A clean toilet is no small thing. Language kindergarten: the main thing is to hug children

House of the Karelian language in an old Karelian village Vedlozero, Pryazhinsky National District known both in Karelia and beyond. The phenomenon is unique.

Instead of mourning the extinction of the Karelian language and all three of its dialects along with the majority of Livvik Karelians Olga Gokkoeva turned to the residents of Vedlozero with a proposal to build such a house, open to all villagers, young and old, in which cultural life villages. And most importantly, that it is possible and necessary to speak Karelian in it.

Olga Gokkoeva - from the ancient Karelian family of Egorovs, whose roots are in the village next to Vedlozero Kinerma. Olga and her sister Nadezhda Kalmykova were born in Petrozavodsk. The hope of restoring the historical appearance of Kinerma and its status was chosen as the business of her life, and the sisters began and successfully continued the process of “revitalization” and renewal of Kinerma together. But in 2013, Olga headed the Karelian regional public organization "House of the Karelian language" in Vedlozer. The charter of the organization has two main goals: the development of the Karelian language and the improvement of the quality of life local residents.

Funds for the construction of the house were collected by the whole world. We organized charity events in Pryazha and Petrozavodsk. But what is characteristic, they did not stand with outstretched hands, but tried to earn money: they participated in competitions, received grants, gave paid concerts, baked and sold an unmeasured amount of delicious gates ... The foundation of a 500 sq. m was laid in 2013, and in January 2015 the first circles began to work in the House of the Karelian Language. At the end 2016 construction of the second floor has begun, where it is planned to equip theater hall and several guest rooms for volunteers and guests of the House.

Cooperation with a school, a kindergarten, a library helps to attract the population to both Karelian lessons and master classes in Karelian needlework and Karelian pastries. Members of the “Interlocutor” club gather here, but, friends, look at why the inhabitants of Vedlozero and the surrounding villages look into the House, and you will understand that it cannot be called either a club or a rural house of culture. It's perfect new community people who have their own good home.

In the House you can do physical education with a virtual trainer in Karelian, do laundry in the laundry, access the Internet, listen to audio books in Karelian, take books home to read or buy books, measure blood pressure and buy handicrafts of local craftswomen.

spring 2017"Language nest" for children started working in the House of the Karelian language preschool age, whose work is also financed through donations and grants. In the spring, the "language nest" will work every day for half a day, and from autumn it will be a whole day. In the “language nest”, only Karelian is spoken to children, which will help children learn Karelian as their native language.

In the assets of the National Editorial GTRK "Karelia" there is an educational and entertaining program "Fixu-Muksu" for curious schoolchildren and their parents in Karelian with Russian subtitles. We offer you to watch one of the episodes of this program, the theme of which is the House of the Karelian Language in Vedlozero.

The house of the Karelian language is unique project across Russia. Local residents with Vedlozero joined forces to preserve their mother tongue and improving the quality of life of local residents. The project united not only the inhabitants of the village, but also the whole of Karelia and even other regions of Russia, and became widely known.

It all started in July 2012 with great anxiety about the fate of the native language, a burning desire to make life in my native village more attractive and with zero budget. An old building was chosen, which was supposed to be repaired on its own. Unfortunately, the building was not subject to restoration and it was decided to dismantle it.

During the subbotniks, the building was demolished in one summer. At the same time, fundraising began for the construction of a new building. The foundation of the new House was poured in October 2013, and in January 2015 activists celebrated New Year in two insulated rooms, despite construction work.

Fundraising is ongoing different ways, this and holding charity concerts, and selling baked goods and handicrafts. Construction work is progressing as funds are raised. The first floor has now been fully commissioned. There are meeting and training rooms, a kitchen, an arts and crafts room, a children's playroom and a laundry room.

Local residents lead circles on their own and organize holidays and meetings, there are children's and adult theater groups. The house often receives guests and has become a venue for many international seminars.

In the multifunctional House of the Karelian language, you can learn needlework, the Karelian language, do needlework on your own, including weaving rugs, engage in physical education, become a member of a children's or adult theater group, wash clothes, listen to audio books or borrow books from the library, drink tea and hold gatherings, go online or just print documents.

