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Baltic Finns

The Baltic Finns are a historical group of peoples of northern Europe whose descendants include the Finns proper, Karelians (including Ludes and Olonets), Ingrians, Veps, Votes, Livonians and Estonians who speak Baltic-Finnic languages and have inhabited the Baltic Sea region for 3000 years according to one theory, or up to ten thousand years according to a more current theory. The Baltic Finns share a common cultural heritage: the art of ancient rune singing, estimated to be 2500–3000 years old.

The ancient rune singing has inspired the creation of the national epic of Finland, Kalevala compiled by Elias Lönnrot, and the music of Arvo Pärt, the best known Estonian composer in the classical field.

J. R. R. Tolkien has highlighted the importance of Kalevala as a source for his legendarium including The Lord of the Rings.

Theories of origin

The theories of the origin of the Baltic Finns include the Migration Theory and the Settlement Continuity Theory.

According to the Migration Theory that is based primarily on comparative linguistics, the proto Finnic peoples migrated from an ancient homeland in northwestern Siberia to the shores of the Baltic Sea around 1000 BC, at which time Finns and Estonians separated. The Migration Theory has been called into question since 1980, based on genealogy, craniometry and archaeology.

The Settlement Continuity Theory, based on genealogy, shows that the Baltic Finns have a much closer genetic relationship to the northern and central Europeans than to the eastern Finnic peoples such as the Volga Finns. The theory suggests that Baltic Finns have lived in the region for up to 10,000 years, rather than the 3,000 years suggested by the Migration Theory.

During the last 30 years scientific research in physical anthropology, craniometric analyses, and the mitochondrial and Y-chromosomal DNA frequencies have reduced the likelihood for a major westward migration as recently as 3,000 years ago. The Settlement Continuity Theory asserts that the ancient ancestors of the Finno-Ugric peoples were among the earliest indigenous peoples of Europe.

The origin of the people who lived in the Baltic Sea area during the Mesolithic Era continues to be debated by scientists. From the middle of the Neolithic Era onwards, there is agreement to a certain extent among scholars: It has been suggested that Finno-Ugric tribes arrived in the Baltic region from the east or southeast approximately 4,000–3,000 BC by merging with the original inhabitants, who then adopted the proto-Finno-Ugric language and the Comb Ceramic culture of the newcomers. The members of this new Finno-Ugric-speaking ethnic group are regarded as the ancestors of modern Estonians.

The Y-chromosomal data has also revealed a common Finno-Ugric ancestry for the males of the neighboring Baltic peoples, speakers of the Indo-European Baltic languages. According to the studies, Baltic males are most closely related to the Finno-Ugric-speaking Volga Finns such as the Mari, rather than to Baltic Finns. The indicator of Finno-Ugric origin has been found to be more frequent in Latvians (42%) and Lithuanians (43%) than in Estonians (34%). The results suggest that the territories of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have been settled by Finno-Ugric-speaking tribes since the early Mesolithic period.