One of our ultimate goals is to meet a Seto-activist – and we bumped in to one immediately. Ahto Raudoja is not only the leader of Seto Institute, but also the boss of a roof manufacturing company. We hitched a ride with him to check out his typical working day.
We drove. And drove. And drove some more. We packed wood into a trailer with Ahto. We unpacked wood from the trailer. We wondered the wonders of roofs and life under the sky of Southern Estonia. With many horseflies buzzing around us. Constantly.
Seto Instituut was founded in 2010 to promote the Seto culture. The actual office and heart of the institute is located in Värska, in a room inside Seto Talomuuseum, so this is not your typical marble floored palace with grape-feeding-servants kinda institute. Noteworthy about this institute is, that it still runs without official state funding. Some project funds are granted to this culture promoting institute, but despite efforts no money is granted from the government. So: with two employed by the institute, it is run by mostly with voluntary work. Although both employees receive pay from their work, the boss still works another job (in his own company).
Lion’s share of the day Ahto worked with roofing works, and when the work with roofs was done he moved smoothly from one to another, from roofing to instituting. So we ended up in Tartu, where Ahto sat on a wooden bench in wooden house and started working with the institute’s next publication.
Working with different works is a work for a worker. Work-work’a’diddly-work.
Without any knowledge on the intricacies of government funding, we can’t really take a stand on the matter of why the riik is reluctant with contributions for this specific case. Still, after a swift three second analysis we were a bit baffled. Despite being a small organisation, Seto Institute releases publications (like literature in Seto language and culture reports) at a steady pace, and is one of the biggest organised publishers of Seto language.
More wondering follows.
Considering the small number of Setos, one would think that Estonia would be more than willing to preserve its cultural heritage. Or could it have something to do with fact that Seto is widely thought to be one of the dialects of Southern Estonia (and the language closest to Seto – Vōru – has much more established situation with its institute and all)? Or is the Seto Institue too ”young” to receive funding?
Go figure.
It is hard to imagine, that the government of Estonia would actually ignore Seto – taking account that Seto culture with its original clothing, Unesco-Leelo’s and rich orthodox-traditions is a totally unique and distinctive culture in Estonia. Seto is often seen in different medias, because Obinitsa is this year’s Finno-Ugric capital of culture. President Ilves is also awesome and a nice guy and would probably hang out with us (would you, Toomas? We’d go and buy sandwiches, sit on Toompea and (safely) watch into the sun – oh how we would laugh, laugh the day away, as the sun is just like the world – warm and controllable and filled with incontrollable love).
Between all the roof works and layout works Ahto found time to tell us what is happening and where, where we should go and what we should see. Later on we’ll visit among others in a smoke sauna, Leelo concert and interview Ahto and other Seto activists more. More later, when we wonder to Pechory in Russia, we’ll figure what’s happening behind the doors of recently opened Setohouse.
– Juho
