7 wonders of the Soykinsky Peninsula
The Soykinsky Peninsula is figuratively called the capital of the Izhora land. The Izhorians is a Finno-Ugric nation, one of the Small Nations of Russia. The Izhorians and Vod have inhabited Leningrad Oblast (northwestern part of Russia) since ancient times. The toponym "Izhora" probably comes from the Karelian "inkeri maa", which means "beautiful land". According to another version, the word “Izhora” means “rude, unfriendly” in Finnish. Anyway, anthropological studies have shown that the ancestors of the Izhorians were the first people who settled on lands that are adjacent to modern St. Petersburg. The Izhora Upland, the area south to the Neva River, is named after this Finno-Ugric nation.The Izhora language originated from the Old Karelian language and belongs to the Baltic-Finnish group of Finno-Ugric languages. There are four dialects in the Izhora language. In 2009, the Izhora language was included in the Atlas of Endangered Languages of the World as “critically endangered” by UNESCO.The Izhorians were engaged in agriculture, cattle breeding, fishing, forestry. They cultivated cereals (rye, oats, barley), flax, hemp, vegetables (turnips, cabbage). Since the 19th century, they also started to cultivate potatoes. In the 19th century seasonal works, intermediate trade, crafts, including pottery and woodworking, were developed. In Bolshoye Stremlenie village pottery was created. These were various ceramic products, from huge sponge dishes in the yellow or brown glaze to small pots. The white dishes looked like expensive porcelain. These dishes were often taken across the Gulf of Finland by sailing boats to Finnish fairs.Today you can hear the Izhora language only at the Soikinsky Peninsula which is located on the south coast of the Gulf of Finland. Mostly old persons speak this language. On the south coast, the ancient villages are situated, namely Vistino, Ruchi, Gorki, Glinki. The last population census showed that only 276 Izhorians live there. The censuses did not take into account those inhabitants who have registration of Russian nationality in a passport. According to scientific data, the population of Izhorians is about one thousand people.
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