Russia is |
Peoples of Russia
Karelians
Their self-designation is Karyalayset (cattleman, shepherd). The southwestern Karelians (near Ladoga) call themselves Livvi, the southeastern (near Onega), Ludics.
Language
The Karelian language belongs to the Baltic-Finnish group of the Finno-Ugric branch of the Ural language family and has several strongly differing dialects (Karelian proper, Livvi, Ludic) and a writing system based on the Latin script. The use of the Russian and Finnish languages is also common.
Dispersion
The Karelians live in the Republic of Karelia (65.7 thousands), in the Tver (14.6 thousand) (the Tver or Upper Volga Karelians that moved to these lands in the 17th century), Leningrad (2 thousand), Murmansk (2.2 thousand) and other regions.
Food
The most widespread dishes are: soups made from fresh, dried and salted fish cooked with scales, adding flour and eggs; fish baked in milk or sour cream, various porridges, mushroom soups, turnip dishes; for the Northern Karelians, fish salted according to a special recipe. Various pies, fish pies, round loaves, cheese patties with gruel, potato and oatmeal filling, cookies were baked. As for drinks, oatmeal and berry starch drinks are popular as well as turnip kvass, sometimes with salt, and coffee.
Traditional occupations
The basis of the economy was the three-field and shifting farming. The industries of subsidiary significance were cattle raising, in the southern regions and on the Upper Volga poultry raising, in the north, raising reindeer for transportation as well as hunting, fishing, forest industries (production of carbon, resin, tar, timber felling and timber rafting), peddlery. As for the crafts, smithing, coopery, weaving, gold embroidery, ceramics production, weaving, birchbark and straw plaiting, wood carving and painting were developed. The Karelian craftsmen were famous as skilful weaponsmiths that supplied rifles all over the Russian North.
