Presentation on the 6th World Congress of Finno-Ugric Nations in Siófok
Finno-Ugric information field: e- environment
Maarja Lõhmus,
maarja.lohmus@ut.ee
University of Tartu
Communication of cultures
The obligation Finno-ugric cultures have in front of the world and other cultures – to be part of the world culture.
The ancient cultures, forth bearing of which is based on the relations between generations and continuity, should
be presented.
World is modernizing and people are technologized more and more and faster and faster. Current generation
learns to twiddle on the keyboards before being potty-trained or learning to walk. They are born into
technological world.
These are the ‚extension of senses‘ and communication (McLuhan, Castells), that allows people to partake in
themselves – to express oneself and experience the world at the same time.
Culture is the structure, that relies upon the genuine reflection and reflexivity, develops itself in its own existing
material, grows as compact organism.
How are cultures represented in recurrent world – ethno-futu? We wrote in 1994 (Synteesi 1994/4, see
Appendix), that the representation of cultures is possible under the conditions of the possible new technologies.
Culture is also the mean for basing the politics, the introductive environment of politics.
Global public sphere and the openness of Finno-ugric cultures towards the world
1. World is moving towards greater openness, there is more of us in the world and we are connected more and
more densely.
At present we can value the cultures and languages subsided with the human (hi)story. We are obliged to keep
the cultures alive as the wealth and value of human kind. We are obliged to present and familiarise ourselves
with cultures, hence enrich and incite our world view and mental status.
It is our affair of honour to use the global new technologies for bettering the presenting of culture and science,
for better relationships between cultures. Living culture is not just heritage, but also representation,
communication and association – we want ever more to know of the mentalities, disposition and creations of
other nations in the world.
2. Being represented in the world under the contemporary technological means is possible – the technologies are
ready.
Are the people and cultures ready to be represented and to communicate?
To what extent are the world organisations – UN, UNESCO etc. – ready to support the representation and
communication of human cultures?
3. The global public sphere exists.
The global public sphere consists of the culture fields, mutual communication of different cultures and religions.
The Finno-Ugric cultural field is on part of the global public sphere, with 25 million people an eligible part, the
rise of which depends on the will and skill of representation, the communication of these Finno-Ugric nations
themselves. The cultural clusters of human kind have different locations, the cultures the bearers of reflexivity
and sources of new creativity.
4. The structure of the global public sphere is formed by the cultural and political systems.
The political systems and levels are effectively represented for centuries. In the end of 20 th Century the political
public sphere has made a rapid growth – both the information and discussion has become global (see Habermas
‚Transformation of the Public Sphere‘, ‚Communicative action‘).
Cultural systems as the existential pillars of human kind have been more hidden due to their more sophisticated
and organic texture, these have been support system and environment on the human’s life arch, been the sources
of identity.
The hidden cultural systems and the everyday life of humans has been more represented in art – music, literature,
fine arts. The contemporary virtual means of public sphere allows the embracing and participation in the
cultures more directly.
5. The world is increasingly being united through media that collects the experience of people and cultures and
distributes them globally. The scientist from Toronto, McLuhan argued in 1960s that people need media as the
extension of their senses, to experience more deeply and reach farther, higher. Our need and possibility is to use
technologies both for self-representation and for obtaining and exchanging experiences.
6. The world has entered the virtuality, the internet.
The e-publicness, e-politics and e-culture have taken shape in the world. Societal research shows that the
younger generation moves through the internet space and virtuality as in different reality, spends there time, that
also is the time of evolvement for them.
Hence it is not irrelevant what can be found in the internet – it is smart to be represented in the internet so the
young can sense the existence.
World has mediatized, which includes the development and activities of virtual culture (e.g. virtual song festival
in Estonia in 2011).
On part of the virtual culture consists of the networks of language families and cultural connections, which
present oneself to one another, make reference to one another and are the environments of discussions for
cultures.
7. In the global mediatisation process the Finno-Ugric information field develops, where the Finno-Ugric
cultures are for reviewing and communicating represented unitedly. In Estonia the seed if virtual Finno-Ugric
field is Fennougria (www.fennougria.ee), on the basis of which the general Finno-Ugric cultural virtual
environment can be developed.
