"Bobrozero" - a film of the Presidential Library illustrates the life of modern Vepsians

The Presidential Library provides in the public domain on the institution's portal the documentary "Bobrozero", which tells about the life of modern Vepsians - the descendants of a strong and noticeable tribe in ancient times.

It is mentioned from the 6th to the 14th century in the works of Western European and Eastern travelers and researchers, as well as in Russian chronicles.

Since time immemorial, this small people lived on the territory between three lakes: Onega, Ladoga and White. The Vepsians lived in separate groups, they were not united administratively, although for at least 200 years they occupied a single territory, which is now part of three large administrative entities: the Republic of Karelia, Leningrad and Vologda Regions. According to the last census, the number of Veps was about 6,000 people.

To learn about the traditions and life of modern Vepsians, the Presidential Library's film group went to Bobrozero - this is the name of a village in the northeast of the Leningrad Region, 400 km from St. Petersburg. 

The village, scattered over gentle ravine hills, is nothing at all: out of 90 houses, only three remained inhabited ... One of them belongs to Vyacheslav Andreyevich Vasiliev, the head of the Varasta folklore ensemble. Members of the ensemble often come to visit him. In Bobrozero they study the language, traditions, folk art and songs of the Vepsians. Their singing in Vepsian language accompanies the entire more than half an hour film. 

The film illustrates the life of modern Vepsians. The residents tell about their traditions. The house of Vyacheslav Vasiliev has no signs of despondency: the owner is playing the psaltery, one of the ensemble members takes out the hot potato gates from the oven, others roll wool to make felt boots, embroider, and make tiny funny dolls. And they sing songs that they had heard from their grandmothers...The strong sonorous voice of Anna Molodtseva, the soloist of the Varasta folklore ensemble, stands out against the general background.

The head of the musical group Vyacheslav Andreevich was born and raised in this village. He has assembled a unique collection of antiques, the purpose of which is no longer familiar to anyone, and demonstrates them, giving short explanations: "What is this?" - he asks, picking up a familiar, like an object of kitchen utensils, seemingly shaped like a teapot... But this is a milk box with which the hostess went to milk the cow.

"What traits does a Vepsian girl have?" - the guests asked the girls singing in the ensemble. “The Vepsian girl is hardworking”, - replies Anna Molodtseva, - it was necessary to prepare a dowry for yourself so that everyone would understand: you are of marriageable age. And by her outward appearance they could determine: the girl is hardworking, handicraft, evaluate what kind of sundress she has, a shirt decorated with embroidery". 

"And what character traits distinguish a Vepsian man?" - the guests are interested. “The Vepsian man is laconic, - answers Vyacheslav Andreevich, - the Vepsian man loves to work. If the hunt, then long, if the fishing, then long, so that he has time to miss him, and the family for him. We went out in the morning with a minimum of food, because we had to get more berries along the way for evening tea or breakfast. And these campaigns formed, probably, any Vepsian man".

The Vepsians of the Onega-Belozersk watershed have no special name. They call themselves and other Vepsians “local”, and define their language as “speaks our way”. “Before, we spoke exclusively Vepsian, Russian speech was funny for us…. We loved our smooth one, and we try to keep it in our songs”, - Vasiliev continues.

The oldest resident of the village of Bobrozero, Evdokia Timofeevna Shilova, is about 100 years old.

"Have you lived your life happily?" - Tatiana Dyakonova, the film director, asks Evdokia Timofeevna. "Happily. So happily; both people and we lived. I cut myself, quilted sweatshirts myself. I have an old car, I could sew anything on the machine - I used to sew pants, and sweatshirts, and suits...I could do everything. She knew how to reap, she knew how to thresh, she knew how to shear sheep, she knew how to spin”. 

When they ask these last old residents why they didn’t leave for the city, the answer is usually the same: “I don’t want to, I don’t want to...I like to live in the village”. "What do you like there exactly?" "Nature ...work."

The film "Bobrozero" is available on Presidential Library’s portal in Audiovisual materials section in the subsection "Documentaries".