Mäetagused (Jan 2003)

Viru mees viljapulli, Harju mees aganapulli. Piirkondlike suhete kajastumisest eesti rahvatraditsioonis

  • Mari-Ann Remmel

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 21

Abstract

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The opposition of `self vs. the other' known from social psychology manifests itself vividly in ethnic group relations. Folklore, when associated with historical sources, enables us to look back and helps understand tensions discernible still present day. Historical names of tribes and counties no longer in use can either be lacking altogether from the collected folk tradition (e.g. Sakala, Rävala) or present themselves in toponyms (e.g. Uandimägi), runo songs (Ugala people as enemies, alutagune) and historical legends (Alutaguse people as wartime looters). Disappearing ethnonyms cannot be found from jokes, but they are related to certain folklore genres (various legends, runo songs). In contrast, ethnonyms/toponyms currently in use (incl. inhabitants of the ancient counties Virumaa, Harjumaa, Läänemaa and Saaremaa) occur frequently in genres that focus on humour. Historical legends tell about inter-tribal forays; short forms and nicknames can refer to hostile relationships. Sources of this kind regularly date back to the last decades of the 19th century when the folklore collection was started and disappear as Estonian patriotism (national self-determination) grew stronger. Traditional humorous folklore (various jokes and short forms) has been applied most actively by the inhabitants of Setumaa, Mulgimaa (former Sakala), Hiiumaa, Saaremaa and coastal regions - thus, the periphery. These areas provide many vivid descriptions of the nagging that takes place between boys or men from different smaller communities/dialect groups: parishes, townships and villages. This is present in various genres, fairly well represented also in the folklore of Võrumaa, Tartumaa, Harjumaa and Virumaa. The Central part of Estonia, Järvamaa, gives a somewhat lesser contribution. Neighbour humour with its classifications or subdivisions of ethnic groups or village inhabitants and explanations of these is characteristic to Western parts of Estonia, but lacking in the records of Võrumaa, Setumaa, Northern parts of Tartumaa, and Järvamaa. The best knowns today are the subdivisions of Hiiumaa inhabitants. This tradition is fairly similar to more archaic, alliterative and assonantal mockery listings that fall somewhere in between songs and figures of speech. Runo song has been one of the most ancient and influential forms of the `self vs. the other' opposition. The same function is performed by rhymed poems and songs. The present article discusses songs only briefly; the main analysis is devoted to other folklore genres. General impression is likely to be affected by the irregular and episodic collection practises; moreover, the earlier collection of folklore was based on genre divisions. The attitudes towards strangers are also reflected in beliefs: the inclusion of an individual among strangers creates the assumption that s/he is frightening (children threats) or possesses supernatural powers (e.g. the role of Setu or Hiiumaa people in some legends). Neighbour humour can exhibit several different factors, such as national stereotypes of temperament, regional variations in the concepts of the material and spiritual culture, dialectical differences between ethnic groups, religious conflicts, social stratification and economic development of the community, divisions of gender roles, etc. Attitudes reflected in neighbour mockeries shed light on how the opposing pair self vs. the other influences cultural contacts. The survival of local differences relates to the inflexibility of group borders, collective conservatism that is in conflict with the need to change and its inevitability. Ethnonymic folklore is rooted in the same ground as toponymic place folklore - both reveal the relation between proper names and nicknames and the development of the former into the latter, both contain serious as well as humorous aspects. Place folklore gives more prevalence to the serious side, but many explanations of place names can have entertaining or amusing effects. Both ethnonyms and toponyms provide grounds for folkloric etymological explanations. Names and their explanations-interpretations disclose changes in the mentalities of the people as times change. Ethnic folklore belongs to the periphery both in life and in science.