New research on Ruhnu's history examines the widespread social adaptations of Estonia’s Islanders

VINCENT TEETSOV

Last April, VEMU organized a lecture with professor Trond Ove Tøllefsen from Uppsala University.

That evening, Professor Tøllefsen gave a concise overview of the lives of Estonian Swedes on the island of Vormsi from 1861 to 1887. Attendees were privy to astounding historic accounts uncovered together with Dr. James White of Tartu University, as part of the Baltic Orthodoxy research project.

One learned of the material and labour-based disputes with Baltic German barons; the simultaneous social developments and pressure to remove old traditions brought on by Swedish missionaries.

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St. Madeline’s Church on Ruhnu.

Photo: Kalle Kaldoja, used under a CC BY-SA 3.0 EE license