All this increases the attractiveness of the village and the quality of life of local residents. Thanks to the work of the House of the Karelian Language, many other local residents became more active, who believed in themselves and took up the arrangement of their living environment.

Good begets good.

The house of the Karelian language in the village of Vedlozero is a unique phenomenon. This is not the House of Culture in its usual sense: it does not resemble it either externally or in its content. One of the creators of the House, Olga Gokkoeva, calls it a “multifunctional center”. Meetings, seminars, theatrical performances. People come to the house to attend clubs, read books, go in for sports and just chat in Karelian. The history of the appearance of the House is also interesting. The correspondent of "" visited the House of the Karelian Language to understand what united the villagers and how the Karelian language will help the development of the republic.

Story

Olga Gokkoeva begins her story about the House of the Karelian Language from the hall. On the walls - the whole history of its creation from the idea to the embodiment in photographs.

In 2012, we decided that a separate room was needed for the development of the Karelian language. Together with the local administration, they chose an old abandoned building on a mountain. They wanted to repair it, but they began to dismantle the casing and realized that it was impossible to restore it - the load-bearing walls were removed incorrectly, the roof was leaking for a long time, - says Olga and shows photos.

Olga Gokkoeva

The enthusiasm of the volunteers was enough for many things: almost every day throughout the summer of 2012 they dismantled the old building and freed the site for the new one. An architectural bureau in Petrozavodsk helped to develop the project of the House - together with Finnish architects they made a sketch of the future house. And on October 13, 2013, the foundation was laid. However, neither the local administration nor the activists had money for something more.

It was very scary, because there was no funding, we collected all the money ourselves. Donations, assistance from public organizations, sale of pies, own products, books. Thousands and thousands of gates were baked and sold, Olga shares.

By joint efforts, 4.5 million rubles were collected for the construction of the House of the Karelian Language. There was enough money for the construction of the frame and the cladding of the facade. Another 200 thousand received from the European Union for the installation of windows.

Today Olga speaks with gratitude about every sponsor and helper. Separate words of gratitude go to the head of the republic. Journalists are more accustomed to listening to criticism of the authorities, but Olga Gokkoeva notes Alexander Khudilainen's contribution to the emergence of the House separately.

In general, this is the first Karelian leader who is not really afraid of activists. I've been doing it for a very long time social activities and in my work I communicate with many leaders from the North-West of Russia and Moscow, and this is actually rare person whose eyes are on fire. Usually, the leaders bypass me, and Alexander Petrovich, on the contrary, has already been to the House of the Karelian Language five times in three years, and also turned to the enterprises of Karelia, and they allocated 600 thousand rubles to us, ”says Olga.

With this money, the main thing was built in the House, without which the discovery would not have been possible - two large furnaces. Timber processing enterprises of the republic allocated boards. So it was possible to complete the work on the first floor, and the House was officially opened.

Life in the house

Inside the House of the Karelian Language is cozy and warm. This atmosphere was created and now maintained by the inhabitants of Vedlozero themselves: they bring flowers, curtains, rugs, etc.

All that is inside the House are gifts. We did not buy anything ourselves, - Olga Gokkoeva continues the tour. - Alla Zotkina arranged chairs for seminars from Petrozavodsk, furniture - from Finland, cabinets - from Pryazha school. The kitchen was made for us by a master from Finland, he bought materials in Petrozavodsk, and he did it on the spot himself. Of our employees, only a part-time methodologist works, we have neither a watchman nor a cleaner. Everything is done on Saturdays. I don’t even know who brought these flowers, who waters them. I don't know who planted the flowers on the veranda. Everything lives its own life - whoever can help, comes and helps. I think this is such an exceptional phenomenon, even on a Russian scale.

Anyone can come to the house at almost any time. Here you can just drink tea, listen to music, read, or you can sign up for needlework courses or theater Club. According to Olga, the Vedlozero children love the House (after school they come to do their homework or play), and local grandmothers (often come to even just sit and relax on the way home from the store).

