From the book
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The large, wide, spacious and original domestic construction is the only thing that revealed depth and artistic taste of the Korelian people. The major features, of this Finnish construction, commonly seen across whole Russian North retain their original purity in Korelia. Korelian houses are quite different from those in Great Russia, where there is not much forest. Every log is accounted for. Korels have a lot of wood, so they often build a castle-like homes for themselves. Construction itself also differs from Russian style one. While Russians build a small house as a main dwelling and surround it by other structures like cowsheds, stables, barns and haysheds, Korels put everything under one roof of a large two-storey house. Typically living quarters are located on the ground floor, adjacent to storage room and barn, with the stable further away. Upper-level houses a bright clean room for guests next to a warm passageway where a woven sled is standing in the summer. Beyond that, there is a spacious barn where all the tools and equipment are stored: horse harness, sleds, carriages, plows, scythes etc. Slightly angled, separate wide rump called entryway leads to this barn from the yard. While inside this house the owner can go from room to barn to cowshed to stable and upstairs without going outside. All compartments are interconnected. This type of construction works well for the gloomy clumsy Korels. They feel themselves as royals in their homes. However, this type of building is not hygienic nor practical from fire hazard point of view. All Korels possessions would be burnt in one fire. It’s very clean inside the house. Floors are always swept and washed; windows decorated; rooms are spacious and bright. On the right in the corner of an entry door facing the entrance, there is a large Russian-style brick oven. Sometimes it is ornamented with eaves, protrusions and recesses. A pothanger hook is placed inside the fire niche. A handwasher pot is hung over a bucket next to the. A flat top of the oven is used as a sleeping place in the winter. Bunk beds are placed between the oven and the far wall. Long and wide sitting benches find place along the rest of the wall. There is a framed painted on wooden board, image of Jesus Christ in the far left corner with the table beside it. A long wide shelf spans the walls right under the ceiling. Space is large and comfortable. The layout is similar but smaller in very poor people houses and because of that can be dirty and sooty. Translated by Margarita Matthew, 2024 |