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Paper short abstract:

In the paper the author scrutinizes the role of animalistic symbols in the modern Mari and Komi ethnofuturism. In the system of animalistic images the local authors represent the idea about autochthonicity of the Finno-Ugric peoples as well as their unity.

Paper long abstract:

In the paper the author scrutinizes the role of animalistic symbols in the modern ethnofuturism. Modern Mari and Komi painters, filmmakers and designers widely use the images of ancient jewelry of the Finno-Ugric population. The archaeological concept of the “animal style” has a new embodiment in contemporary art. There are some popular animalistic images in the ethnofuturism: waterfowl, bears, moose, lizards, etc. According to the theory of ethnosymbolism (E. Smith and his followers) and the theory of representation, the symbols of ethnofuturism express the identities of the modern Finno-Ugric peoples. In the system of animalistic images and prints the local authors represent the idea about autochthonicity of the Finno-Ugric peoples of the Volga and Ural regions (the Mari, the Komi, the Udmurts, etc) and the concept of their ‘connection’ with nature. It must be noticed that the modern ethnofuturism represents the concept of kinship of all the Finno-Ugric peoples, their historical and cultural unity (“Finno-Ugric identity”). From this point of view, these peoples have a common origin, and they are closer to nature than the other local inhabitants. The paper is based on the author's field ethnographic data collected in the Volga region, his interviews with representatives of the artistic intelligentsia as well as analysis of visual art (paintings, comics, interiors and filmography), some museum collections and Internet resources.