Northern Karelia has long attracted researchers from Russia and Finland due to its unique linguistic, cultural, and natural landscape. In 1833, Finnish linguist and folklorist Elias Lönnrot, traveling via a system of lakes, conducted a major expedition to White Sea Karelia, during which he recorded the runo songs that later formed the "Kalevala" epic. The researcher visited, among other places, the villages of Voinitsa and Voknavolok (which are today part of the Kalevala and Kostomuksha municipalities). A year later, he also visited the villages of Yuvalaksha, Ukhta, and Ladvozero. Half a century later, Finnish photographer and writer Into Konrad Inha followed in his footsteps. The result of his expedition was a published travelogue and an extensive archive of photographs.

In August 2025, staff of the Institute of Linguistics, Literature, and History KarRC RAS – folklorist Maria Kundozerova, linguist Natalia Pellinen, and historian Alexander Krivonozhenko, joined by Head of the Laboratory of Theoretical Folklore Studies at the School of Advanced Studies in the Humanities of the RANEPA Nikita Petrov, embarked on an expedition to northwestern districts of the Republic of Karelia, retracing the steps of 19th-century Finnish researchers. The scholars visited Kostomuksha, Kalevala, the villages of Ladvozero, Sudnozero, Voinitsa, Voknavolok, and Luusalmi, as well as localities where settlements used to stand in the 19th century. The aim of the expedition was to collect folklore, historical, and linguistic materials and to create a popular science film.

As Senior Researcher of ILLH KarRC RAS Maria Kundozerova said, the scientific tasks and the itinerary were thoroughly planned before setting out on the trip.

– The idea was to use Lönnrot's 1834 and Inha's 1894 journeys as a basis, retrace their steps, and examine what remains today of the villages themselves and the runo-singing tradition; whether people still maintain the memory of runo singers and collectors; what memorial sites are honored by people living in the area now; and what stories are told to guests and tourists, – the folklorist explained.


Natalia Pellinen and Maria Kundozerova having a convo with locals in Kalevala

Scientists managed to reach all the planned locations, although they admit it was not always easy: visiting some areas close to the border required special permission from the border authorities, settlements in the north are separated by large distances, and some of the old roads are in very poor state. Furthermore, the ambitious itinerary was constrained by the expedition's timeframe—the entire trip took ten days.

– In the old villages, we spoke with local residents in Karelian and Russian, recorded historical and ethnographic information, and collected personal reminiscences. The main topics of my interest were the past and present of runo singing, the evacuation during the Great Patriotic War, Old Believers, and the mystery surrounding the grave and bust of runo singer from Ladva Arkhippa Perttunen, – added Maria Kundozerova.

The folklorist plans to revisit the study area to collect more folklore and ethnographic material and explore the Kalevala District runo singing tradition.

According to Researcher of ILLH KarRC RAS Alexander Krivonozhenko, I.K. Inha’s archives are a highly valuable source of historical information. His book “From the Kalevala Song Country” contains important details on the socio-economic situation of the White Sea Karelia and its inhabitants in the late 19th – early 20th centuries, including the region’s agricultural development, hunting, fisheries, trades, forest use by peasants, and the peddler trade phenomenon.

– Thanks to the many photographs taken by the researcher, we were able to revisit certain places and see how dramatically the rural landscape of the White Sea Karelia has changed since the late 19th century. Nevertheless, many aspects remain quite recognizable. Some peasant structures have survived to this day—a barn in Kalevala where Lönnrot stopped over, peasant houses and barns built in the 19th century, and others. These is rare heritage of that era, which need to be maintained and conserved. Similar examples of northern civil architecture can now be seen primarily in the Kizhi Open Air Museum, – the historian noted.


Where a canal dug by villagers across an isthmus on Lake Kamennoye (Kiitehjarvi) used to flow; printout – photo by I.C. Inha, 19th c.

The linguistic material collected through the scientists’ communication with locals will be added to the Audio Map of Balto-Finnic Languages of Karelia and Adjacent Regions created by linguistics and mathematicians of KarRC RAS in 2022.

– After our field trip, we plan to add speech samples from the villages of Kontokki, Voknavolok, Alajarvi, Tolloreka, Voinitsa, Sudnozero, Yuvalaksha, and the towns of Luusalmi and Kalevala to the Audio Map. Furthermore, samples of sub-dialects that used to be spoken in several border villages that were emptied after World War II and closed to the public, such as Akonlaksha and Ladvozero, will be represented on our map by recordings from the Audio Records Archive of ILLH KarRC RAS, – shared Natalia Pellinen, Researcher at ILLH KarRC RAS.

In addition to anthropological work, the invited expedition member Nikita Petrov recorded many hours of video footage. It will be the basis for a popular-science film scheduled for release in 2026.

Photos from expedition participants’ archives