Lemminkäinen
06-25-2025, 10:15 AM
A new Russian study (link ) describes the history, genetics and migrations of the Baltic-Finnic groups around the Baltic, Ladoga and White Sea. Overall, I think the description is accurate. The usual conceptual blunders of non-Finns and non-Estonians regarding the words Finnic and Finno-Ugric are also largely avoided, but not completely. The research is groundbreaking in a way, because nothing similar has been done by Finns and Estonians. This does not mean that Finns and Estonians do not know the same things. However, this study provides a lot of new information for those less familiar with the subject.
Seen through the eyes of a Finn, the history of the eastern Baltic-Finnic groups gets a special mention, which I think is broadly correct. The division into Karelian language and Karelian dialect will not be made. I would have liked clarifications on other language issues as well. The timings of the migrations of the eastern Baltic-Finnic groups give special reason for thanks. I also found new information from these, and I strongly believe in the Russians' know-how. A small minus is that first the birth of these groups is described correctly as a result of the west-east migrations of the first millennium, which surprised me, because in Russian studies, Baltic-Finnic migrations to the Baltic Sea are usually described only in the opposite order, and then in the genetics part of the study, the grouping is done on the basis of eastern groups.
Seen on the basis of old information, the Tarand burial method is somewhat illogically connected to the easternmost branch of the N-haplogroup. The branch Z1927 is characteristic for the eastern Baltic-Finnic groups and the Tarand graves are part of the western Baltic-Finnic culture. Although this contradiction is noticed, there is no explanation. The significance of the Tarand graves in the investigation of the origin of the Baltic-Finnic populations is seen as essential. However, it must be reminded that the presence of Z1927 in Karelia alone does not necessarily prove the direction of migration. Very often mixing of different populations and population bottlenecks cause local changes in both culture and inheritance, and it cannot be assumed that Z1927 was involved in the migration that led to the spread of the Tarand burial.
I don't comment on the genetic results because I don't have the necessary material to make comparisons.
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4425/15/12/1610
Seen through the eyes of a Finn, the history of the eastern Baltic-Finnic groups gets a special mention, which I think is broadly correct. The division into Karelian language and Karelian dialect will not be made. I would have liked clarifications on other language issues as well. The timings of the migrations of the eastern Baltic-Finnic groups give special reason for thanks. I also found new information from these, and I strongly believe in the Russians' know-how. A small minus is that first the birth of these groups is described correctly as a result of the west-east migrations of the first millennium, which surprised me, because in Russian studies, Baltic-Finnic migrations to the Baltic Sea are usually described only in the opposite order, and then in the genetics part of the study, the grouping is done on the basis of eastern groups.
Seen on the basis of old information, the Tarand burial method is somewhat illogically connected to the easternmost branch of the N-haplogroup. The branch Z1927 is characteristic for the eastern Baltic-Finnic groups and the Tarand graves are part of the western Baltic-Finnic culture. Although this contradiction is noticed, there is no explanation. The significance of the Tarand graves in the investigation of the origin of the Baltic-Finnic populations is seen as essential. However, it must be reminded that the presence of Z1927 in Karelia alone does not necessarily prove the direction of migration. Very often mixing of different populations and population bottlenecks cause local changes in both culture and inheritance, and it cannot be assumed that Z1927 was involved in the migration that led to the spread of the Tarand burial.
I don't comment on the genetic results because I don't have the necessary material to make comparisons.
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4425/15/12/1610