SPEECHES OF THE PEOPLES' REPRESENTATIVES
V. NIKOLAYEV,
chairman of All-Mari council,
Yoshkar-Ola
Dear participants of the Finno-Ugrian forum!
On behalf of hundreds of thousand Man - men and women, aged and
young who live on the bend of the Volga and on the arborous banks
of the Kokshaga, the Kama and the Vyatka -I should like to cordially
greet the representatives of the kindred Finno-Ugrian peoples.
Millennia have passed, efforts of our brilliant researchers and
attractive energy of enthusiasts - all that was required to enable
the best sons and daughters of all the Finno-Ugrian peoples to
meet for the third time in the modern history in the end of the
20th century to discuss their strategic goals in the development
of the Finno-Ugrian world in the III millennium.
The ideas of the Finno-Ugrian community, cultural, economical
and scientific cooperation among our peoples are very popular
with the Mari. In the republic Mari El they highly appreciate
our relations to each other, we intend to further initiate and
realize constructive and consistent programs and projects, thus
pursuing one goal which is marked as the main issue of the World
congress: “The Finno-Ugrian world in the III millennium
- perspectives of its development". In our judgment, the
future of our kindred peoples in the 21th century will be determined
by several fundamental factors. Firstly, will they find - in Europe
and in the world - civilized means and mechanisms of preservation
of small nations, bearers of unique cultures? The majority of
the 19 Finno-Ugrian ethnoses belong to the peoples subjected to
the threat of assimilation and disappearance. The present generation
of the Vod, Izhorians, Vepsians and Livonians can be the last
one. We can be bystanders to their send-off from the historical
arena into non-existence. In this respect we welcome and wholly
support the activities of the Consultative committee of the Finno-Ugrian
peoples at UN commissions on problems of the aboriginal peoples,
cooperation with Council of Europe and with its Parliament.
A second most important moment. It concerns the Finno-Ugrian
peoples living in the Russian Federation. The eastern Finno-Ugrians
can grow educated, dynamic and healthy nations in the future in
prosperous, economically booming Russia only. The earlier our
country manages to come to the road of social progress and stabile
development, the more definite and reliable are perspectives of
reaching the civilized heights by the Man, Komi, Udmurts, Mordovians
... Our present lagging behind our western brothers is not in
the intellectual, spiritual or personal aspect, but in that we
are in a worse social and economical situation. In this respect
we in Russia drag not for many a decade all in all, as it is said
sometimes. High algebra of the life always provides several variants
of solving the posed task. Equations with the Russian society
were always done by history in an unusual and unexpected way.
We believe that the crisis will be overcome in a short time without
disturbances, without "dismounting" the small nations
by Russia.
The third determining factor is the ability of our peoples to
self-organize and self-develop. Hard conditions of habitation
made the majority of our nations rather viable. This quality unconditionally
is the most important in the estimation of our ability of national
expansion.
We hold that 700,000 Man will be proud of that they are Man.
The last sociological polls carried out during the preparation
to the V All-Mari congress convincingly showed an increase in
the national self-consciousness of our nation, return to the national
roots - the native language, culture and heathen religion. We
are gratified by the fact that the youth began to show more interest
in the past of its nation, attraction of the youth to education
is growing. Government of Man El adopted and realizes a program
of national development of the Mari people embracing the spheres
of education, culture and language.
A most serious task for us is recovery in a normal demographic
situation. A decrease in the number of the eastern Finno-Ugrian
peoples and the absolute majority of the nations in Russia is
taking place in the last years. To overcome this tendency our
federal and local authorities have to solve complex social, economical
and psychological problems.
The future membership of the Consultative committee, big Finno-Ugrian
organizations, in our opinion, must back the moral and physical
health of the Finno-Ugrian peoples with every means and in every
may possible. Distemper, disturbances in Russia should not ruin
eternal values in our conscience - care for the motherland, the
native people, respect for the elders and domesticity. The Man-wide
movement - Mari national congress - and the All-Mari council hold
the formation of high civic qualities of the Mari people one of
the main directions of their activities. Government of Mari El
is joint with us. Upon a proposal of Mari society government of
Mari El carried a decree to validate the 10th of December as an
official holiday - the Day of Mari written language; on 26th of
April we organize official events devoted to the Day of the Mari
hero. National sanctities, historic heroes of the nation and the
cult of the Mother-Nature return back into the world view of the
Mari. This a natural and a very significant side of the Mari mentality.
But at the threshold to the 21 century we think about participation
of the Man at global processes transforming the human society.
Partaking at the integrationist movement in our continent presupposes
mastering of new technologies, knowledge of foreign languages
and readiness to embark into a dialogue of cultures. These issues
were discussed by us in details at the V All-Mari congress in
the last summer. On the strength of the decisions of that meeting
we supposed for the Consultative committee that a Finno-Ugrian
Internet forum should be prepared and carried out in 2001. And
it will take place in two phases, one being in Yoshkar-Ola and
the next in Syktyvkar.
However, now the concern of every Mari is the problem of broadening
of the native language's functions and its adaptation to the conditions
of the information society. Government of Mari El with an active
participation of the All-Mari council settled down to the Programme
on development of the Mari language. Its main result will be a
significant increase in the information volume received by the
Mari in their native language. Now, regrettably, we receive by
means of the Russian language above 80% of the information necessary
for obtaining the education, making a carrier in occupation and
creative work. In the next 1-15 years we purpose to change the
situation: introduce the teaching of the basic subjects in the
Mari language at school, expand TV and radio broadcasting in the
native language, translate and publish quality works of the world
classic literature in our mother language and practically realize
its official status in the republic. The experience of the language
construction in Hungary, Finland and Estonia - which they generously
share with us - is of special importance for us. We are truly
thankful to governments and parliaments of Finland, Estonia and
Hungary for their moral and material support to our programs of
national development.
Here in Helsinki many projects and programs on assistance to
the Mari, Komi, Udmurts and other eastern Finno-Ugrians originated
and were developed. In the Finnish capital, big scientific centres
hundreds of enthusiasts study languages, culture and history of
the Finno-Ugrians of Russia. We hear the voice of Helsinki in
the Mari language over the ether. On behalf of the Mari people
I should like to express sincere gratitude to the Finns - the
organisers of this forum - I wish peace and prosperity to the
Finnish people.
Dear friends, relatives!
Our spiritual unity and pursuit of cooperation has one high goal
- preserve the multicolour of languages and cultures in the Finno-Ugrian
world. For the sake of this great goal we came together here.
The Mari have made a worthy contribution and are ready to make
it further to strengthening of our relations. I wish prosperity
to every and all of our nations! Thank you!
Source: III World Congress of
the Finno-Ugrian Peoples. Helsinki, 2000 [Joshkar-Ola, 2001],
pp 50–52.
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