ORAL HISTORY: MIGRATION AND LOCAL IDENTITIES - Academia

Migration and Identityrole. In this case we have to talk about a model in which the migrantshave created a myth about the origin of the existing settlement inthe specific land based on pseudo-scientific constructions. Let’s thinkabout the Scandinavian settlers’ propagated statements concerningthe arrival of the Vikings 1000 years ago to the land where the Scandinaviansettlers live today. Let’s think about the German archaeologists’searches for Germanic roots in Polish lands or about the formerBaltic-Germanic searches for Goths in the Baltic lands. Estonian scientistshave also searched for aboriginal Estonian settlements beyondthe borders of Estonia (Kurs, 1994, p. 5; Arens, 1958, p. 113; 1970,p. 2; Moora, 1956, p. 111ff; Raag, 1998, pp. 16-17).Pseudo-historical myths help to legitimize colonization and reinforcethe identity of settlers in the specific location. A historical justificationis given to the creation of a homeland, and this means that thehomeland is not created, but restored in its former location.146Estonian village Upper Suetuk in Krasnoyarsk region, Siberia.Photo: Aivar Jürgenson, 1999.Connecting the homeland with artificial settlement-myths is notunknown even to the Estonian settlers. Even in the Estonian villagesin Siberia imaginations about the aboriginal existence of Estonians inthese places are present. The sources of these opinions are probablyvarious scientific theories—such as the Ural-theory (an ancient home