The Custom of Mutual Assistance in the Mordovian Village in the Second Half of the 19th and the 20th Century

Abstract

The article examines the custom of mutual assistance in the economic life of Mordovian peasants. It focuses on the fact that Mordovian villagers used to render help to each other in various kinds of seasonal work that were complex, labor-intensive, and required collective effort. This, for example, was typically the case when houses were constructed, as well as in certain activities in agriculture and farming, in emergency situations, in circumstances related to the organization of celebrations, customs, and so on. The village community acted as a keeper of moral values and ensured that the economic knowledge and experience be maintained and safely passed on from generation to generation. It also played a significant part in the shaping of the communal opinion, often rather strictly controlling villagers’ behavior. Therefore, the custom of mutual support itself was highly regularized and encompassed a number of orderly stages, such as announcement, invitation, working, and providing a treat afterwards. This can be observed up to the present days. Still, the study of this custom in the historical perspective attests to the fact that it has undergone substantial changes during the closing decades of the last century, undervaluing the necessity of mutual support in many scenarios.