AVINURME is a rural municipality in northern Estonia mostly known for its manufacture of wooden dishes as well as various other timber products.
The manufacture of WOODEN UTENSILS is common for almost all the villages of the municipality with the highest number of craftsmen being at the largest villages of ULVI, VADI, ADRAKU and PIILSI. Vessel making is also not foreign for the villages of KARUSOO, KÕRVE, KÄRASI, SÄLLIKSAARE, KÜTAMETSA, etc.
Furthermore, it is possible to distinguish old-established specialisation in the manufacture of INDIVIDUAL ITEMS by villages. The centre of FISH BARRELS is the village of VADI, partly also ENNIKSAARE. The masters of BEER BARRELS are especially frequent at ADRAKU and at some of its neighbouring villages (TÕNUSAARE, LINNANÕMME).
SLEDGES were made at the three neighbouring villages in the northwest area of Avinurme – at LAEKANNU, TÕNISMA and KAEVUSSAARE. The centre of GRAIN SCREEN making was a lonely village in the forest called KIISSA, several masters of screens and corn measures could also be found at ADRAKU. The weaving of PUNNETS was centred at the eastern villages of KODASSAARE and KOLGAVÄLJA. CHAIR MAKERS were found at many villages. SHINGLE making was also common in several villages with the most prominent of these being MAETSMA village.
In addition, Avinurme could also boast with its HORSE BOWS, HAMES, SNOW SHOVELS, etc.
Local folklore includes no considerable evidence of the emergence of AVINURME DOMESTIC CRAFT.
It is known only that such craft has always been practised in the area with the tradition passed from generation to generation. However, more light is shed on those factors that have kept this occupation alive in Avinurme to this day.
The main driving forces have been the SCARCE and POOR ARABLE LAND, which cannot ensure subsistence for people. Thereby, the ABUNDANCE of FORESTS in the area engineers one towards and provides opportunities for TIMBER PRODUCTION. Of all the farmsteads with ancillary income 55.8% were active in domestic craft.
In the last decades of the 19th century the number of local farmsteads was constantly growing, “for in the rural municipality of Avinurme the sons of the landlords divide the area among themselves and everyone builds their own house themselves…no one goes out of the parish, everyone puts their effort into building a house on to plot of their father, brother or even that of a stranger and starts practising carpentry thereafter” (Postimees newspaper No. 102 and 103, 1896). The parcelling out of farmsteads proceeded from the division of land into lots in 1870. The parcelling was undertaken on a larger scale around 1880 and was still in process in the early 20th century. A commonly held view that domestic craft was easier to make a living with than the cultivation of poor land facilitated the parcelling process. If the lots were too small, only HANDICRAFT MAKING with a FARMYARD was often established.
The division of Avinurme crown manor, in 1906, meant an addition of small-sized plots (6.5 ha), which were allotted for carpenters and handicraftsmen. Starting from the last decades of the 19th century domestic craft was thus steadily growing and becoming more sophisticated with the establishment of new SMALL HOLDINGS.
The earlier development of DOMESTIC CRAFT in Avinurme was further facilitated by the fact that this estate was the property of a CROWN MANOR, where the exploitation of peasants was somewhat weaker than under private manors. For example, local people recall that the rental and purchase prices of farms were about 3 times cheaper in Avinurme than in the neighbouring Tudulinna municipality.
With the parcelling of land into lots at the end of 19th century, the conduct of the manor owner was met with much displeasure, for at the expense of forest and pasture the lots were bigger and their purchase prices higher. Owing to cheaper forest prices no greater value was placed on forest at the time. Furthermore, it was customary to take timber as one pleased from manor and state forest without compensation.
Thus, it is evident that local natural and economic premises in Avinurme and in the vicinity have been very favourable for the development and sustainability of DOMESTIC CRAFT.
First mention to Avinurme carpentry is found in the regional overview of Torma Parish by Dr Schultz-Bertram from the year 1868:
“Avinurme is known everywhere in our country for its carpentry. Peasants for whom carpentry is the mainstay earn about only 200 roubles a year. However, all tillers are also active in carpentry. Careful inquiry allows me to estimate this ancillary income to be around 50 roubles for each. As this simple work is practised by boys of 14 years of age to elderly men of up to 70 years and as the male population is 1,700, one can say without exaggeration that 1,000 men are active in carpentry. Thus, the total annual revenue of Avinurme carpentry would be 50,000 roubles.”
