All Things Finno-Ugrian (Uralic) - Part I

Link List

Embassy and Consulates General of Finland in the U.S.A.

Finnish diplomatic offices in the U.S.A.

Finland's Permanent Representation to the European Union

The Finnish European Union office in Brussels

Finland's Permanent Mission to the United Nations

The Finnish United Nations mission in New York City

Visit Finland

The Official Travel and Tourism Portal of the Finnish Tourist Board

Estonian Embassy in the U.S.A.

Estonian Embassy in Washington, D.C.

Permanent Representative of Estonia to the European Union

Estonia's E.U. office in Brussels

Permanent Mission of Estonia to the United Nations

Estonia's U.N. office in New York City

Visit Estonia

Website of the Estonian Tourism Board

Embassy of Hungary in the U.S.A.

Hungarian Embassy in Washington, D.C.

Permanent Representative of Hungary to the European Union

Hungarian E.U. office in Brussels

Permanent Mission of the Republic of Hungary to the United Nations

Hungarian U.N. office in New York City

Hungary - A Love for Life

Website of the Hungarian National Tourist Office

The Sami Siida of North America

From the article: "The Sami Siida of North America is a loosely organized group of regional communities, primarily in Canada and the United States, who share the Sami (Saami) culture and heritage from northern Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Kola Peninsula of Russia. This area [has] traditionally [been] known as Sápmi or Samiland to the Sami, but [has] also [been] known as Lapland. Individuals within the North American Siida are immigrants, descendants of immigrants, or are supporters of the Sami culture, although [they] may not have any family lineage from Sápmi."
Also includes information on Saami genealogical research.

Religious beliefs of the ancient Finns

Today Finland has two official state-sponsored religions - the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland and the Orthodox Church of Finland; however, before Christianity came to the Northlands, the Finns had their own native spiritual Tradition that was in a transitional phase between the Shamanism and Animism of the Ice Age and the more developed polytheistic Paganism of their Germanic, Baltic and Slavic neighbors. This article gives an excellent description of this ancient Finnish religion. The native spiritual Traditions of the Finno-Ugrian and Indo-European peoples had much overlap. For modern revived versions of the Germanic or Norse religion, see the Asatru Alliance, Asatru Folk Assembly, Irminen Gesellschaft and The Troth. For the Balts, there is Romuva and Dievturiba. For the Slavs there is Slavic Paganism or Slavic Reconstructionism.

Estonian Native Religion

An excellent description of the native religion of the Estonians before the coming of Christianity to their country. Today this religion has been revived in Estonia, and it is quite popular there.

Native Religion of the Hungarians

Excellent article about the native religion of the Hungarians before their conversion to Christianity.

Native Religion of the Mari Nation

The Volga-Finnish Mari nation and their close relatives the Udmurts are the last remaining European nationalities to have preserved their original native pre-Christian religions intact, in spite of centuries of pressure from the Russian Orthodox Church and decades of Communist repression by the Soviet Union. Today these indigenous religions are enjoying a revival in their ancestral lands.

Native Religion of the Udmurt Nation

Similar to the native religion of their close relatives, the Mari folk, the Udmurt indigenous religion has survived intact since ancient times.

Finland DNA Project (Suomi DNA Projekti/Finland DNA-Projektet)

Project to study DNA of Finns, both in Finland and in other countries. Project can also be found at Family Tree DNA.

Saami DNA Project

A project within Family Tree DNA

Hungarian (Magyar) Y-DNA Project

A project within Family Tree DNA

Hungarians From Bukovina Y-DNA Project

A project within Family Tree DNA for descendants of Hungarians from the Bukovina region, which is today split between western Ukraine and Romania.

Female-line, or mtDNA, haplogroup U5

The maternal-line mtDNA of the various Finno-Ugrian peoples shows a variety of haplogroups, but of these, the U5 haplogroup, which is thinly spread all over Europe, shows an unusually high concentration among the Finns, Saami and Estonians. It is the oldest mtDNA haplogroup in Europe.

N Y-DNA Haplogroup Project

This Y-DNA haplogroup, especially its subdivision N1C1 (formerly known as N3) is most common among the northern Finno-Ugrian peoples, but is rare among modern Hungarians. This link is to a project within Family Tree DNA to study this haplogroup.

Article about a possible Finnish royal family during the Viking Age

This interesting article offers evidence from Norse sagas of the Viking Age, as well as from various other sources, for the possible existence of a Finnish royal house from that time. Little is known about what was happening in Finland before the 12th century, so much of this claim is speculative, as well as somewhat Finnish-nationalist and therefore perhaps biased. Nonetheless, the author presents enough tantalizing evidence for his claim to possibly be true, so I decided to include it here. Read it and judge for yourselves, dear readers.

