Arhippa and Miihkali Perttunen graves

August 22, 2017. The rune singer Arhippa Perttunen grave August 22, 2017. The rune singer Miihkali Perttunen grave

The graves the greatest Rune Singer of White Sea Karelia Arhippa Perttunen and his son Rune Singer Miihkali Perttunen are located in Kalmosaari, in the old graveyard of the abandoned Ladvozero Village.

In the summer of 1909, the Finnish Literature Society erected a memorial stone of grey granite and a cross of white marble on Miihkali's grave. The stone is inscribed:

Rune Singer
Miihkali Perttuni
† 3 / IX 1899

Tombstone erected by
Finnish Literature Society

In the 1930s a cross was knocked off the tombstone.

In autumn 1969, the Union of Writers of Karelia installed a white marble memorial plaque on Arhippa's grave. The plaque is engraved:

200

To Arhippa
Perttunen
1769 – 1969

Unfortunately, the true grave was not found, but Arhippa's dying words were known:

Do not put anything else on my grave, except shore stones. Take them from the water and put them on my grave, they will not rot.

That is why the authorities built a heap of stones near Miihkali's grave and declare it to be Arhippa's grave.

In 1983, the false grave was opened and, of course, no remains were found there. But a human skeleton was found nearby. As a result, Arhippa's false grave was moved a few metres away, to the place where the remains were found, and a bust of "Arhippa Perttunen" was made in 1984 using the skull of an unknown man.

The real grave of Arhippa Perttunen was only rediscovered in the autumn of 1996. The memorial plaque was moved to its right place on 3 September 1999.