Learn how to design and braid a Karelian sprang belt called Seinävyö ('wall belt'). Course materials are at your disposal for 3 months and for as long as this course is available.

Karelian teacher

Learn directly from a tradition bearer.
12 videos

Clear and condenced instructional videos.
Helpful sources

Solid knowledge and skill base, and sources for own belt design.
10 content themes

Cultural knowledge and comprehensive written instructions.

Inclusive handedness

Instructions and videos for both left- and right handed.
Example patterns

Directions for multiple patterns and modeling.

Course information

On this course, you will learn the basics of making a Karelian sprang belt Seinävyö ('wall belt') and delve specifically into the designs, techniques, and meanings of the Karelian sprang belts.

Belt making steps are covered through instructional videos and written guides, and the techniques for alternating weaving are demonstrated for both right- and left-handed versions.

This course is also suitable for learning the basics if you are looking to make an interlaced sprang belt of another tradition. Other Peoples with sprang belt traditions include for example Norwegian, Häme, Seto, Estonian, Latvian, Ukrainian, Peloponnesian Argolic and Corinthian, Hopi, and Ho-Chunk cultures.

The course instructor is Mirva Haltia, a Finnish-Karelian artist, reviver of the Karelian language and culture, and entrepreneur.

Other payment methods for people residing in Finland

If you can't pay with a card and need a traditional invoice for a Finnish bank transfer, start by creating a user account in the top right corner: My Account -> Sign up. Then contact mirva@enzalgu.fi and tell in the message:
1. What course are you looking to make a payment
2. Name of the person paying the invoice
3. Email-address where the pdf invoice will be sent
4. What is the name and email address of a user that should access for the course

Please note:
- to be able to use this option, you have to reside in Finland and have a bank account in a Finnish bank.
- Billing fee of 5 € will be added to your invoice
- Course access is opened after the payment shows in Enzalgu bank account (typically 1-2 bank days)

Business to Business customers

If you represent a company, school or an association looking to open access to this course for your organization or add this course to your LMS, please contact: mirva@enzalgu.fi

Karelian Seinävyö

Course content

Suistaman virzilöi

9 revived Karelian poem songs

This is a small collection of traditional Karelian poem songs that Karelian Finnish artivist Mirva Haltia has reclaimed, revived, and restored for use within their family and to be passed forward in their community.

This video contains 9 poems:

Lähemmös laulamah (Let us sing)

Suikahti suga mereh (Comb that slipped into the sea)

Muailman syndy (Creation of the world)

Puun syndy (Creation of the tree)

Kolme kägyö (Three cuckoos)

Kuldapyörätammi (Golden Wheel Oak)

Marketta (How sage Marketta's child was born)

Meren kylvendä (Sowing of the Sea)

Meren kosijat (Suitors of the Sea)

The tradition of poem singing in Karelian-speaking Karelia nearly perished, but it is now being reclaimed by both new and old generations. Karelian poem songs, known as "virzi" in Karelian, are an integral part of Karelian culture. They recount the story of Karelian’s origins, myths and traditions. Being Karelian encompasses a deep intertwining of spirituality and practicality, which is reflected in how the myths and words of the poem songs are used to serve the purpose of various occasions.

In compiling their own collection, Haltia has utilized recordings and transcriptions from Suistamo that are available online and in the Finnish Literary Society archives, particularly the database at skvr.fi. While they have incorporated as much material as possible from their own known relatives in Suistamo, they have also sought to include material from other singers in the region. Moreover, Haltia has consciously focused on poems that may be less familiar to the Karelian community.

Since many of the poems have been translated into Finnish during the collection process, Haltia has made every effort to translate them back into the Karelian language, specifically the Southern Varzinkarjala / Suvikarjala dialect spoken in Suistamo. As Haltia has compiled the poems, she has adjusted them to fit her personal sense of rhythm and rhyme. Whenever possible, Haltia has opted for more inclusive and equitable language choices.

Lyrics, singing and illustration by Mirva Haltia

Copyright: Mirva Haltia

Itkunaiga

Short film about the Karelian lamenting tradition.

This short film is told a Karelian poem song format and tells the story of Karelian lamenting. The beginning of this film is sung in the style of Karelian poem singing, and the latter half is a Karelian lament – a lament on behalf of the voiceless lamenters. Portions of the lament are included in the poetry book 'Gruuga.'

Among the Karelian people, there existed a strong and distinct tradition of lamentation prior to World War II, especially in regions such as Viena, Seesjärvi, Border Karelia, Aunus, and Tver. The Karelian diaspora was scattered, and in their new homes, many were forced to conceal their language and traditions to assimilate. As a result, neither the Karelian language nor the lamentation traditions were widely passed down to subsequent generations. Even today, it remains challenging to find accurate information about Karelian culture and language on the internet.

I am Karelian, and laments run in my blood. However, I was never taught the language of my ancestors or the heritage of laments. It was only after I began learning Karelian and its laments that many aspects of my identity started to make sense - the way I use my words, my general approach to language, and the rhythm of my expressions. Everything suddenly aligned in a way that is difficult to articulate. Without the Karelian language and the tradition of laments, I felt a part of me was missing. I was voiceless in a way I hadn't realized until I reconnected with it. Today, very few people continue to lament in the Karelian language and tradition.

Script, direction, filming, acting, and vocals by Mirva Haltia.

Published on March 14, 2022.

Karelian Seinävyö

Karelian teacher

12 videos

Helpful sources

10 content themes

Inclusive handedness

Example patterns