THE YAZ'VA KOMI PEOPLE OF THE USSR

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000700010007-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 20, 2011
• Sequence Number: 7
• Publication Date: August 22, 1951
• Content Type: REPORT

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CONFIDENTIA 50X1-HUM
CLASSIFICATION CONFIDENTIAL
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY REPORT
INFORMATION FROM
FOREIGN DOCUMENTS OR RADIO BROADCASTS CO NO.
COUNTRY USS.k - Molotov Oblast DATE OF
INFORMATION 1950
SUBJECT Geographic. Sociological
HOW
PUBLISHED Quarterly periodical
WHERE
PUBLISHED Moscow
DATE
PUBLISHED Dec 1950
LANGUAGE
DATE DIST. U Aug 1951
NO. OF PAGES 4
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS INFORMATION AFFECTING THE NATIONAL DEFER IA
Of THE UNIFTS STATES MIT- TNt MEANING OF E5110NAGE ACT 10
U. 5 C I I AND St. AS ANIMALS. ITS TRANSMISSION OR THE HIVELATION
1RO
LAW. IN A11R000CTION OF THIS FORM OSIZ IROHIEITLD IS
NIAITE O CONTENTS
Sovetskaya Etnografiya, No 4, 1950.
THE YAZ'VA KDMI PEOPLE OF THE USSR
V. I. Lytkin
S. A. Popov
There are about 4,000 people who speak a dialect of the Komi languagq dif-
ferent from both the Komi-Permyak and Komi-Zyryan dialects, living in Krasno-
visherskiy Rayon, in the northeast part of Molotov Oblast. The ma rity of the
Komi people live in the Komi ASSR and the Komi-Perm National Okrug_/
The Komi population of Krasnovisherskiy Rayon lives in a small compact
group on the Yaz'Va River, a left tributary of the Vishera. Administratively
they form the Verkhneyaz'vinskiy Section (kust) of Krasnovisherskiy Rayon (the
rayon is divided into three sections: Visherskiy, Nizhneyaz-vinskiy, and Verkh-
neyaz'vinskiy). A broad belt of Russians along the Vishera and the Kama and
its tributaries separates the Yaz~va Komis from the other Komi people.
The Yaz'va Komi settlements are located in the middle and, in part, in
the upper reaches of the Yaz'va River, beginning about 30 kilometers from Kras-
novishersk, the rayon center. Krasnovishersk is a new city, grown up during
the Soviet period, and is located in the middle of a thick pine forest on the
bank of the Vishera.
The Yaz'va River is a small but swift mountain stream with small rapids.
In places there are deep pools and whirlpools. It has its source in one of the
offshoot ranges of the central Urals, called by the local Komis "Kvarkvozh"
(Kvark Range). In the region around the Yaz'va Komi settlements, travel on the
river is possible only by small boat, and to go upstream it is necessary to pole
or use tow ropes.
Verkhneyaz'viaskiy Section, within the boundaries of which the Yaz'va Komis
live, consists of six village soviets (Bychinskiy, Verkhneyaz'vinskiy, Timino-
Bel'kovakiy, Talavol'skiy, Antipinskiy, and Van'kovakiy), with 54 populated points
in all. Of the 54, only seven are located on the left side loffgtthe Yaz'va.ViThese
are,; Talitsa (also called Yevaina, or Vil'va) derevnya (village), on the
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River; Sysoyeva, Abramova, Aksenova, and Nefedova derevni, on the high left bank
of the Yaz'va opposite Antipina; and P'yankova and Pud'va derevni, on the Mel'
River and its tributary, the Pud'va Stream (rechushka). The remaining 7 PoPu-
lated points make up a compact group of settlements extending for 35-40
populated pens
along the Yaz'va and its right tributaries. The distance from one pop
tc another ranges from one half kilometer to 5 kilometers. een from Pa Almost all of the small area people a onlthe right
tank, Dychinskiy a Village Soviet.
bank of f the Yazaz' ?ra. The edge of the forest recedes here, and from this point on
up the river to the village of Antipina kolkhoz fields, broken here and there by
wooded areas, stretch out along the hillsides. On the horizon rises Antipina
Mountain, where the village of the same name is located. On clear days Cherdyn',
with its ancient churches, can be seen from Paleva with the naked eye.
