Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
1. Are Russians fully Europeans or mix little with Asians like Korea, China ?
2. What Russians favorite American City and why ?
3. Is it safe for American to travel to Russia because politicians differences
4. Why Russians are tough
1. Are Russians fully Europeans or mix little with Asians like Korea, China ?
Russians as a nation are quite complicated concept. There is a narrow meaning - it is the East Slavic people. History of emergence of this people is quite interesting. Historically, it is a mixture of several Slavic tribes with impregnations of Baltic, Finno-Ugric and Germanic tribes. In ancient Rus, "Russian" is primarily an Orthodox Christian. In modern Russia, such a view as a whole remains. Communists replaced Orthodox faith by Soviet culture, but Orthodox faith is gradually returning after collapse of the Soviet Union.
A person can have black hair, dark skin, brown eyes and identify themselves as Russian. And most importantly, the society will agree with this, if person relates himself to Russian culture.
Korea and China are far away, this does not make a significant contribution to the Russian nation.
But Russia includes more than 100 indigenous nations. Many of them identify themselves as Russians (they are Russian).
Another nuance, in English there is no difference between Russians as a nation and Russians as citizens of Russia. In the Russian language, there is such a difference. Person can be a Tatar and "Russian" in English language, becouse person is citizens of Russia.
You seem to suppose Finno-Ugrics are as Asian as eg Koreans and Mongols? Well, in some respect I agree FU languages and genetics may have to be somehow connected with Asia (although nothing is fully proven) but mostly they are white, European looking people. These are Mordvinians: https://i.pinimg.com/736x/f8/be/3c/f...28d8f3eb31.jpg
Even the most exotic-looking among them, such as small Khanty people are rather sort of Euro-Asian mixes and not fully Asian.
Secondly, Finno-Ugrics are not an "ethnic group" but a broad umbrella term. Distances between these languages and peoples are big, they are geographically scattered and have had no connections with each are for very many centuries. Estonians, for instance are in fact not in my opinion (fully) Finno-Ugric, I'd rather say they are Finno-Ugric speaking Indo-Europeans.
1. Are Russians fully Europeans or mix little with Asians like Korea, China ?
Russians are a mix of many different peoples going far back in history when it comes to ancestry. Russian heritage can be claimed by many different breeds. It's complicated.
Quote:
2. What Russians favorite American City and why ?
Not sure.
Quote:
3. Is it safe for American to travel to Russia because politicians differences
Of course. Russians are great as their country. If you get out of the major metropolitan centers language can be an issue as some smaller places are not english friendly.
Quote:
4. Why Russians are tough
Russians live iin a harsh land and history has not been kind to them. This has made a very resilient and resourceful people as tough as the place they live in is harsh.
Russians are a mix of many different peoples going far back in history when it comes to ancestry. Russian heritage can be claimed by many different breeds.
Will you elaborate on that? Particularly on "breeds", please?
You seem to suppose Finno-Ugrics are as Asian as eg Koreans and Mongols?
God no, so you are probably right - I should have added that Russians are not mixed with someone like "Korean or Chinese," when I mentioned that part of them have admixture of the Ugro-Finnic group.
See, I am in a twilight zone here - I grew up with certain understanding/perception of what those "ethnic groups" that contributed to Russian genetic make-up were, speaking of... Mordvins or Mari people. I've heard that they were somehow related to Finns, but I didn't have a clue that this "umbrella" group is much wider, and goes all the way to Siberia, including some "Khanty-Mansi people."
I just couldn't relate one to the other, like AT ALL.
But I can't get into all these details here, because Wikipedia unites them all. ( I was flabbergasted by the whole "Caucasian" umbrella" concept as well, since that was not the concept we were familiar with back in Russia.)
Quote:
Well, in some respect I agree FU languages and genetics may have to be somehow connected with Asia (although nothing is fully proven) but mostly they are white, European looking people. These are Mordvinians: https://i.pinimg.com/736x/f8/be/3c/f...28d8f3eb31.jpg
Right. To me they look totally *Russian,* - I didn't even know that they were some "Mordva" ppl, until my grand-mother introduced me to the *concept.*
( See, the Russians on my paternal side were like Maxim - all-inclusive, when it comes to different ethnicities, living among Russians. They couldn't care less.
The Russians on my MATERNAL side were a different story. Don't ask. )
Quote:
Even the most exotic-looking among them, such as small Khanty people are rather sort of Euro-Asian mixes and not fully Asian.
Have no idea. Looks like an awfully mixed bunch to me, sort of like "Tatars."
(When people look that mixed, it logically indicates, I guess, that they don't have any "single" origin, but come as the "unification" (voluntary or not) of few different ethnic groups. ( Just my guess.)
Quote:
Secondly, Finno-Ugrics are not an "ethnic group" but a broad umbrella term. Distances between these languages and peoples are big, they are geographically scattered and have had no connections with each are for very many centuries. Estonians, for instance are in fact not in my opinion (fully) Finno-Ugric, I'd rather say they are Finno-Ugric speaking Indo-Europeans.
Agree, agree.
I just couldn't go into all these details, so thanks for expanding this subject for me here.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.