Voronina N. I., Sirotina I. L. Expressions of Creative Ethnic Identity in Podlesnaya Tavla

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Original article

Expressions of Creative Ethnic Identity in Podlesnaya Tavla

N. I. Voronina, I. L. Sirotina

National Research Mordovia State University, Saransk, Russian Federation

Abstract

Introduction. The article explores the phenomenon of the ethnocultural identity space in the Erzya village of Podlesnaya Tavla, located in the Kochkurovsky District of the Republic of Mordovia. The village’s natives have embodied their “Tavlian identity” in various forms and types of artistic practices. While the works of individual Tavlians have been featured in exhibition reports and occasional publications, no comprehensive study has yet been produced to holistically present the cultural layer of creative endeavors by Tavlian artists, musicians, and woodcarvers. The aim of this research is to examine the uniqueness of Podlesnaya Tavla as an Erzya village, which lies in its preservation of ethnic cultural traditions and meanings.

Materials and Methods. The study was conducted at the intersection of cultural studies and art history (incorporating data from ethnography and psychology). The research follows a comprehensive interdisciplinary approach, examining the “Tavlinsky color” in the realm of folk art through cultural paradigms and categories, employing a semiotic framework. The article is based on the principle of systematicity, which determined the selection of relevant research methods (descriptive and explanatory, methods of systemic analysis and comparison in working with ethnographic sources and artifacts). The study also employed general scientific methods, including phenomenological, integrative, comparative-historical, and axiological approaches.

Results and Discussion. As part of the study on the forms of creative activity among the natives of Podlesnaya Tavla, markers of their ethnocultural identity were identified. The research revealed the forms of artistic products, materials, manufacturing techniques, and foundational principles in wood carving; melodic and genre features of Mordovian songs performed by the ensemble Torama were determined; and the distinctive style and artistic works of painters living in Podlesnaya Tavla were analyzed. Their art is rooted in the poetic representation of Tavla culture and their native Erzya ethnicity. For the first time, the article highlights the diversity of Tavla’s cultural color within the broader Mordovian region and traces the transcriptions of ethno-identity in the works of Tavla artisans.

Conclusion. In the works of contemporary Tavla artists, a transition from a folkloric worldview to a professional mindset is evident, which is reflected in the emergence of new creative trends – ethnosymbolism and ethnofuturism. The conclusions drawn by the authors contribute to the development of national humanitarian thought and to the understanding of ethno-identity and the unique character of artistic ethnoculture. The materials of the article can be used in conducting semiotic research across various fields of visual and decorative-applied arts.

Keywords: Republic of Mordovia, village of Podlesnaya Tavla, ethnos, erzya, culture, wood carving, Tavli identity, Tavli flavor, transcriptions of ethnoidentity

Conflict of interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

For citation: Voronina N.I., Sirotina I.L. Expressions of Creative Ethnic Identity in Podlesnaya Tavla. Finno-Ugric World. 2025;17(2):202–215. https://doi.org/10.15507/2076-2577.017.2025.02.202-215

Information about the authors:

Natalya I. Voronina, Dr.Sci. (Philos.), Professor, Director of the M. M. Bakhtin Center, National Research Mordovia State University (68 Bolshevistskaya St., Saransk 430005, Russian Federation), ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6821-828X, SPIN-code: 1783-1554, kafkmgu@mail.ru

Irina L. Sirotina, Dr.Sci. (Philos.), Professor, Professor of the Department of Design and Advertising, National Research Mordovia State University (68 Bolshevistskaya St., Saransk 430005, Russian Federation), ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4498-5529, SPIN-code: 4034-0766, sirotinail@mail.ru

Authors’ contribution:

N. I. Voronina – ideas; formulation or evolution of overarching research goals and aims; development of methodology; conducting a research and investigation process, specifically performing the data; preparation and creation of the published work, specifically writing the initial draft (including substantive translation).

I. L. Sirotina – Manuscript creation and preparation: critical analysis of the manuscript draft, incorporation of comments and revisions by members of the research team, including at both pre-publication and post-publication stages.

All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.

Submitted 20.01.2025; revised 26.03.2025; accepted 31.03.2025.