The whole Verkhneyaz'vinskiy Section constitutes an -isian(niche midddlee of fir/ the thick forest. Thirty kilometers of voode -- spr cedforre varieties of cedar
(Pinus) and birch (Betuia), aspen (Populus
(Cedrus) -- lie between it and Krasnovishersk. There are Russduringian
along these 30 kilometers, Yaborovo and Parma (the
viet period), while near Krasnovishersk there is a third, Suyankova derevnya.
Konovalova derevnyo is the last populated point on the Yaz'va; beyond it there 50X1-HUM
is nothing but virgin forest.
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In their own tongue the Yaz'va Komis call their language "Krmi,' but when speaking
Russian they refer mselves "Permyaks,"
to it as "Permyak." They usually cul_ ?he
not "an the" although when possible they try to avoid the issue altogethr, as
Komis,
the term "~Permyak" carries a somewhat derogatory connotation. The neighboring
Russian population calls them "Permyaks."
Geographical proximity and close contact vith the Russian populationnmhas s. S
e had a great influence on the language of the jer.~hne azle in between there are a
speak Russian exclusively, others Komi excwholeely, whtion of the Verkhneyaz'vin-
number of bilingual groups. Roughly, t skiy Section can be divided into four linguistic groups:
1. People using Russian exclusively. These people do not understand Komi
at all. This group includes Kislovo, Mokhoto, and Ivachino de e ni, BBychinskiy
of about 280.
Village Soviet, and comprises 62 households with ae opulation.
These people are part of Russian, part
2. People using predominantly Russian. Russian sis spoken ome speak thbute cThhe
majority of the adult population understands Komi, and it, be termed
dren for the most part, do not know the language at all. This group may
bilingual Russians. For the most part the people are Yaz'va Keats who have come to
speak Russian, but some are Russians who have settled
dethhereaandBlearned Komi as a
second language. This group includes Nizhnyaya and
Paleva, Churilki, and Sredneye Pole derevni (i.e., all. of Bychinskiy Village Soviet
except the above-mentioned Russian derevni), comprising 120 households with a popu-
lation of about 540; and Zarechka, Gortsa, and Kichigina derevni and Verkhneyaz'va
selo (village), Verkhneyaz'vi.nskiy Village Soviet, comprising 63 households with a
population of about 280.
3. People using Russian in the home, but where the adult population is bilingual.
people and the ofKomi children under-
These and
not spin both ek it. Komi
The adults ,a though perfectly
they do fluent
stand Komi descent,
and the group may be tern,el hi lingual xomis. This group includes Sheremeteva
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(Verkhryaya and Nizhnyaya) and Dubrovka(Verkhnyaya and Nizhnyaya) derevni, Verkh-
neyaz'vinskiy Village Soviet, comprising 80 households with a population of about
360; and P'yankova and Pud'va derevni (in these two there is abnignificant Rus-
sian element), comprising 46 households with a popula 200.
ine-
)+. People using Komi in the home. These people are Komis, bututhe overwhelming majority of the adult population knows Russian. This group
maining 36 populated points, comprising 677 households with a population of aboif
3,040.
Thus, at present in Verkhneyaz'vinskiy Section there are about 3,600 persons
who speak the language of the Yaz'va Komis fluently and at the same time are fa-
miliar with the local colloquial Russian. This includes about 75 percent of the
population of the section. Comparison with statistics from previous surveys in-
dicates that there has been no great change in the Yaz-va Komi population of the
area over the last 40 years.
The following table gives a breakdown of the village soviets by populated
points and the population of each.
/?ee table on following page]
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Verkhneyaz'vinskiy
Timino-Bel'kovskiy
Talavol'skiy
Antipinskiy
Van'kovskiy
9 182 820
8* 172 770
9 144 650
12 190 850
9 212 950
7 138 660
Total 54 1,038 4,700 3 62 280
given for total populated points in Verkhneyaz'vinskiy Village Soviet is 8, but only 7 populated
breakdown column) a total of 54 populated points in the total co wt+o, as
*
points . The figure poare listed in tlinguistic ibreakdown.
against a total of 53 in the
Bilingual
Russians
Bilingual
Komis
4 63 280 2 80 360 1 29 130
9 144 650
12 190 850
2 th 200 7 166 750
7 138 660
10 183 820 4 126 560
Percent of total 100 6 19
population
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