General information
People have always been interested in Estonians living abroad, albeit the ties and contacts between the old country and their new homeland have changed over the years. Proceeding from the need to record and study the language and the popular tradition, we can speak of linguistic, ethnographic (ethnological) and folkloristic (folklore, traditions) collecting and researching activities. The results of such collecting work are recorded and they are in most instances also available to the general public (Estonian National Museum, Estonian Folklore Archives, Institute of the Estonian Language, etc.). Several various diaspora studies in the spheres of social sciences, civics and natural sciences have also accumulated collections of relevant materials. The results of the work performed by different science experts have been published in many books and articles.
Both journalists and laymen are also interested in foreign Estonians, collecting information in their line of work, writing overviews and publishing books. Another important source is the memoirs, travel letters, etc., of the persons who lived and worked on location. These often contain personal impressions, making it exciting reading and providing ample information about compatriot destinies abroad. Additional valuable information can be found in village and family histories compiled by enthusiasts of regional studies, autobiographies and biographies of family members, and filled out questionnaires of different archives. Such materials are also frequently stored in archives and museums (Estonian National Museum, Estonian Folklore Archives, Estonian Cultural History Archives). Many materials are also preserved in the museums and archives of the new homeland, and in Siberia these are the museums of history and regional studies in district centres, as well as the University of Omsk, etc. Village museums exist in a few Estonian villages in Siberia – Kaseküla (Tomsk Region), Liivi (Primorsky Territory), etc. Settling on “empty” land has also been the topic of several works of fiction. Here we should mention Georg Eduard Luiga’s collection of stories, Vägivallamaal /In the Land of Violence/, 1912, Veera Saar’s novel Kraakuvi mägi /Hill of Kraakuv/, 1987, and Kalju Saaber’s novel Punaselageda saaga /Saga of Punaselageda/, 1991.