Rurikid Dynasty DNA Project

This project was created within Family Tree DNA for the purpose of discovering the genetic origins of Rurik, the Varangian (Varyag) chieftain who allegedly founded the first known ruling dynasty of Russia, the Rurikid or Rurikovich Dynasty, in the year 862 CE. This dynasty ruled that country until the death of Feodor I, son of Czar Ivan IV ("The Terrible") in 1598. The results of the DNA tests of project members with documented Rurikid princely genealogies has revealed that the majority of them are related within the correct time frame for descent from Rurik, and also that most of them are of the Finnish N1C1 male-line haplotype. The same was found to be true of the modern documented princely descendants of the medieval Lithuanian ruler Gediminas (or Gedymin), whose descendants are known as the Gediminid, or Gediminovich, Dynasty. However, it should be noted with caution, that not all of the modern princely descendants of Rurik and Gediminas are of the N1C1 haplotype, so it is not 100% certain what the origins of either man were. Gediminas was cremated after his death, so his remains cannot be studied; however, it is not clear if Rurik was cremated or buried. The best way to answer the question of Rurik's origins would be to excavate the burial mound known as Shum Gora, located near Novgorod in northwestern Russia, that is supposed to be Rurik's tomb. If indeed Rurik is buried therein, and if any of his bones or teeth have survived intact, then it should be possible (although admittedly difficult) to extract enough Y-DNA from these to determine his haplotypes (both male-line and female-line). A seismographic scan of the mound has revealed buried artificial structures and cavities, but unfortunately the mound has not been excavated yet, due to a lack of funding.

"Team Rurik" Yahoogroup

A Yahoo! group that is dedicated to spreading the word about Rurik's alleged burial mound, Shum Gora, to the rest of the world, especially to the world of academia, for the purpose of bringing about the excavation of this tomb and the study of its contents, including the possible remains of Rurik himself.

International Order of Runeberg

The International Order of Runeberg (commonly known as the "Runeberg Society") was founded in the early 20th century by Swedish-speaking immigrants to America from Finland (Finland has two official languages - Finnish and Swedish). Nowadays, however, its membership mostly speaks English, and it includes non-Finnish spouses and friends. It is a fun social club, but it also seeks to preserve the heritage of its members, and it also provides scholarships for members' children.

Finland Genealogy Web (Finland GenWeb)

A good resource for genealogical research into one's Finnish ancestry.

Finland Links

Another good resource for genealogical research into one's Finnish ancestry.

Genealogylinks.net: Estonia Genealogy

A good resource for researching one's Estonian ancestry.

Austro-Hungarian Genealogy

A good resource for researching one's Hungarian ancestry, covering the area of the old Austro-Hungarian Empire.

FEEFHS (The Federation of East European Family History Societies)

This is an excellent umbrella organization linking genealogical research for many countries, including Finland, Estonia, Hungary and Russia.

Finnish American Newspapers

This list is from the Embassy of Finland in Washington, D.C.

Amber Faith - Artist of Archetypes, or Ancestral Memory

From Amber's website: "Love & Perfume cannot be hidden. Likewise, these images arise from genetic memory, the Collective Unconsciousness... "

The Finno-Ugrian Society/ Suomalais-Ugrilainen Seura/ Société Finno-Ougrienne/ Finnisch-Ugrische Gesellschaft

"The Finno-Ugrian Society is one of the oldest and largest learned societies in Finland. Ever since its founding, the society has striven to promote the research of Uralic and Altaic languages, the ethnography of their speakers as well as the latter's historical and prehistorical past." - from the Introduction to the Society's website.

Department of Finno-Ugrian Studies at the University of Helsinki

"The Department of Finno-Ugrian Studies at the University of Helsinki is one of the biggest university institutions in the world in its field, and its aims and activities cover extensively the whole Finno-Ugrian (Uralic) language family... " - from the Department's website.

Finland Center (in New York City)

"Finland Center Foundation (FCF) is the meeting point of Finnish and American culture, commerce and community. FCF supports the activities of Finnish-American organizations in the greater New York area, and Finnish values globally, in the present and for generations to come." - from the FCF website

Rea Nurmi, Artist

"Striking in their composition and color, Rea Nurmi's paintings and commissioned murals reflect a devotion to the beauty of nature. The work is influenced by her own ever-changing life experiences and communicate unmistakable enthusiasm and joy." - from Rea's website

Republic of Karelia

Official website of the Government of the Republic of Karelia

Petrozavodsk State University

Website of Petrozavodsk State University, Petrozavodsk, capital of the Republic of Karelia

Neanderthal People in Finland 120,000 or More Years Ago

Evidence of Neanderthal people inhabiting Wolf Cave (Susiluola/Varggrottan) in Finland