"With this exhibition, we want to invite viewers to reflect on why being 'Finno‑Ugric' has become so central to Estonians' identity and self‑image, when this happened, and how it took shape," Kaljundi said.

The exhibition examines, among other things, how Finno‑Ugric heritage entered different cultural spheres. In the 1970s and 1980s, filmmakers, artists, writers, and musicians began to take interest in it. At the same time, they collaborated with researchers and the Estonian National Museum. "We see cooperation between different cultural fields, as well as collaboration between art and science."

According to Kaljundi, turning toward Indigenous peoples was not unique to Estonia. Similar interest emerged elsewhere in the world, but in Estonia's case, linguistic kinship added a distinct dimension.

"What makes the Estonian case different is certainly the aspect of linguistic kinship, which allows people to identify with and relate to Indigenous groups living very, very far from Estonia," Kaljundi explained.

Interest in Finno‑Ugric heritage was also fueled by the crisis of the Soviet Union and broader disillusionment with industrial modernity. Other Soviet peoples likewise turned toward folklore and traditional culture.

In Estonia, this coincided with an active interest in national identity. Kaljundi pointed to cultural works created in the 1970s and 1980s and to the treatment of history and cultural heritage. She mentioned, among others, Lennart Meri's films and Jaan Kross's historical novels.

A central part of the exhibition is the Estonian National Museum's Finno‑Ugric collections. In addition to the collections themselves, the museum has studied their formation history, revealing contradictions tied to the expeditions.

"On one hand, there was a strong desire to help and support these small Finno‑Ugric peoples; on the other hand, there existed the entire Soviet research system and infrastructure that made such extensive field expeditions possible," Kaljundi said.

The exhibition includes materials from Finno‑Ugric expeditions organized in the 1970s and 1980s under the leadership of Kaljo Põllu. Art students participated in these trips, producing ethnographic drawings and photographs. The exhibition also features works by other artists, including graphics by Anu Kalm and Evi Tihemets.

"We want to show once again that the Finno‑Ugric turn did not emerge solely through the contributions of three major figures — Meri, Põllu, and Veljo Tormis — but that many other people played a role. We wanted to highlight this cultural diversity," Kaljundi said.

The exhibition also addresses environmental issues faced by small Finno‑Ugric peoples. According to Kaljundi, the exhibition begins with the theme of oil, because the rise of Finno‑Ugric interest in Estonia coincided with the expansion of the Soviet Union's oil and gas industry into the homelands of these peoples.

Kaljundi believes the topic of Finno‑Ugric heritage is again relevant today, as identity‑seeking often intensifies during periods of crisis. Current interest is influenced, among other factors, by Russia's full‑scale war in Ukraine.

In an international context, Kaljundi sees the exhibition's theme as part of a broader movement in which Indigenous peoples seek a voice in how their heritage is represented. She pointed to examples such as the Sámi, Native Americans, and Indigenous Australians. She believes Estonia's experience could be of international interest, as the relationship between Estonians and small Finno‑Ugric peoples differs from the classic Western colonial context.

"Estonia's story could contribute a great deal internationally, especially in its complexity — how Estonians, themselves occupied by the Soviet Union, went to study small Finno‑Ugric peoples," she said.

At the same time, she added that Western colonial research frameworks cannot be applied one‑to‑one to Estonian expeditions. Still, ethnographic fieldwork inevitably involves historical power relations and knowledge infrastructures.

The new exhibition was developed over several years. The long preparation period allowed time both for studying the collections and for artists' research. The exhibition also emerged in dialogue with the Sámi contemporary art exhibition "No Beginning, No End" shown at Kumu at the same time.

"We repeatedly visited various museum collections in Estonia, especially the Estonian National Museum, and also traveled to neighboring countries to study Sámi and Finno‑Ugric collections," Kaljundi said.

The exhibition features investigative artists Jaanus Samma and Karl‑Joonas Alamaa. For Kaljundi, it was important to give them time to explore the collections, ask their own questions, and design installations that intervene in the exhibition.

"It has been time‑consuming but very exciting. This certainly does not mean that I have exhausted the topic — rather, it is part of a longer journey with much more research ahead."

The Finno‑Ugric exhibition will remain open at Kumu until February next year.

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