Finno-Ugric collections
Material cultural heritage of Finnish-speakers’ linguistic relatives spanning almost 200 years
The National Museum of Finland has over 17,000 objects in its Finno-Ugric collections. Of these, about 9,000 were collected from Finno-Ugric peoples during expeditions to Russia in 1856–1917. The focus was on examining livelihoods, dress and customs.
The research was influenced by nationalist ideologies and the need to create a national identity and past for Finland. The linguistic affinities of the Finno-Ugric peoples also boosted the collection of artefacts, as material connections and the origins of different phenomena were studied in addition to languages.
Large-scale accumulation of Finno-Ugric collections was abandoned in the first half of the 1900s. The border between Russia and Finland was closed after Finland gained independence in 1917. The focus of ethnographic research also shifted. In the 1930s, the collections were supplemented by artefact exchanges with the National Museums of Hungary and Estonia.
Fieldwork trips to the kindred peoples of Russia resumed in the 1980s, but from a different starting point than before. The trips documented the contemporary lifeways of the Mari, Udmurt, Mordvin peoples living in central Russia and the Siberian peoples, such as the Khanty and Mansi, as well as changes in the recent past.
In the last few years, materials related to Finnish state history and activities have been included in the Finno-Ugric collections. These include objects that shed light on the experiences of the White Karelians and Ingrian Finns in the 1900s.
Accessibility has been invested in the context of the Finno-Ugric collections. Collections have been digitised, and customer service has been improved. The aim is to continuously reassess the collection’s operating models and increase transparency.
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