On Factors Affecting Folkloristic Fieldwork: On the Example of Estonians in Siberia

Abstract

Estonians in Siberia are the descendents of the Estonians deported by the Russian Tsar in the 18th–19th century, and of voluntary emigrants who left Estonia during the final decade of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. The article observes the main factors that have influenced the results of folkloristic fieldwork on collecting Estonian folklore in Estonian communities in Siberia during 1991–2000. The author has also pointed out that the contacts of Estonians living in Siberia with their homeland have become scarcer due to economic and socio-political reasons after Estonia regained independence. Proceeding from the view that fieldwork results depend on the reciprocal cooperation of two parties, the collector and informant, the factors affecting fieldwork from either aspect – from the aspect of collector and that of the informant – are analysed separately. The article observes to which extent does the scholar’s approach to members of a lore group depend on his or her background culture and education, how the collector’s gender and personal characteristics, his or her competence in the communication system of a lore group and recording devices affect the result. The author also analyses the role of lore group members in the development of the fieldwork results: the control of a single individual and of the whole lore group on the narrative material, the role of a lore group leader, rivalry among informants, and the influence of interviewee’s family members on the collected material.