A new book about the funeral culture of Karelia

In October, the publishing house “MIF” published a popular scientific monograph “Furier rites in Karelia”, dedicated to the traditional attitude of the Karelian people to death. The authors of the publication were ethnologists of the Karelian Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences Alexei Konkka and Sergey Minvaleev.

The full title of the work is “The Funeral Rites in Karelia”. The Karsikko tree, the way to Tuonela and the mighty ancestors of the Sunduzet”. As explained by the senior researcher of the sector of ethnology of KarRC RAS Alexei Konkka, in the center of the narrative is the idea of the path: for ancestors, the most difficult journey was the transition to the afterlife (Tuonelu). So that the soul would not perish on the road and not get stuck between worlds, the living had to strictly observe the funeral ritual. Only after the correct rite, the deceased became a powerful defender of the clan - shunduzet (from the Karelian syndy - birth).

The publication deals in detail with ideas about the afterlife, ritually processed tree-signs (karsikko), tombstone structures and memorial customs.

The work is based on many years of field research, archival data and the works of predecessors. The interest of the publishing house to the topic arose not by chance: during the pandemic, the authors actively appeared in podcasts and on public platforms, where they talked about the phenomenon of death, which attracted the attention of the editorial staff of MYTH.

The book by Alexei Konkka (author of more than 100 scientific papers, who visited 70 expeditions and explored 346 cemeteries in Northern Europe) and his colleague Sergey Minvaleev is supplemented with photographs, a dictionary of terms and a list of literature.

Ethnologists note that this is the most modern publication on the topic of the funeral rites of the region. They hope that the monograph will help readers not only understand ancient practices, but also live through the grief of loss more easily.