Krievi - Krīvi - Venäläiset - Russians - Московити
Ethnic Russians (in
English), Krievi (in
Latvian), Krīvi (in Latgalian), Росіяни (in
Ukrainian), Rosjanie (in
Polish), Venälaižed (in Veps), Venelased (in
Estonian), Vindläseq (in Vöro).
Russia (English) but Venäma in Estonian and Krievija in Latvian (bcs of Kriviches tribe) and Krīvija in Latgalian. Kriv was legendary
Baltic (!) forefather of Kriviches, some sort of a heathen "high priest". According to a recent genetic study, namely Baltic
Lithuanians happened to be the closest genetic relatives of central
Russians (
Orel,
Bryansk,
Smolensk,
Ryazan,
Ivanovo oblasts - lands of Viatiaches tribe. Viatiches practised Baltic burials.
Besides that they abosrbed Baltic
Golyad) - see video on genetics of Russians.
Modern Russian ethnicity got formed out of several tribes. Several
Slavic tribes, mainly Kriviches (northern and western Russians, from Kriv, Baltic forefather), Viatiches (south and central Russians /
Slavs with Baltic substratum),
Baltic tribe of
East Galindians (Golyad of
Moscow region), plus a number of
Finnic tribes (
Merians,
Vepses, Komi-Permians,
Muroma and Erzyans (
Mordvins).
European Russians are mainly Balto-Slavs with significant
Finnic admixture (especially in the north). I would say that Viatiches (
Slavic tribe with Baltic element) played the crucial role in the formation of
Russian ethnos -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vyatichi
Viatichi -
Kaluga (around Kaluga), east & south
Moscow (along Moscow river) region, north Orel, north Ryazan region
Meria (Finns) - Ivanovo,
Yaroslavl,
Tver, and
Kostroma regions (mixed with Kriviches)
Kriviches (many believe it is an old Baltic tribe) -
Pskov, Smolensk, Yaroslavl,
Tver, Ivanovo regions (mixed with Meria)
Golyad (East Galindians) - pure
Balts - northern Kaluga region (around
Borovsk and Omninsk, basin of
Protva river) and western Moscow region (Vereya, Naro-Fominsk)
Radimichi - around city of
Briansk
Novgorod Slovenes (spoke dialect similiar to Polish) - Novgorod,
St. Petersburg regions (mixed with Veps / Ves tribe there). Some say Slovenes were a separate ethnicty from Muscovites (
Pure Muscovites = Viatiches+Galinidians and some Merians). Novgorod Slovenes+Vepses (Finns) produced Pomors (northernmost Russians of
Arkhangelsk &
White Sea coast). Pomor shirt emroidery is identic to Veps.
Center of Viatiches tribe was in
Korno (Kornoye,
Mosalsk district of Kaluga province).
Chronicle says that Viatko, progenitor of Viatiches came from
Poland. Viatiches, unlike other Slavs, had Baltic burials and jewellery (they have built up on some Baltic substrathus).
Vantit (Vait) -
Arabic name for the land of Viatiches (original Russians). Viatichia would be more fair and distinctive ethnic name for Russia.
Note that the name Russia / Russians originally was just a political & religious term and didnt have any ethnic or tribal connotation. It was brought by the
Viking sailors and first implied
Maritime Swedes (
Roden) - Ruotsi is
Sweden in Finnish), then it served as uniting term for medieval Ukrainian tribes and people (
Kyivan Rus state as
Kyiv was the center of Viking Rurikide dynasty), then it was adopted as official name for Muscovite state (since the early
18th century) becoming uniting term for the tribes centered around Moscow, what we understand as modern ethnic Russians. Its similar to political terms
Rome and
Romans, that was transplanted from one people to another (
Ancient Rome and Romans, then
Romance people, Romeiko -
Byzantine Greeks,
Romania and
Romanians etc).
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Ukrainians consists of completely different tribes (Derevlians,
White Croats, Dulibes (
Volhynians), Siverians which have nothing to do with modern ethnic Russians (Muscovites) and what is today understood as Russia (former
Muscovy).
Totally different folk costumes, patterns, embroidery, culture, language, genetics etc.
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Belarusians likewise consist of different tribes (Drehoviches +
Polotsk Kriviches and some Volhynians) that are very different from Viatiches tribe (progenitor Russian tribe). Though northern Belarusians belonged to same Kriviches tribes, but this tribe had 2 branches that developed separately - northern Pskov Kriviches (in Russia) and southern - Polostk & Smolensk Kriviches (northern and eastern Belarusians). These werent the same as they lived in great distance. Baltokrievija is
Latvian name for
Belarus.
In general Russians and Belarusians, unlike Ukrainian, have significant Baltic element (hence Baltic akanie (pronouncing o as a) in their languages, unknown in Ukrainian.
Ethnically Ukrainians are more close to south Belarusians,
Lusatian Serbs (ancient
Croats), south
Poles, Slovaks, and Czechs (all have Scytho-Sarmatian h sound instead of Balto-Slavic g)
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В. В. Седов. ГОЛЯДЬ (Baltic tribe of East Galindians (Golyad) of Moscow & Kaluga regions, scientific article): http://goledyanka.narod.ru/Goled
.htm