English/Fenno-Ugric cooperation

Fenno-Ugric cooperation is a project aiming to find solutions to small Fenno-Ugric Wikipedia's problems in a joint effort.

There are Fenno-Ugric languages in which Wikipedia will most likely remain if not the only encyclopedia, then at least the most important and most voluminous. It can also be open, up-to-date and independent. Small Wikipedias have many common problems that could be solved more easily together. In that enterprise, three big Fenno-Ugric Wikipedias − Hungarian, Finnish, and Estonian − could provide some useful assistance.

Estonia has a long tradition of Fenno-Ugric cooperation, there are many people here who know FU peoples and languages quite well. At the same time, we have a logistically beneficial central position, and it is somewhat cheaper to arrange events here than in the several other EU countries. Estonians usually speak English and Russian, and we could also get some support from University of Tartu and Fenno-Ugria Foundation.

Estonian Wikipedia has also some inner resources: we have several Wikipedians who are actively participating in fennougristics and Fenno-Ugrian cooperation.

Next seminar

#	Meeting	Date	Country	Place
V.	Finno-Ugric wikiseminar 2026	6—10 JUNE 2026	Finland	Oulu

Last seminars

#	Meeting	Date	Country	Place
I.	Finno-Ugric wikiseminar 2014	22—24 AUGUST 2014	Estonia	Tartu and Vaskna
II.	Finno-Ugric wikiseminar 2015	1—4 AUGUST 2015	Estonia	Meremäe
III.	Finno-Ugric wikiseminar 2016	6—9 MAY 2016	Russia	Intourist Onego Palace (Petrozavodsk, Republic of Karelia)
IV.	Finno-Ugric wikiseminar 2020	15—21 JANUARY 2020	Estonia	Misso

I Seminar 2014

Thus, we would like to put our resources to some use. Therefore, we arranged a seminar on the cooperation of FU Wikipedias. Our preliminary plan was to have it in 2012 but we moved it to 22nd−24th of August 2014.

With the help of Wikimedia Foundation and Kindred Peoples Program of Estonia we provided some grants for travel to Estonia from Russia.

This seminar was intended to be not a very glamorous event, but a place to map our common problems and to coordinate further cooperation. We met in Tartu on the first day, on the premises of University of Tartu, and on the next day we proceeded to Vaskna, a nice and quiet place in Southern Estonia near Suur Munamägi where we had discussion in a less official climate.

II Seminar 2015

Second seminar took place in Meremäe parish on August 1−4, 2015.

III Seminar 2016

3rd seminar took place in Petrozavodsk on May 6−9, 2016.

IV Seminar 2020

4th seminar took place in Misso on January 15−21, 2020.

V Seminar 2026

5th seminar will take place in Oulu on June 6−10, 2026.

Problems and practices

Amongst the possible themes there could be engaging people in small FU Wikipedias, covering controversial issues, article exchange, putting scarce funds to the best use, Wikipedia's special position in small cultures, etc. The most important thing is getting to participate as many small Wikipedian communities as possible.

It might also be fruitful to study the practices of currently only large international Wikipedian cooperation network Iberocoop. Although Iberocoop's members are connected by large languages Spanish and Portuguese, they also tend to some smaller Wikipedias in Latin American Indian languages which could have not dissimilar problems from our own.

Which FU wikis are there?

Language versions (15 tk)

language version	19 Sept 2015	17 July 2019 (growth 2015–19)	16 May 2023 (growth 2019–23)	18 Oct 2025 (growth 2023–25)
Finnish	379 000	462 600 (22%)	553 000 (20%)	605 766 (10%)
Hungarian	345 000	454 300 (32%)	525 300 (16%)	561 794 (7%)
Estonian	138 000	198 100 (44%)	236 300 (19%)	255 320 (8%)
Meadow Mari	7500	10 000 (33%)	10 845 (8%)	11 330 (4%)
Hill Mari	10 100	10 300 (2%)	10 430 (1%)	10 430 (0%)
Northern Saami	7100	7500 (6%)	7844 (5%)	7904 (1%)
Erzyan Mordvin	2700	5700 (111%)	7798 (37%)	7866 (1%)
Mokshan Mordvin	1100	1200 (9%)	3220 (168%)	7607 (136%)
Vepsian	4900	6000 (22%)	6838 (14%)	7064 (3%)
Võro	5400	5500 (2%)	6490 (18%)	6837 (5%)
Inari Sámi	34	41 (21%)	5081 (12293%)	6469 (27%)
Zyryan Komi	4400	5300 (20%)	5503 (4%)	5725 (4%)
Udmurt	3600	4700 (30%)	5543 (18%)	5715 (3%)
Livvi-Karelian	128	3100 (2294%)	4134 (33%)	4625 (12%)
Permian Komi	3400	3450 (1%)	3443 (0%)	3469 (1%)

Incubator (15)

language version	19 Sept 2015	17 July 2019 (growth 2015–19)	16 May 2023 (growth 2019–23)	18 Oct 2025 (growth 2023–25)
Karelian	2300	1600 (-30%)	1980 (24%)	2020 (2%)
Trondelag Finnish	1800	1800 (0%)	1879 (4%)	1885 (0%)
Livonian	800	800 (0%)	932 (17%)	890 (%)
Kven	235	235 (0%)	609 (159%)	614 (1%)
South Saami	159	159 (0%)	184 (16%)	188 (2%)
Kildin Saami	59	61 (3%)	148 (143%)	171 (16%)
Skolt Sámi	?	? (?)	? (?)	142 (?)
Mansi	2	117 (5750%)	119 (2%)	132 (11%)
Selkup	3	3 (0%)	78 (2500%)	101 (29%)
Nenets	65	66 (2%)	109 (65%)	65 (-40%)
Lule Sámi	8	43 (438%)	43 (0%)	45 (5%)
Khanty	2	4 (100%)	34 (750%)	27 (-21%)
Pite Sámi	-	? (?)	? (?)	20 (?)
Izhoran	102	103 (1%)	700 (580%)	13 (-98%)
Ume Sámi	?	? (?)	? (?)	9 (?)

Former (3)

language version	19 Sept 2015	17 July 2019	16 May 2023	growth 2015–19	growth 2019–23
~~nganassaani (Nganasan)~~	16	16	16	0%	0%
~~turjasaami (Ter Saami)~~	19	19	2	0%	-90%
vadja (Votic ~ Votian)	23	23	330	0%	1335%

Participation

We would be happy have each and every interested person on board. Please let us know of your interest on this article's talk page.

A longer description in Estonian and a short overview in Russian.