights organizations.
INFORMATION:
The principle of equality of all citizens, irrespective of nationality, the
intolerance of any discrimination based on nationality is one of the leading
principles of the constitutional law in Russia, the country where over
hundred nationalities live together. It is underlined in the Russian
Federation constitution (article 19) that the state guarantees equality of
rights and freedoms of a person and a citizen, irrespective of race and
nationality. Thus, it doesn't matter where a citizen lives - in a place of
compact residence of the given nationality or in any other places. Based on
the unity of multinational people of the Russian Federation, equality of all
nations, freedom of self-determination of a person, the Constitution of the
Russian Federation for the first time has established (article 26), that
everyone has the right to define and specify the national belonging and
identity; thus the most important factor in such process is the self-
consciousness of a person, cultural orientation, the language factor,
religion, etc. For the first time in article 26 it is emphasized, that
nobody can be forced to define the nationality.
The historical information:
Pomor'e, "Pomor cities", in the 15th -17th centuries is the name of the
administrative area on the coast of the White Sea, Lake Onega and along such
rivers as Onega, Northern Dvina, Mezen, Pechora, Kama and Vyatka, down to
the Urals. In the 12-15th centuries Pomor'e was an extensive colony of Great
Novgorod. By the early 16th century the annexation of Pomor'e by Moscow was
completed. In the 17th century, in 22 Pomor'e districts the great bulk of
the population consisted of free peasants. A portion of the land belonged to
monasteries and the Stroganov merchants. There were no landowners in Pomor'e.
The population of Pomor'e districts was engaged in fishing, mica and salt
production (Sol'-Kamskay, Sol'- Vychegodskay, Tot'ma, etc.) and other
enterprises. In Karelia metallurgy was advancing. From the middle of the
16th century in the estuary of Northern Dvina trade with foreign merchants
began to flourish (by the end of the 16th century it spread to Arkhangelsk).
Agriculture was advanced in southern Pomor'e districts.
An ethnic community, the ethnos, historically formed a steady grouping of
people - a tribe, a nation, a nationality. The basic conditions of an ethnic
community existence are the common territory and the language use. Quite
often an ethnic community develops from multilingual elements. Additional
conditions of formation of ethnic community can be common religion, racial
relations or the presence of significant metis (transitional) groups. In the
process of ethnogeny, under the influence of specific economic activities in
the certain environment and other reasons, there are formed characteristic
features of an ethnic community - material and spiritual culture, life,
group psychological characteristics. Members of an ethnic community are a
developing general consciousness, the outstanding place in which belongs to
the realization of their common origin. An external display of this
consciousness is the common self-name.
The territory of traditional Pomory residing (historical Pomor'e) includes
modern territories of Archangelsk, Vologda, Murmansk regions, Karelia and
Komi Republics.
The territories of traditional Pomory wildlife management are territories
defined by Pomory for traditional lifestyle and crafts, should be secured by
local laws by presentation of the institutions of local government.
DECLARATION
The necessity of observance the rights of indigenous population of the
Arkhangelsk area
Answering to the request of representatives of the Pomory ethnic community,
human rights activists ask the authorities and society to pay close
attention to the necessity to observe the following statements of
inadmissibility of infringement of the ethnic rights of indigenous
population in the Arkhangelsk area:
1. We ask the media to refrain from the publications that undermine the
Pomory right to be considered a native people of the North based on the fact
that Pomory ethnic self-consciousness is confirmed by Russian 2002
population census.
2. We ask public organizations, representatives of science and culture to
refrain from statements that could offend the Pomory ethnic dignity and call
them to support the Pomory in their aspiration to keep the original culture,
traditions and ethnic consciousness.
3. We ask representatives of the industrial and military enterprises working
on the territory of the Pomory traditional residing to provide ecological
and economic conditions for the traditional Pomory residing, support the
revival and development of their traditional lifestyle, and not to
restricted the Pomory travel on the territory of their ancestors.
4. We ask representatives of executive and legislative branches, both on
federal and regional levels, not to delay the procedure of legislative
recognition of the Pomory rights as a native people of Russia and small
indigenous people of the North. Pomory are expecting from the authorities:
a) to enter the Pomory, by presentation of regional authorities (a member of
Federation Council, deputies of the State Duma, the head of administration
and regional deputies assembly) in to the Russian " List of native peoples
of Russia ";
b) to form regional and federal registers of the native Russian Pomory;
c) to secure for the Pomory the territories of traditional wildlife
management in presentation of the institutions of local government, located
on the territory of the traditional Pomory residing (historical Pomor'e).
Contact information:
National Cultural Centre "The Pomory Revival"
163045 Archangelesk, 130/1 prospekt Troitzkiy
RUSSIA
phone: +78182214215; +79212404342
USA representative:
Constantine Chernushenko
605 Bradley Ct., Franklin, TN 37067
USA
E-mail: cc@pomor-rus.org
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