Setos

Common card · No. 450323

Setos (Seto: setokõsõq, setoq, Estonian: setukesed, setud) are an indigenous Finnic people and ethnic minority that have historically lived in the borderlands between modern day Estonia and Russia. Setos have historically spoken the Seto language and been Orthodox Christians. The Seto language (like Estonian and Finnish) belongs to the Finnic group of the Uralic language family. Since the early 2000s, the Setos have sought greater recognition, rather than having their language considered a dialect of Estonian. Eastern Orthodox Christianity, with influences from local folk religions is widely practiced by the Seto peoples. Although the Setos have been officially recognized as a protected indigenous minority by the Russian Federation since 2010, the government of Estonia does not recognize them as an ethnic group. The ancestral homes of many Setos can be found to the south of Lake Peipus, in the Setomaa region. After 1991 however, this territory was divided between the newly independent Estonia...

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