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Коми-немцы: полевые заметки по этноистории
The article is based on the materials of the field expedition to the German communities of the
Komi Republic. The expedition was organized in spring 2018; its main purpose was the collection of materials
on the history, ethnocultural heritage, identity and ethnic projects. The article explores major milestones in the
ethnic history of the local group of the Russian Germans in the Northern Ural. This group was formed under the
influence of certain political events of the 20th century (‘dispossession’ of the wealthy farmers, deportation,
mobilization, repatriation). The Germans living in the Komi Republic and calling themselves the Komi-Germans
(Germ. komideutsche), are a local group of the Russian Germans sharing a common destiny, history, memory, and
culture. The endonym “Komi-Germans” reflects their group identity. The evidence of active interethnic contacts
between the Germans and the indigenous local population — the Komi — are mixed marriages and common
ethno-projects (artistic performance groups, a museum movement). Performance teams (a choir, a dance team)
attract both the Germans and the Komi with a mutual cultural influence via their respective folklore. In these
groups people sing both in the German and Komi languages, and dance German and Komi dances. The museum
projects of the Germans living in the Komi Republic offer an example of how the historical memory of people is
preserved in material things.