Pictures of deportations

The exhibition Pictures of Deportations tells with pictures and words about the deportations of Inger people from their homelands to the inhumane conditions of the distant corners of the Soviet Union; To the heat of Central Asia and the cold of the Arctic Ocean. Many perished in the harsh conditions. The work was heavy and there was a constant shortage of food. The photographs in the exhibition come from the family albums of people who experienced deportation.

As late as 1926, 115,000 Inger Finns lived around Leningrad. Nowadays, there are only a few thousand Ingers who can speak Finnish living in the former Inkerinmaa.

During the Soviet era, the Ingers had to experience hard times. The policy of collectivization of agriculture mainly tested the position of the peasants engaged in agriculture. Opponents of the collective farms were deported to different parts of the Soviet Union. Even worse times came during the years of Stalin’s persecution. Especially in 1937–38 Finns were subjected to severe ethnic persecution. Families were forcibly moved away from their home region and Ingersolls were imprisoned and executed based on their Finnishness.