Karelian Religion
KARELIAN RELIGION. The term Karelia (Finnish, Karjala) has had different meanings throughout history. Historically, it was the borderland between Finland and Russia where most Karelians (Finnish, karjalaiset) lived. At present, it typically refers to specific areas in contemporary Russia and Finland.
Recent Russian-Finnish research—around Lake Ladoga and on the Karelian Isthmus, on the Elk and Guri Islands, in Bes Nos and other places on the shores of Lake Onega, around Uiku River, and in territories near the Kola Peninsula—has uncovered abundant archaeological evidence dating back to around 8000 BCE that indicates migrations by several indigenous peoples with an ethnic makeup different from today. Elk, snake, bear, swan, goose, and sturgeon motifs found on objects from graves and petroglyphs dating back to 5500 BCE provide hints of sacred histories, animal ceremonialism, and mythological pairings of man and animals.
The experience of living in a spatial and temporal borderland, and of being compelled to cross back and forth over various borders as the countries, cultures, and peoples around them change, has deeply affected Karelians. It has shaped their lifestyle, their worldview, and their religious history.
The Karelian language belongs to the Baltic Finnish group, and is closest to Finnish, with its "Karelian dialects" being spoken in the two eastern Finnish provinces of South Karelia (Etelä-Karjala) and North Karelia (Pohjois-Karjala).
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