The Finno-Ugric cultural portal
8. Cultural portal is based on the culture and science and allows globally open cultural communication. The
portal is meant for representing, familiarizing and communicating the Finno-Ugric culture in the world The
Finno-Ugric cultural portal is developing on the basis of digitalized culture that is globally available. At the same
time the Finno-Ugric cultural environment is also the study material and milieu of self development,
The Finno-Ugric information field and cultural portal are available in the environment of google.com, also
linked in the Wiki-environments, referenced and with possibilities for cross-referencing.
The cultural portal has its own archives, links and network.
Examples of the representations of Estonian culture and science in the internet.
The central pillars of Estonian culture and science are Estonian National Museum ( www.erm.ee), Estonian
Literary museum (www.kirmus.ee),
internet environment ETIS uniting the academies and universities as scientific system (www.etis.ee),
encyclopedias www.entsyklopeedia.ee, www.estonica.org/en/ etc.
For creating the Finno-Ugric portal there is the need for:
- the centre of the cultural portal is scientific and educational communication, also the literature-art-music etc
foundations of cultural identity
- the cultural portal is a medium passing on native tongue literature of different cultures and makes possible the
use of the latter in the education, in teaching - focusing on the material already existing
- the portal is an active mediator and promoter of the cultural environments, expressing the wish to strengthen
cultural identity, value the culture in internet
-- an educational pyramid - the advancing of nature and sense of home in the internet, cultivating the cultural
reflexivity in e-environment
- In Estonian the Estica as cultural and scientific environment can be used as the creative idea
There are thematic networks in Finland and Hungary, which can be referenced and linked through united portal,
while keeping up the possibility for discussion environment.
In Russian state for the young people of Finno-Ugric nations it is essential the upholding of mother tongue
environment and movement through this towards the world (1), getting to know other languages (2), other
cultures (3) and self-development and -moulding in this environment (5).
- writing scientific research in native languages, translating the research to the languages of other nations and
making these available through the Finno-Ugric cultural portal
- for people active in education – teachers – orienting among the Finno-Ugric cultures and world views
- educational direction as necessity for Finno-Ugric informational field: culture, science, education and
discussion, communication as represented areas
- the Finno-Ugric portal is internationally connected to the ideas of UNESCO and supports the international
direction of valuing and enlivening the cultures and human heritage
The environment-portal can not be established right away as all-covering structure, but it can be based on the
already existing and active clusters. Drawing these together and developing them we can create a general and
united Finno-Ugric e-environment.
What are the necessary actions for creating the Finno-Ugric portal :
- to organise a workshop on the practicalities of creating the environment and getting it going
- to make available good education in native languages and mould the each-other supporting environments for
Finno-Ugric cultures
- to acknowledge the different layers of cultures, value and preserve the everyday life of cultures and its
movement into e-environment
9. In conclusion: the great transnational vision is lacking, there is no uniting plan of cultural network
systematically including science and culture – it would have been too much to ask yet anyhow.
Zealously and by the different institutions and programmes assembling the research the culture presentation have
been done to represent culture.
From the point of view of a common man, consumer – interested in culture the main problem is that the cultural
matter in web is not sufficient and is fragmentized. From the point of view of different actors in different states
the problem is lack of finances and also lack of co-operation due to lack of actors up till now.
But if the databases already existing or in process of being created are not compatibly, are not cross-referenced
so these might become more than just storages, rise into active cultural communication, change into usable
sources and environments, become quoted and affecting the cultural processes. We need systematic, interrelated
(read: meaning given) user-friendly Finno-Ugric cultural web that was credible among cognoscentes/specialists,
journalists but also among teenage students and at the same time was one of the global cultural sources, effective
information and cultural field.
__
Appendix
* Ethno-futurism as a mode of thinking for an alternative future
concept by
MAARJA PÄRL-LÕHMUS, KAUKSI ÜLLE, SVEN KIVISILDNIK, ANDRES HEINAPUU
1.