Olga shows another "attraction" of the House - the only public sitting toilet in all Vedlozero. Nearby is a room with a washing machine.

I came to the circle, at the same time I washed things, - Olga laughs.

And here they also hold holidays (weddings and birthdays), seminars, arrange creative evenings. The theater troupe appeared a year and a half ago along with the house itself. Amateur actors play only in Karelian. The performances have become so popular with the locals that the small auditorium on the first floor attracts full houses.

A lot of people come. When we first started, everyone said that it would be a hotel for the Finns. If in September last year there were 100 visits, then in December there were already 500 per month. And this despite the fact that 1,000 people live in the village, - says Olga Gokkoeva.

The only thing strictly prohibited in the house is alcohol. According to Olga, residents of Vedlozero fulfill the norm for alcohol in other houses, for this the House of the Karelian Language is not needed.

Language and Karelians

In Karelian, the name of the House is Karjalan kielen kodi. Even those who do not speak Karelian have learned it. In general, half of the population speaks the language in Vedlozero itself. Meanwhile, activists are confident that the Karelian language can become a trump card of the republic, and will also help Karelia in economic growth and tourism development. There is a fashion for the language - training courses do not accommodate everyone who wants to learn Karelian.

One can imagine: a person arrives and hears speech foreign to him on the streets of Petrozavodsk, and he will have the feeling that he has been to the Baltic States, for example. This would attract tourists more than the faceless, no different Republic of Karelia. Language can be branded. After all, tourists do not usually go to clubs, but they are interested in coming to us, to see what kind of House of the Karelian language this is, - Olga shares her thoughts.

At the same time, she is sure that the development and support of the language at the state level will give confidence to the Karelians themselves. Today, thanks to the House of the Karelian Language, more people have begun to speak it. Here they teach not only the language itself, but also create an atmosphere in which a person becomes liberated and begins to communicate in Karelian. According to the Karelians themselves, many of them are simply embarrassed to speak in public, despite the fact that they know the language.

Karelians are partisans, they speak the language at home, but refuse outside. If all Karelians organized a flash mob on the same day and spoke only Karelian, then everyone would be shocked by how many Karelians know the language, - says Olga.

The future of home

The house of the Karelian language is not country house culture. Its owners strongly resist this name. Olga Gokkoeva calls the House a "multifunctional center". But the plans include the creation of an "international center of competence in the Karelian language." Despite the complexity of the name, the idea is simple - the development of the language at the international level.

The local level is the services that are now provided to the local population every day. We want to be active participants in the development of the Pryazha region, we also make our contribution to the republic, and on an international scale, we want any person from any corner of the world who wants to learn the Karelian language to have this opportunity. In the future, we plan to hold webinars and Skype training. If we were an ordinary village club, then this would not have happened. So you will hear about Vedlozero, - Olga Gokkoeva shares her plans.

Now money for the development of the House comes less and less. According to Olga's calculations, in order to fully launch the House, another one and a half million rubles are needed. Volunteers earn some money - they sell pies, crafts, and other products. Every penny goes to the piggy bank.

In addition to plans for construction, the House also needs money for maintenance - payment of utility bills. And you have to pay a lot - the rates for a legal entity are several times higher than for ordinary residents.

We also collect money to pay bills. But electricity was not paid for three years. There was no book. We are preparing to lay out a round sum, - says Olga.

Recently, the Karelian Language House project received a grant of 900,000 rubles from the Perspektiva Foundation. With this money, the village organizes a series of thematic meetings on Karelian culture, language and needlework and the work of theater groups for adults and children, and equips a theater hall.

And on November 4, Olga Gokkoeva became the laureate of the "I am a Citizen" award in the "Development of rural areas and small towns" nomination. This victory brought Olga a prize of 200 thousand rubles. And they will also go to the development of the House.

Perhaps some of the readers of "" have never heard the Karelian language. For them - a small excerpt of a song performed by residents of Vedlozero and active participants life in the House of the Karelian language.

