MORDVA

MORDVA, people, the dominant population of the Republic of Mordovia. There lived 20.3 thous. M. in the RB in 2010: Sterlitamak — 4,1 thous., Ufa — 2,7 thous., Salavat — 1,2 thous., in rural areas: Fyodorovsky Raion — 1,9 thous., Belebeyevsky Raion — 1 thousand. There are two subethnos in the Mordovian ethnos: Erzya and Moksha, as well as ethnographic groups Karatai and Shoksha. The majority of the Mordovian population of the RB are Erzians. Mass resettlement of M. to the terr. of Bashkortostan, which began after the decrees of February 11th, 1736, allowing to buy Bashkir lands, reached its maximum activity in the 2nd half of the 19th century (ref. Settlement movement). In Ufa Gub. M. mostly lived in Belebeyevsky and Sterlitamaksky uyezds, while in Orenburg Gub. in Orenburgsky, Orsky uyezds.

M. were mostly involved in agriculture, but they also did cattle breeding, gardening, bee‑keeping, hunting, and fishing. Traditional settlements of M. were located on the banks of rivers and had primarily linear (at Erzya subethnos) or hectic (at Moksha subethnos) layout. The dwellings were 1–3‑chamber log houses with a low foundation and adobe or clay huts. M. cuisine is mostly based on the use of agricultural products, while fish dishes are also very popular. The traditional spiritual culture mostly consists of the pre‑Christian religious views, rituals and customs.

There are the Mordovian National Cultural Centre, the Mordovian Historical and Cultural Centre in the RB. Mordovian languages are taught in a number of schools in the RB. There are Mordovian amateur creative groups.