1897 Russian Census Maps
Elsewhere on this site you will see the page "MapsEthnographic," with maps purporting to show geographic distribution by tribe, language and/or
religion. "Mother Language" is a typical definer of ethnicity in these maps, especially beginning in the 19th century, following, I believe, a German
model. German censuses, however, also asked birthplace and citizenship in addition to "Mother Language." But what is one's "Mother Language"? The
language your mother taught you at home? The one you most often use? For immigrants, and for people whose ruling government, and official
language, periodically changes, determining ethnicity by language used is problematic. The 1897 Russian Empire census, the only complete one ever
conducted, asked "Mother Tongue," but neither birthplace nor citizenship. "Jewish" was a language, not a religion in this census.
Below is a summary results table of seven guberniyas, their names in Russian and Lithuanian, polled in the 1897 Census by guberniya. "Nationality"
was determined by declared "Mother Language," and the results of this census are likely skewed towards the nationality preferred by the Russians, in
order to inflate the population of Russian "ethnics.“ Another influence on answers might be alleged 19th century Russification efforts banning the
printing of books and newspapers in Lithuanian – but that's not the case: an 1864 Russian administrative order, lifted only April 24, 1904, made it
illegal to print, import, distribute, or possess any publications in the Latin alphabet. Lithuanian-language publications that used Cyrillic instead of Latin
characters were allowed and even encouraged(1), so the ban itself would not necessarily have influenced 1897 identification of Mother Tongue. (My
calculations based on original source material)
religion. "Mother Language" is a typical definer of ethnicity in these maps, especially beginning in the 19th century, following, I believe, a German
model. German censuses, however, also asked birthplace and citizenship in addition to "Mother Language." But what is one's "Mother Language"? The
language your mother taught you at home? The one you most often use? For immigrants, and for people whose ruling government, and official
language, periodically changes, determining ethnicity by language used is problematic. The 1897 Russian Empire census, the only complete one ever
conducted, asked "Mother Tongue," but neither birthplace nor citizenship. "Jewish" was a language, not a religion in this census.
Below is a summary results table of seven guberniyas, their names in Russian and Lithuanian, polled in the 1897 Census by guberniya. "Nationality"
was determined by declared "Mother Language," and the results of this census are likely skewed towards the nationality preferred by the Russians, in
order to inflate the population of Russian "ethnics.“ Another influence on answers might be alleged 19th century Russification efforts banning the
printing of books and newspapers in Lithuanian – but that's not the case: an 1864 Russian administrative order, lifted only April 24, 1904, made it
illegal to print, import, distribute, or possess any publications in the Latin alphabet. Lithuanian-language publications that used Cyrillic instead of Latin
characters were allowed and even encouraged(1), so the ban itself would not necessarily have influenced 1897 identification of Mother Tongue. (My
calculations based on original source material)
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(a): includes Great -- or Moscow-focused -- Russians, and two branches who had lived in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania: White Russians
(Belarusians), and Little Russians (Ukrainians)
(b): includes those identifying their mother tongue as Samogitian, a Lithuanian dialect -- in Lithuanian: Žemaičių tarmė
(c): Jewish is not a language, but a religion. Yiddish is a High German language of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, which developed as a fusion of Hebrew
and Aramaic into German dialects, with the infusion of Slavic and traces of Romance languages. It is written in the Hebrew alphabet. Of the three
major Eastern Yiddish dialects in Europe, "Litvish" was spoken by Jews in Lithuania, Belarus, Latvia, Estonia and in the Suwałki region, while
"Poylish" was spoken south and west, and "Ukrainish: south and east. See the contemporary maps of Yiddish dialect distribution at
"MapsEthnographic."
(Belarusians), and Little Russians (Ukrainians)
(b): includes those identifying their mother tongue as Samogitian, a Lithuanian dialect -- in Lithuanian: Žemaičių tarmė
(c): Jewish is not a language, but a religion. Yiddish is a High German language of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, which developed as a fusion of Hebrew
and Aramaic into German dialects, with the infusion of Slavic and traces of Romance languages. It is written in the Hebrew alphabet. Of the three
major Eastern Yiddish dialects in Europe, "Litvish" was spoken by Jews in Lithuania, Belarus, Latvia, Estonia and in the Suwałki region, while
"Poylish" was spoken south and west, and "Ukrainish: south and east. See the contemporary maps of Yiddish dialect distribution at
"MapsEthnographic."
As of 1897, then, while self-identified Lithuanian-mother-tongue-speakers were the second overall only to Russians (more specifically, to White
Russians or Belarusians, the overwhelming majority of “Russians” in the area) as the largest ethnicity in the seven primary guberniyas, they held
statistical majorities only in Suwalki g. areas bordering East Prussia, and in Kowno g.
Russians or Belarusians, the overwhelming majority of “Russians” in the area) as the largest ethnicity in the seven primary guberniyas, they held
statistical majorities only in Suwalki g. areas bordering East Prussia, and in Kowno g.
1916 Verlag der Kownoer Zeitung (Publisher of the Kovno Newspaper): "Völker-Verteilung in West-Russland" (Distribution of Peoples in
Western-Russia), based on German-occupied guberniyas polled in the 1897 Russian Empire Census. From The Wroblewski Library of the Lithuanian
Academy of Sciences: www.elibrary.mab.lt
Western-Russia), based on German-occupied guberniyas polled in the 1897 Russian Empire Census. From The Wroblewski Library of the Lithuanian
Academy of Sciences: www.elibrary.mab.lt
| Geschlossene Sprachgebiete |
| Deutsche |
| Gross-Russen |
| Juden |
| Klein-Russen |
| Litauer |
| Letten |
| Polen |
| Gouvernement Grodno |
| Gouvernement Kiew |
| Gouvernement Kowno |
| Gouvernement Lomsha, Sjedlez, Cholm |
| Gouvernement Minsk |
| Gouvernement Mogliew |
| Gouvernement Podolien |
| Gouvernement Suwalki |
| Gouvernement Wilna |
| Gouvernement Witebsk |
| Gouvernement Wolynien |
