State of the World's Minorities and Indigenous Peoples 2016 - Case study: Estonia's Seto people host Finno-Ugric Capital of Culture in Obinitsa village

By Annela Laaneots

Seto are indigenous to the territories of what is now south-east Estonia and north-west Russia. But while in Russia Seto are recognized as a small indigenous people, in Estonia their status has not been formally recognized, despite their self-identification. With a total population of 12,000, of whom 2,000 live in Setomaa, their traditional territory, Seto have a unique identity sustained by their own language, heritage and identity. An example of this is Seto polyphonic 'leelo' singing, a tradition included on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's global list of intangible cultural heritage and an important source of pride for the community.

The year 2015 was a remarkable one for Seto people as one of their cultural centres, the village of Obinitsa, held the title of Finno-Ugric Capital of Culture. This annual award was developed by the Youth Association of Finno-Ugric Peoples (MAFUN) with the aim of strengthening the common identity of Finno-Ugric peoples, to which Seto belong, raising awareness of kindred Finno-Ugric communities and languages, as well as stimulating local development in different Finno-Ugric regions. Loosely modelled after the European Capitals of Culture programme, it has been adapted to reflect Finno-Ugric realities. This means a focus on rural areas as the primary repositories of the living Finno-Ugric heritage.

As the Seto village of Obinitsa has a long history of collaboration with other Finno-Ugric peoples, the title was well-deserved. The central objective was to mutually learn and teach about different aspects of cultural heritage between communities: for example, Seto masters taught representatives of other Finno-Ugric peoples the community's handicrafts, cooking, singing and dancing, while at the same time learning from their counterparts. These exchanges led to a number of new creative economy initiatives, including in the field of tourism development. During the year, over 60 cultural events – exhibitions, workshops, concerts, film festivals and much more – were held. A new art gallery and a Finno-Ugric flag square were opened. As a result, this tiny village of 168 residents hosted over 25,000 visitors.

In addition to holding traditional cultural events, Obinitsa became an arena to discuss a number of topics of central importance for Finno-Ugric communities, many of whom are facing a dramatic decline in the number of people who can speak their languages and the threat of assimilation into dominant cultures. A conference on ethno-futurism (an international movement with Estonian, including Seto, roots) and a Forum of Finno-Ugric Villages are just a few examples of how Obinitsa served as both a cultural and intellectual centre for the Finno-Ugric world. A key factor of Obinitsa's success as Finno-Ugric Capital of Culture was effective communication about the initiative both in Estonia and other Finno-Ugric countries and regions. This was accomplished through, for example, a multimedia website, an active social media presence, webcasts of video clips documenting nearly every programme event and a special Setomaa theme page on Estonia's most popular web portal.

While Obinitsa also faced a number of challenges during the year, such as mobilizing the entire village population and ensuring sufficient financing to support the year's ambitious programme, the end result was a remarkable success, and an inspiration both for Seto people and other kindred Finno-Ugric peoples. The initiative is an impressive example of how cultural heritage can be placed in the service of not only artistic and intellectual expression, but also further socio-economic development and broader recognition of an indigenous community.