We live in the wonderful Republic of Karelia, but not all of us know the Karelian language. Yes, unfortunately, the Karelian language is gradually losing its positions. At various conferences and seminars, scientists prophesy a sad fate for the Karelian people. It's like that. But really, this is not the time to give up! This is exactly what they decided in the village of Vedlozero and they were going to build the House of the Karelian Language! The house is the place where the Karelian language will always live, since only Karelian will be spoken there and all its activities will be in the native language of the Karelians. "Karjalan kielen kodi" is not the House of Culture in its usual sense - it is the House of the village, where you can come to chat with friends, do fitness, bake pies or learn some arts and crafts. It will also have a laundry room and a small hotel on the second floor. The Karelian Language House will be the first organization to offer Karelian language courses for adults not only through live practice, but also remotely via the Internet.

The construction of the House of the Karelian Language is a unique project to preserve the native language of the indigenous population of the region, therefore public initiative was supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the administration of the Pryazha National District. Republican Center for National Cultures and folk art organizes two charity concerts: orchestra of Russian folk instruments"Onego" and the symphony orchestra of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The first concert will take place in Pryazha on November 10 at 4 pm. A November 17 Symphony Orchestra will perform in Petrozavodsk at the State Philharmonic.

But that is not all! On November 9, with the support of the Center for National Cultures in Pryazha, an ethnic party will be held, at which youth folk groups of Karelia will perform. All funds raised from ticket sales will be used to build the House.

It should be noted that not only the authorities support the idea of ​​creating Karjalan kielen kodi. The Center for the Development of Volunteerism of the Republic of Kazakhstan is forming a team of volunteers, which until the summer of 2014 will organize and conduct events in support of the House. The first large-scale event of volunteers, together with the Ethnocultural Center of the Pryazha District, will be the Fair of Cultural Initiatives. The fair, which will bring together representatives of all the Ethnocultural centers of Karelia, will be held in Pryazha on November 10 from 12:00 to 15:00.

Each Ethnocultural Center has its own direction, the development of which it is engaged in: folk choir preserves the unique heritage of head singing, the Olonets Ethnocultural Center carefully preserves the craft traditions of its region, Kalevala is the land of rune singing and the traditions of making Karelian folk instruments. The Republic has a huge cultural heritage of the Karelian, Russian, Vepsian, Finnish and other peoples living in our region. And it is at the Fair that you can get acquainted with the activities ethnocultural centers, buy souvenirs of artisans, attend a concert folk groups Karelia, attend the presentation of the House of the Karelian Language and see the performances of the Karelian-speaking theater groups Republic. There will be performances by the Essoyl children's group "Rodnichok" and the theater "Čičiliušku", well-known in many European countries, which will give children an excerpt from the play "Koirien Kalevala". Guests will be able to take part in master classes in pottery, weaving from birch bark, cooking kozul - traditional pastries of Pomors, creating woven belts and much more.

The "culture" of Karelia is united for a big and significant cause - the preservation of the Karelian language and the traditions of the people, but without the support of the population of the republic and, most importantly, the Pryazha region, all work may be in vain! Come to the Fair - support the project of the House of the Karelian Language and thus the entire Karelian people!

The official history of Vedlozero begins in the 16th century. The cadastres of the Obonezh Pyatina (1563) mention the villages of the Vedlozero churchyard: Korbnavolok, Zayachya Gora, Kipnavolok on Nyalmozero and Sal-Ostrov.

According to legend, a merchant was driving along a winding forest road. Suddenly he sees: a lake. And after him another.

- Viel jarvi / Another lake! cried the emotionally unstable merchant. So then they called the big village on the shore.

Vedlozero / Vieljärvi

We will not return to the Obonezh Pyatina, but will turn to means more mass media. What was written about Vedlozero in the newspapers - in the twentieth century, for example?

IN THE WILD KOREL, S. Losev // Olonets Provincial Gazette, 1902

On November 10, 1901, past, I visited the Vedlozero one-class M.N.P. school and found there, among other things, the following.

Each of the students, having arrived at the school, went to the school kitchen, where there was a washstand, and there washed himself with soap. Madame Zakharova, after that, examined each one and, if she found the child clean, let her into the classroom; if she found him not quite neat, she made him wash again. This order ensures that even in the classroom the children sit neatly, and they bring home with them something ennobling. I note this fact because, as far as I could observe life in the Korelian villages during my travels, the inhabitants of these villages obviously do not know what cleanliness is and do not seem to be burdened by the filth surrounding them.