The First Conference of Young Finno-Ugrian Authors on Ethno-Futurism took place on May 5 to 9, 1994 in
Tartu. The conference was held in the honour of the fifth anniversary of the Estonian Kostabi $ociety, which
itself was founded in the spirit of ethno-futurism.
All in all, about a hundred guests were invited to the Tartu days of ethno-futurism, representing Udmurts,
Komis, Maris, Karelians, Finns, Livonians, Erzyas, Hungarians, the Saami, Võro and Seto peoples.
To all these peoples, Tartu is a place well known as well as a symbolic meeting place: the University of Tartu
has bundled together Finno-Ugric peoples, and, even when under the rule of the Russian Empire, offered hope
for the future for the peoples living in the territory of the empire.
The aim of the conference was to introduce ethno-futurism to young Finno-Ugric artists and writers by means
of speeches, films, exhibitions, songs and meetings. The last day of the conference was entirely dedicated to the
discussion of intentions, common and individual, concerning ethno-futurism and the planning of co-operation.
The question of co-operation is complicated due to the fact that the official policy, the aim of which is to
Russify the Finno-Ugric peoples living in the territory of Russia by depriving them of their identity has been
especially intensive in recent decades.
The Conference made the participants aware of their own cultures as the base of their identity and decided to
support and advocate activities that provide 'futu for ethno' (i.e. the survival of peoples in the future) in all
respects.
A joint decision to survive was made.
It was suggested in the discussions that the best way to put across this purpose is to creatively associate the
ancient Finno-Ugric frame of mind with the more recent possibilities of post-industrial society. This summary is
a review by the initiators and organisers of the conference of the fundamental principles and the formation of the
Finno-Ugric ethno-futurism as a mode of thinking.
2.
The entity and idea of ethno-futurism is to connect the two extremities of culture - to make the indigenous meet
the cosmopolitan and urban. At the point where these two find each other the spark of ethno-futurism is born.
The spark which appears from this contact is a force that enlivens culture by natural means.
3.
For centuries Estonians have called themselves "maarahvas" (people of the land, country people), which is a
widespread self-designation among indigenous peoples.
When J. W. Jannsen used the name "eestlane" (Estonian) for "maarahvas" for the first time in 1857, the name
Estonia came as well into use to designate the land of the local country people.
By the subsequent rise of self-consciousness and by finding expressing the Estonian identity in words, three
trends of national ideology branched off. These were the orientation towards Germany and the total influence of
German culture (J. W. Jannsen), Russian influences (C. R. Jakobson) and the trend emphasising the original
culture of the local people (J. Hurt).
Estonian men of letters during the National Awakening had got their Russian- or German-minded education in
Russian or German. The spirit of the educational institutions was based either on Russian red-tape turn of mind
or German middle-class blood. Hence, the young Estonian culture was born mostly following the example of the
German mass-culture. Still, collecting Estonian folklore had an important place in the founding program of the
academic Learned Estonian Society (founded in 1838).
The work at collecting and preserving of Estonian folklore, began by Jakob Hurt in 1888, created a basis for the
written retention of Estonian older oral heritage in a longer perspective. The most important people to encourage
his work were the Finnish ethnographer Julius Krohn, who did the similar work in Finland, and Estonian school
teachers from different parts of the provinces of Livonia and Estonia. The biggest organisational supporters of
the enormous work of collecting the heritage were the Society of Estonian Men of Letters (founded in 1871), the
society of musical comedies Vanemuine (1865), the Committee of Estonian Alexandrian School (1868) and the
Society of Estonian Farmers (1870).
The newspaper "Postimees", which published monthly summaries and appeals for collecting by Jakob Hurt,
had great influence on the populace by stimulating the collecting of ancient texts.
The Zeitgeist and the actual circumstances of the era determined the preference of the German model at the
formation of Estonian culture. At the end of the 19th century, it was common to support the directions of
development, springing from that. Even M. J. Eisen’s initiative for collecting folklore supported this in its own
way, although the popular books on Estonian folklore published by him turned out to be a considerable factor in
the development of the intellectual basis of the next generation of Estonian men of letters.
