Vepsian Alevtina’s passport surname is Soldatova. She disliked this name even as a child. So she chose a pseudonym, the author’s name—Gongisht. What does it mean? The word “Gong” shares the same root as “honka” in Finnish. Translated into Estonian, it’s mänd, meaning pine. The word “hong” in several Estonian dialects denoted an ancient, gnarled pine—a tree grown in harsh conditions but producing dense, strong, and prized wood. Alevtina couldn’t have found a more fitting name for herself.
It comes from her mother’s lineage. The Polish writer Stanisław Jerzy Lec, also known for his aphorisms, said, “The hardest thing is to swim against the current of your own blood.” Alevtina, a Vepsian woman who lived in Tartu for four years and advocates for the preservation of the Veps language, culture, and way of life, chose this aphorism as the epigraph to her recently published Estonian book, “About Us, Vepsians, and Not Only.”
How can this be understood? There is a nation that has lost or is losing its foundation, its language, culture, and identity. The blood has been draining from this nation for a long time. But there are still people trying to stop this bleeding. They are doing everything to restore the circulation—their own and that of their people. To revive what stands on the brink of life and death. Alevtina is undoubtedly one of these people. Alevtina awaits trial. No, she has done nothing wrong.
She is awaiting trial because the Police and Border Guard Department recently rejected her application for political refugee status, and she filed a lawsuit against the decision. The basis for the denial was that there’s supposedly no war in Karelia, that Russia hasn’t listed her as a “foreign agent,” and that she allegedly faces no threats in Russia. But there are threats, and very serious ones. Those making the decision should read the previously mentioned book. A person with a Russian passport who published such text will certainly face reprisals in Russia. Isn’t there a war in Karelia? There’s a war going on all over Russia—primarily against its own citizens who still have a conscience. There are a few of those left, and a few are still free. Alevtina’s mother, who lives in Karelia, has already been made aware that her daughter’s activities are under surveillance. She was under surveillance even when Alevtina lived in Petrozavodsk.