And the day before, journalist Losev visited the parish church: “Here I experienced great pleasure! The children of the Vedlozero school in clean and bright clothes stood decorously in rows at the salts - the boys near the right kliros, the girls - near the left, and all together with those singing on the kliros firmly and according to the song of all the church chants laid down at the liturgy. Photo: Igor Georgievsky

"Olonets week", 1916:

I'm not talking about the conditions in which a teacher has to work, sometimes brought by the will of fate to a corner from where communication with the outside world happens once or twice a month. Ways of communication with the county center - along stumps, roots, stones. And now teachers and female teachers are still considered lucky when they receive mail once a week.

Vedlozero, 1922. From the memoirs of I. Petrov, Honored Agronomist of the KASSR. " Leninskaya Pravda", 1968:

Committed to eradicating illiteracy. Young and old, men and women sat at the desk. After a tedious working day without reminders and delays, I remember, elderly and young peasant women went to the educational program - Mikhailova, Koledova, Lukina, Sysoeva, Trifonova and many others. With them and members of their families: husbands, sons, daughters. Teachers of the Vedlozersky volost N.A. Anisimov, P.N. Malinina, K.N. Minorskaya, O.V. Anisimova, hut N.M. Moroshkin made every effort to educate people, to end the darkness.

"Komsomolets of Karelia", 1937:

In each village council there is a club of collective farmers, a library, a reading room. Where they did not see the printed word, now they read the works of Pushkin, Gorky, Shakespeare.

There are 9 libraries, 5 clubs, 11 reading rooms, 7 classrooms for 11 village councils of the new Vedlozersky district. 9 libraries of the district have a book fund of 15,670 books.

In 1930, a seven-year school appeared, which in 1938 became secondary.

All these years Vedlozero spoke Karelian. But in 1940, the language was deprived of official status and forcibly ousted from all areas of application. Except household.

Almost until the end of the twentieth century, people spoke their native language only at home.

Dream / Huaveh

“My mother was born in neighboring Kinerma,” says Olga Gokkoeva. “Now my sister Nadezhda lives in Kinerma with her family. But we grew up in Petrozavodsk, we came here only for the summer.

I remember, as a child, you ride a bus and hear only Karelian speech. And laughter, constant laughter! It feels like everyone is talking at the same time, no one is listening to each other - everyone is talking and everyone is laughing!

Olga already learned Karelian (as well as Finnish) at the university. He has been living in Finland for a long time, but he comes to Karelia all the time, and not only to see his sister. Olga built a house in Vedlozero. Not for myself, but for the villagers. House of the Karelian language.

Five years ago, Olga gathered local residents for the first meeting. She asked: do you want the House of the Karelian language? Interesting?

It turned out to be interesting. First, Vedlozero activists decided to find an old Karelian house. Not even necessarily Karelian - the main thing is that there is enough space.

Found a former kindergarten. But when they began to remove the casing, it turned out that the building was in such an emergency condition that it was easier to dismantle it and build a new one. And fundraising began: a long-term, planned one.

In the fall of 2013, the foundation was poured. Construction continues to this day: now the second floor is being landscaped.

- Where did we get the money? It's easy, says Olga. - If you want to attract someone, first you give all your funds. Personal. And then people see that things are going on and connect.

We have created a public organization. We started with charity concerts: in Petrozavodsk, in Pryazha - there was a big action. And not only in Karelia there was a fundraiser: in St. Petersburg, and in Moscow, and in Vyborg. Karelians live in Tver, and in Finland and Sweden.

Why does a resident of Finnish Oulu need all these troubles?

To date, 7 million rubles have been spent on the construction of the House of the Karelian Language. A premium will go to the insulation of the second floor: at the end of last year Public Chamber Russia awarded Olga Gokkoeva for civic engagement.

The award is called: "I am a citizen."