The initiative for collecting the Estonian oral heritage led by Jakob Hurt was an obvious direction to a future
which, presuming a way of existence peculiar to the ethnos, would allow the cognition of ethnic identity to be
constantly reformed.
4.
Despite the differences in the historical development and the present situation of Finno-Ugric peoples, the
similarities of main problems have clearly arisen. The form of statehood accepted in the Western civilisation and
conceived as an inalienable part of the so-called “contemporary” civilisation is a legacy of the antique
Mediterranean societies and even today constantly develops and repeats errors inherent to it.
Traditional basic units of all Finno-Ugric peoples have been the family, the community and the tribe, and - in
extreme situations - the district (parish, shire).
The Finno-Ugric peoples living in the territory of the Russian Federation have preserved their old folk culture
as village culture. The most important vital components of this culture are an ethnic religion or a system of
ethnic folk beliefs, folk songs still sung, handicraft used as utensils, the use of the original language of the people
as the home language. There is no peculiar ethnic urban culture. Is there a possibility to survive as a people in
today’s world without a peculiar ethnic urban culture? Some of the favourable possibilities for development
available for young Finno-Ugric cultures in the changing world are:
1.
2.
3.
4.
the possibility for development in the context of more than one high culture;
the disappearing of canons from contemporary elitary culture gives the author a possibility to
start from traditions and to creatively develop them further;
ethnic peculiarities are favoured worldwide both in mass culture and in elitary culture;
the spreading nature-friendly philosophy fits well with the Finno-Ugric attitude towards Nature
as a partner for dialogue, as something sacral.
Finno-Ugrians are conscious that eventually it makes no difference whether to assimilate into Russians or
Europeans. Assimilation is still the death of the people in both cases.
All in all, there are ca. 25 million Finno-Ugrians, which is a sufficient amount of people in order to be an active
factor in the world. Belonging to a larger group has a positive effect on the ethnic self-consciousness of any
people.
5.
The development of technology and civilisation has been disadvantageous to Ugrians for a long time. Cities,
hierarchies and rigid or inflexible modes of thinking have not been acceptable for our temperament. Peoples
whose frame of mind is rather individualist have had little luck in the world of states, wars and churches.
Attempts at adaptation to this world have ended in extensive stress causing alcoholism and suicides.
An important trend in the development of the post-industrial society in the 1990s is the increasing use of
widespread computer-networks. The number of Internet users has grown to ca. 45 million and is still only at its
starting position. The Net, having more and more importance, and without which life will soon be unimaginable,
is developing into an environment totally different from the relations hitherto existing in the society that
spawned it.
This Net is not subordinated to any central control, its manipulation by any one force or its serving any one
political, religious or commercial purpose or cause is practically impossible. It is the first free working structure,
which lacks central control and the possibility for domination and control of ideas.
The Net is a place where a Ugrian may feel at home. Information may be shared more than Christianly - it is
sufficient for everybody and it will procreate instead of diminishing when used. The Net is an open system.
The superabundance of information is approaching to entropy, so it is often compared to a jungle. A jungle-like
system has no wrecking effect upon the mind of peoples whose habitat has been forest, instead, it offers us an
environment passing with our nature.
The Ugrians, always individualist, are used to count on themselves and have an apparatus for orientation more
complicated and effective than could ever be built on the basis of the Ten Commandments. The Ugrians can thus
continue their life in a contemporary way, at the same time relying on the traditional ethnic nature of their
ancestors.
The Net helps Ugrians to preserve the dispersed way of life peculiar to them, without losing contacts with the
rest of the world, it helps to make use of unseen possibilities for self-expression and association. No nation has a
lead of centuries in using the Net, it is new both in America as well as in Scandinavia and Siberia.
The Ugrians' plan to conquer the world is relies on the creative harmony of the ancient turn of mind and
contemporary technology.
This is the great hidden opportunity for the Finno-Ugrians.
Ethno-futurism, putting in motion creative powers, is not an ideology but a way to survive as well as a modus
vivendi.
Tartu, May 5 to December 5,
* Synteesi. Taiteidenvälisen tutkimuksen aikakauslehti, 4/1994, 5-8