Local Groups within the Mordvian Population of the Penza Region

Introduction. One of the pressing problems of modern ethnological science is the development of a generally accepted view of the ethnographic structure of the peoples of our country. This also applies to the Mordvin ethnic group, the structure of which covers a number of hierarchical taxa. Of considerable interest in this regard is the structure of the Mordvin population of the modern Penza region. The purpose of this study is to study the features of the formation of individual local or, more precisely, small local groups that formed in its composition as a result of migration processes. Materials and Methods. The sources for writing the article were the data of the First General Population Census of the Russian Empire in 1897, the population censuses of the Soviet and post-Soviet periods. Scientific publications on the topic under consideration were also used. The methodological basis of the study is complex. It includes general logical and theoretical methods that made it possible to reveal the temporal and spatial changes occurring among local groups. Results and Discussion. As a result of the study, it was revealed that among the Mordvin population of the modern Penza region, several small local groups can be distinguished, which combine elements of culture inherent in both Moksha and Erza. Their formation occurred mainly in the 17–18th centuries as a result of the migration of Moksha and Erza both across the territory of the Penza region itself and from the territories of neighboring regions. The structure of the Mordvin population of the modern Penza region includes several hierarchical taxa. Undoubtedly, this community is an integral part of the Mordvin ethnic group. Representatives of both its subethnic groups, Moksha and Erza, live in this region. The Mordvins of the Penza region are also an integral part of two ethnoterritorial groups – the northwestern Moksha group and the Penza-Saratov ethnoterritorial group. In addition, smaller local groups are distinguished in the Mordvin population of the region in question. Conclusion. The author’s conclusions contribute to the study of the problem of the structure of the Mordvin ethnic group and the existence of a certain hierarchy of ethnic and ethnocultural taxa in its structure.