Savakot

Savakot (plural; singular: Savakko) is one of the two main ethnic groups of Ingrian Finns, the other being Äyrämöiset. Savakot are the descendants of the Savonian people migrated to Swedish Ingria (which now part of Russia) from Savonia.[1]

According to Peter Köppen, in the middle of the 19th century there were 43,000 Savakot on the Karelian Isthmus.[1] In 1929 in Leningrad Oblast there were about 115,000 "Leningrad Finns", which counted both Savakot and Äyrämöiset and excluded "Finland Finns" (which numbers were 13,000).[2] At that time (1929) their urban population was insignificant. At the same time, their literacy level was among the highest (72%), which was given as a reason for the higher level of their agriculture.[2] Agriculture was their major occupation, with shoreside population engaged in fishing, and small part engaged in logging.[2] Later the self-identification of Savakot disappeared.[1]

References

1. Чистяков А.Ю. Этнические группы ингерманландских финнов в 18-19 вв. // Петербургские чтения 97. Петербург и Россия. СПб., 1997, as cited in "Savakots" (retrieved November 12, 2015)
2. Национальные меньшинства Ленинградской области. (Сборник материалов), 1929 (digitized by Directmedia, 2013, ISBN 5998995899) pp.7-9

Further reading

• Inkerin suomalaisten historia. Inkeriläisten sivistyssäätiö, Jyväskylä 1969. (in Finnish)