Nassians - Culture and language
Niinasinaku
- Eettemö it enessükü
Kertési, (greetings
to you)
is the
greeting you may hear meeting Nassian (or "niinasinaku, nasinaka" in
their
language).
This
page is dedicated to the brief description of the cultural evolution of Nassians
and description of their language. Our aim is to build up a complex information
source about this phenomenon. We hope, that you will find these pages inspiring
and interesting.
Änäeettinö! (see
you again)
Niinasinaku, Niiosseraku
- People of the Lakes
1 - How it began
Imagine
that in the II. cc EC, around the Lake Ilmen,
there lived two Slavonic tribes: Slovianians
and Ilmenians. Fairy tails about game-rich forests and vast lakes full
of fish of the North came to the people. Both tribes listened to the
voices of gods and followed them. They crossed the rivers Siirä,
Neppä, they sailed Ossëro Neppö (Lake Ladoga)
and entered the
Lake
Land. They met several tribes already settled there
- Vepsä, Vakja, Tšuudi, Hämek, Soomi, Merja and Sammi.
They built communities around the lakes, they fought with their neighbours,
and they established trade and peace agreements. In the end, by about
the VIII. cc EC, as far as Ossëro Ulo (Lake Oulu)
on north and Onëkka
Rooka (River Onega) on east, all the land was settled by former Ilmen
tribes. To show
their
solidarity to
all
the
people
of
Ugro-Finnic origin, they started to call them Ninasu, Nasinaki,
which means "ours"; later it became general name for nation of the Lake Land.
Their
Slavic
brothers
from
south
called
them Ozeri,
people from lakes; the Germans either Ossere or Norwenden,
the northern Slavs.
Frequent wars with the Germanic tribes quickened the
establishing of local principalities in the VIII. cc E.C. and
allowed slow movement from traditional oppëka (community) to modern
feudal social relations. But still, institutions like ratta (council)
remained, although landlords assumed military power. The Nassians built up
a unique culture, based on their early separation from other Slavs, their
late and incomplete acceptance of Christianity (early influence of Orthodox
Church and - in the XV. cc E.C. - from reformist Sweden created
a syncretic religion called Eerä - faith, belief), based on their
assimilation of several Finno-Ugric tribe (including the Karels) and based
on their intense trade within the Hansa.
2 - Nassian, nasėku
enessükü - their
language
3
- The State of Nassians (Nassland), Nasëku Eesemirü (Nasina) - where do they live
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Jan Havliš, John Cowan
