Tatar in Finland


Population
Main Language
Largest Religion
Christian
Evangelical
Progress
Progress Gauge

Introduction / History

The ancestors of the Tatars were a nomadic people living in northeastern Mongolia near Lake Baikal starting in the 5th century CE. Some of the Tatars and other Turkic peoples became part of Genghis Khan's conquering armies in the early 13th century, leading to a fusion of Mongol and Turkic peoples. These invaders of Russia and Hungary became known to Europeans as "Tatars" meaning "archer." After Genghis Khan's power eroded, Tatars were associated with the western half of the remaining Mongol domain and known as the Golden Horde. The Tatars have had a strong civilization since the tenth century. The Russians conquered them in the sixteenth century. In the 1800s, Tatar cities ranked among the greatest cultural centers of the Islamic world.
The Tatar people speak a language that is also called Tatar. However, in some urban areas, nearly one-third claim Russian as their mother tongue. Tatars might have blue eyes and blonde hair or look like Mongolians with very little facial hair. They speak a unique Turkic language called Kazan Tatar, although many now claim Russian as their mother tongue. Although most of them live around the Volga region, others inhabit Azerbaijan, Armenia, Byelorussia, Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, and Central Asian republics like Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. There is also a longstanding community of Tatars in Finland that began in the late 1800s when Tatar merchants arrived in Finland from Russia to sell soap, furs, silk, and carpets. There was conflict between two camps of Tatars. One identified as Turks while the other identified as Tatars. They sometimes had to move in the 1940s when an aggressive USSR took over parts of Finland where they lived. Tatars eventually managed to get Finnish citizenship.


What Are Their Lives Like?

Tatars have integrated into Finnish society, and through the centuries they have proven to be good citizens. Largely thanks to them, recent Muslim migrants to Finland are more easily accepted than they are in many other parts of Europe. As expected, the Tatars have their own cultural associations in Finland to preserve their language and culture. Tatar culture is expressed through their own styles of music, food, and theater. There are few Tatar language plays, so they often do the same ones over and over again. The Tatars are noted for having a large number of publications in their language given their small population in Finland. They speak the Mishar dialect of Tatar with a Finnish accent.


The Tatars have not forgotten the history of ill treatment from Christian Russia
What Are Their Beliefs?

Many Tatars place more of their identity in Islam than in being Tatar. Most are Hanafite, one of the four schools of Sunni Islam. While orthodox Muslims believe in Allah as the only God, many Tatars still honor saints and holy places. Some believe in supernatural powers such as the "evil eye," involving the ability to curse someone with a glance. Unlike most Muslims some of the Tatar eat pork, and very few observe the prescribed Islamic fasts. They remain more liberal than most orthodox Muslims of Central Asia, even inviting women to pray in the mosques instead of at home. Unfortunately, the Tatars' view of Christianity has been scarred by negative interactions with the Russian Orthodox Church and its earlier attempts to convert them through force. This has served to get them more dedicated to Islam and suspicious of any form of Christianity.


What Are Their Needs?

Christian laborers are needed to live and work among the Tatars. The Tatars in Finland need to see living Christianity in action by those who truly follow Jesus.


Prayer Points

Pray for Holy Spirit-driven workers to go to the Tatar people and begin a church planting movement in Finland.
Pray for a spiritual hunger that will drive the Tatars to the empty tomb.
Pray for a powerful Tatar church where people place their hope and identity in Christ alone.


Scripture Prayers for the Tatar in Finland.


Profile Source:   Joshua Project  

People Name General Tatar
People Name in Country Tatar
Pronunciation tah-TAR
Alternate Names Dada; Dadan; Kazan Tatar; Lipka; Tartar; Tata'er; Totoriai; Tura; Turkish Tatar
Population this Country 800
Population all Countries 5,727,000
Total Countries 21
Indigenous No
Progress Scale 1
Unreached Yes
Frontier People Group Yes
Pioneer Workers Needed 1
People ID 15284
ROP3 Code 109874
ROP25 Code 307991
ROP25 Name Tatar
Country Finland
Region Europe, Western
Continent Europe
10/40 Window No
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank Not ranked
Location in Country Around Helsinki   Source: 
Country Finland
Region Europe, Western
Continent Europe
10/40 Window No
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank Not ranked
Location in Country Around Helsinki.   Source: 

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Primary Religion: Islam
Major Religion Percent
Buddhism
0.00 %
Christianity  (Evangelical 0.00 %)
0.00 %
Ethnic Religions
0.00 %
Hinduism
0.00 %
Islam
100.00 %
Non-Religious
0.00 %
Other / Small
0.00 %
Unknown
0.00 %
Primary Language Tatar (800 speakers)
Language Code tat   Ethnologue Listing
Language Written Yes   ScriptSource Listing
Total Languages 1
Primary Language Tatar (800 speakers)
Language Code tat   Ethnologue Listing
Total Languages 1
People Groups Speaking Tatar

Primary Language:  Tatar

Bible Translation Status  (Years)
Bible-Portions Yes  (1864-2007)
Bible-New Testament Yes  (1820-2005)
Bible-Complete Yes  (2015-2018)
FCBH NT (www.bible.is) Online
YouVersion NT (www.bible.com) Online
Possible Print Bibles
Amazon
World Bibles
Forum Bible Agencies
National Bible Societies
World Bible Finder
Virtual Storehouse
Resource Type Resource Name Source
Audio Recordings Audio Bible teaching Global Recordings Network
Audio Recordings DAVAR Partners recording, complete Bible DAVAR Partners International
Audio Recordings Story of Jesus audio Jesus Film Project
Film / Video God's Story video God's Story
Film / Video Indigitube.tv Video / Animation Create International
Film / Video Jesus Film: view in Tatar Jesus Film Project
Film / Video LUMO film of Gospels Bible Media Group/LUMO
Film / Video Magdalena video Jesus Film Project
Film / Video My Last Day video, anime Jesus Film Project
Film / Video Rivka video Jesus Film Project
Film / Video Story of Jesus for Children Jesus Film Project
Film / Video World Christian Videos World Christian Videos
General Bible for Children Bible for Children
General Biblical answers to your questions Got Questions Ministry
General Faith Comes By Hearing - Bible in text or audio or video Faith Comes by Hearing
General Faith Comes By Hearing - Bible in text or audio or video Faith Comes by Hearing
General Gospel resources links Scripture Earth
General YouVersion Bible versions in text and/or audio YouVersion Bibles
Mobile App Android Bible app: Tatar YouVersion Bibles
Mobile App Download audio Bible app as APK file Faith Comes by Hearing
Mobile App iOS Bible app: Tatar YouVersion Bibles
Text / Printed Matter IBT, Russia - resources Institute for Bible Translation - Russia
Photo Source Copyrighted © 2024  Shamilini - Shutterstock  All rights reserved.  Used with permission
Profile Source Joshua Project 
Data Sources Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more.



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