Erzyanskiy Ethnopark — an open-air museum in Lukoyanovskiy District, on the floodplain of the Shnara and Yezhati rivers near the Kelmelismalyen Lismapryа spring, close to the selo of Novosyolki.[1][2] On one hectare stand wooden figures of the supreme god Ineshkipaz and his helpers, a monument to the ancestors, images of Erzya heroes and leaders, a kurgan-maar, an eight-pointed rotunda, two ponds, and a stage with benches.[1][2] The park was started by Nikolay Anoshkin and his son Nikolay: the first sculptures were installed in the summer of 2010, and the park was officially opened in 2012.[1][3] It is known both as "Erzyan Mastor" and by the name of the festival — the Lismapryа Ethnopark.[2][4]
Location
The park lies on the floodplain of two rivers, beside a well-maintained spring, and the site was chosen not for convenience but for its historical significance: across the road stands the sacred grove of Lukash, with an ancient ritual stone that served as an altar for candles during summer prayers.[3] Such localities are discussed in the article on keremet and sacred groves.[3]
The spring here is held in reverence: local residents draw water from it for its taste and healing properties, and the well above it has been renewed more than once — a new log casing was installed using grant funding, along with a stage, gazebos, and pavilions.[2][3]
The park stands at a fork in the road between Lukoyanov and Pichingusha, set apart from any housing, and its entrance is open free of charge any day and at any hour.[2][5]
Who built it and how
The idea belonged to Nikolay Ivanovich Anoshkin, director of the Erzyanskoy Kultury Museum in Lukoyanov: he himself carved the first figures together with his son.[1][2] They worked without any commission — year after year, by their own efforts and with money from fellow locals.[3]
The park's opening was timed to coincide with the 2012 festival, at which memorial plaques to ten heroes of the Erzya people were also erected.[1][3] After that the park grew almost every year, and always in time for the last Saturday of July, when people gather here for the celebration.[3]
After Anoshkin's death in 2021, figures for the park are carved by other masters: in 2023, at a competition held in his memory, woodcarvers from Nizhny Novgorod Region, Penza Region, and Mordovia carved new sculptures, and the park was enriched by Vedyava, goddess of water, placed by the pond, and Viryava, patroness of the forest, set beneath a spreading tree.[6][7]
| Year | What Appeared |
|---|---|
| 2010 | first wooden sculptures |
| 2011 | symbolic laying of a kurgan-maar |
| 2012 | official opening of the park; memorial plaques to ten heroes of the Erzya people |
| 2015 | children's craftsmen's town from Podlesnaya Tavla; monument to inyazor Purgaz |
| 2016 | memorial to contemporary heroes of the ethnic group; monument to Stepan Erza |
| 2017 | sculpture "Nightingales of Russia" |
| 2018 | gazebo with a negotiating table, funded by the "Bonds of Generations" grant |
| 2019 | sculptural composition "12 Months" — the Erzya calendar |
| 2023 | figures of Vedyava and Viryava, carved at the competition in memory of N. I. Anoshkin |
The location was chosen deliberately: here lies the revered spring Kelmelismaleen Lismapryа (Spring of the Cold Ravine), and directly across the road stands the sacred grove of Lukash with an ancient ritual stone that once served as an altar for candles during summer prayers
Who stands here
The central figure is Ineshkipaz, the supreme god of the Erzya, flanked by his helpers; also present are Vedyava — deity of water, Mastorava — deity of the earth, and Viryava — mistress of the forest.[1][2] The names themselves are discussed in the article on the deities of the Mordva, and the faith behind them in the article Erzya Religion.[1]
A separate row is devoted to people. A monument to inyazor Purgaz, leader of the Erzya in the 13th century, was erected in 2015; in 2016 a memorial to contemporary heroes of the ethnos was unveiled, with plaques honoring the philologist Dmitry Nadykin, the singer and folklorist Vladimir Romashkin, the public figure Sergey Turshatov, and the poet-storyteller Serafima Lyulyakina, as well as a monument to the sculptor Stepan Erzya.[3]
In 2017, a monument called "Nightingales of Russia" was installed in the park — with plaques honoring the singer Lidiya Ruslanova, the singer Illarion Yaushev, and the popularizer of Erzya folk music Aleksey Lesnykh (Oleshu).[3] Among the figures of folk heroes is also Alyona Arzamasskaya.[2]
The kurgan-maar is an Erzya ritual mound: circle dances are performed around it during ceremonial reconstructions, and it serves as the focal point of the entire park's layout.[5][7]
How the park lives
Once a year, in July, the park hosts the interregional festival "Erzyan Lismaprya"; at other times it serves as a place for recreation and school trips.[2][3] Amenities for visitors include gazebos, a stage with benches, swings and a sandbox for children, grounds for traditional folk sports, an equipped cooking area, and a well-maintained spring.[5]
Ethnotourism planning here began early: on September 19, 2018, a seminar for students of the Lukoyanov Regional College was held in a new gazebo built with a grant from the "Connection of Generations" project. Anoshkin led the students through the park, explaining the history of each figure, after which they competed in traditional sports — kettlebell lifting, stick pulling, log lifting, and axe and knife throwing.[5]
Order on the grounds is maintained by the district administration and the territorial department, rural community centers, and volunteers, while improvements are funded by grants won by the local national-cultural autonomy of the Mordva, "Lismaprya".[3][5]
Sources
- autotravel-nn.ru — Erzya Ethnopark in Lukoyanovskiy District: an open-air museum-ethnopark (archive)
- komanda-k.ru — Mari Hikers — Erzyan Mastor Ethnopark, January 27, 2019 (archive)
- lukgazeta.ru — "Lukoyanovskaya Pravda" — Larisa Steshina. Ten Eventful Years: the History of the "Erzyan Lismaprya" Festival, July 2020 (archive)
- nazaccent.ru — "Natsionalny Aktsent" — Anna Fish. When You See the Idols, Shout! July 30, 2015 (archive)
- lukgazeta.ru — "Lukoyanovskaya Pravda" — Tatyana Kudryavtseva. Youth and Ethno-Tourism: a Seminar at the Ethnopark, September 25, 2018
- lukgazeta.ru — "Lukoyanovskaya Pravda" — Larisa Steshina. A Park Sculpture Carving Competition Is Underway in Lukoyanov, July 14, 2023
- lukgazeta.ru — "Lukoyanovskaya Pravda" — Larisa Steshina. "Lismaprya" Gathers Friends Again: the XIII Festival, July 29, 2023
- sarpust.ru — Sarov Local Historian — S. V. Murugov. The Erzya Museum-Ethnopark and the Erzyanskoy Kultury Museum, May 2018 (archive)