Language / Kieli

- They come to us very different people, - says Nina Barmina, she teaches her native language at the House. “Someone speaks Karelian since childhood, but cannot read and write, someone even hears Livvik’s speech for the first time. Of course, children come: they study their native language at school, but there are few lessons. And we have practice!

If you think that only verbs are taught here, then no. They sew, cook, do yoga, put on performances, celebrate holidays - and everything is in Karelian. Come from neighboring villages: from Kroshnozero, Kinelahta, Savinov. Just last week there were guests from Kolatselga - they taught local sulcinates to bake on coals.

“We try to focus on our native language,” says Olga Gokkoeva. - In Russian, it would be possible to develop activities here from morning to evening. And in Karelian it is very difficult. But people gave money to the House of the Karelian Language - they did not give to the House of Culture.

— They say you have a rule: speak only Karelian in the House?
— No, of course not! Some journalist came up with this at the very beginning and fired a bullet. And some are afraid to come in because of this, even the locals: they think that everything here is so harsh here. In fact, the Karelians are probably the most tolerant people I know.

Work / Ruado

Martti Penttonen - professor information technologies from Finland. In Vedlozero, Martti conducts computer literacy courses for schoolchildren - in Karelian.

This time he brought with him a new gadget, only appeared on the market in the summer. Mini robot, spherical ball. Controlled from a tablet. R2-D2 is sad behind the stove.

Martti doesn't speak Russian at all, but mutual language with schoolchildren finds quickly. Karelian.

By the way, there are a lot of circles here. Children's theater group, adult theater group. Club "Sobesednik", a club of lovers of Karelian songs. Complete freedom of creativity is not limited by anything. And the leaders of the circles for the most part work on a voluntary basis.

Seminars and forums are held in the House - everyone who is interested in the Karelian language comes here. By the way, this is also an opportunity to earn money: to meet, equip for work, feed.

The house belongs public organization and is self funded, no government funding. And the gates save the day: for last year sold for three hundred thousand!

People / Rahvas

“We have a Karelian (not Livvik!) Language House,” says Olga Gokkoeva. - We do not divide our people into Livviks, Ludiks and Karelians proper. And we work with everyone, we want people to hear each other.

- Do people in Vedlozero speak Karelian on the street, in the store?
Now it's very rare. Karelians in general are like partisans. They can live in Vedlozero all their lives and not know about each other: who speaks Karelian and who does not. Only at home, only with family.

Karelians are very shy. Often, when I call a person, I can immediately tell where he is - in the city or in the countryside. Because if in the village, he answers in Karelian, if in the city (especially in public place), will speak Russian.

“By the way, it’s not just about the language,” Olga continues. - The villagers are embarrassed that they are from the village: they want to look cultured, educated. As if village and culture are incompatible things! Emigrants abroad are embarrassed by the fact that they are Russian (I have encountered this). Children are left without their native language, and many are at risk. They lost themselves, these people.

I believe that without a native language and without understanding where you are coming from, it is very difficult to grow up as a harmonious person. For example, I feel good in any country, even if I don't know the language. Because I know who I am, I know where I'm from.

And I always proudly declare my origin. That's why I don't wear National costumes: after five minutes of talking with me, everyone knows that I am Karelian!

Home / Kodi

A thousand people permanently live in Vedlozero (much more in the summer, during the summer season). A state farm (milk-meat) and a sawmill operate here. There is a school, eleven-year-old: 120 students. There is a group on VKontakte: "Vedlozero is a world-class village."

House of the Karelian language / Karjalan kielen kodi - the present day of Vedlozero.

By the way, there is no future tense in the Karelian language. It is expressed in the present.

Prepare for the lesson:
Igor Georgievsky, photographer
Vladimir Volotovsky, operator
Ilya Dedyushko, director
Pavel Stepura, designer
Elena Fomina, editor of the Karelian Lessons project

With the support of the Ministry of the Republic of Karelia for national policy, relations with public, religious associations

— national project"Republic". We talk about the people who lived for centuries on the shores of Onega and Ladoga lakes, about our ancestors and contemporaries - about people. History and natural history, literature and geography, works and physical education: everything about Karelians, Finns, Vepsians.