Thus, carpentry is already an occupation for many in Avinurme rural municipality. Similar statements are fairly often found in the journalism from the last quarter of the 19th century. In 1877, for example, the overview of Livonian Domestic Craft included the following:
“The domestic craft of Avinurme region mainly produces ordinary wooden dishes, spoons and other kitchen and household tools and utensils for the needs of the parish. Among the more common products of Avinurme carpentry are the barrels for local cement factories. The annual production is about 18,000 barrels. The sales revenue of the region was said rather astonishingly to be around 50,000 roubles.” (Schoenflies)
The number of skilled workers provides a better picture of the extent of domestic craft in the rural municipality. We see that in the 1860s the number of artisans was estimated to be around 1,000. More exact data are found from the texts of 1896 (Postimees newspaper No. 102 and 109, 1896; “Avinurme Parish and Forest”). At that time carpentry was a regular activity for 642 farmsteads. In total, 828 men were regularly engaged in carpentry, 522 of whom did it only in winter; others were carpenters throughout the year. There were especially many domestic craftsmen in the more established and larger villages of the parish: Ulvi (82), Vadi (75), Piilsi (75), Adraku (66).
In total, the domestic craftsmen used 931 cubic cords of timber a year with the average price of 6 roubles per cord. One cubic cord was estimated to return wooden objects in the value of approximately 65-70 roubles. It should be borne in mind, however, that a large percentage of timber used by Avinurme artisans originated from theft of wood in accordance with the contemporary and subsequent records. Thus, the produce and income of Avinurme carpenters must have been considerably higher.
Subsequently, the rumours about the regress of Avinurme carpentry become more frequent, which regress was comparatively slow but continuous (increase in the cost of timber and decrease in demand). In 1921, it is already stated that, “although large sums are made in the vessel industry, the heyday of carpentry is bygones in Avinurme, and this field of activity has lost a lot of its former importance” (Adamson). Home craftsmen are said to be around 500 in the parish, but some say that number to be even up to eight hundred.
In 1931, carpentry was still a common practice in 326 farmsteads out of 843 in the municipality. In accordance with the data of 1934 census, the number of domestic artisans of Avinurme was 694, of whom only 402 were men, which demonstrates a strong decrease in the number of carpenters compared to that in the beginning of the century. Thus, the decrease in the number of workers reflects an evident process of decline in domestic craft in the 20th century. The narrowing of the market still could not make most of the domestic craftsmen abandon their customary activity – it was still practised to a lesser extent.
Even though Avinurme is situated on the border of Alutaguse forests, the local farmsteads had little forest land – 1.9% of the total area at the time the Estonian average was 5.2% (Agricultural records, Table 4). In the period of farmland parcelling local peasants were not interested in the addition of forests to farms. It was thought even that “why push the price of a farmstead up at the expense of mere woods.” According to the common rationale the forest was for everybody, everybody could take their firewood and timber as they pleased. Thus, it is understandable that in addition to purchasing from state and private forests Avinurme artisans also procured a considerable share of their raw material via theft of wood, which in accordance to common law was not considered to be a theft as such.
In the records of Avinurme municipal court of 19th century (starting from 1821) the theft matters were extremely rare, and the guilty parties were mostly people coming from outside of parish, the theft of wood was, however, frequent. The first such incident was recorded in 1846, when six men were punished, each for the theft of one spruce log with the fine of 33-36 copeck silver and with 15 strokes with a rod (AV, fond B, series I, No. 1, p. 35). Since that year theft of wood constitutes a considerable proportion of the matters discussed at municipal court. These mass theft matters discussed at court also prove that already in the 1840-50s carpentry was rather extensive. To combat timber theft a communal court was even set up in 1936 to punish unauthorised cutters in Avinurme (“Eesti Mets”, 1936).
For a long time Avinurme carpenters have not retrieved all necessary timber from local woods but also from the neighbouring forests, be it by purchase or theft. Forays into surrounding woods were often of an organised nature already in the 1860s.
In Avinurme, domestic craft was mostly practised by the male members of the family fit for work. Paid labour was used only at a few larger farms. The most typical prentice farm hands engaged for a year to work in the field in summer and in carpentry in winter were impossible to hire in Avinurme. Local average farmsteads could often keep en extra hand for summer for “dirty” fieldwork to be able to spend more time on “clean” carpentry.
Usually the domestic artisans without or with little land were engaged in CARPENTRY all year long, others mostly in winter periods. In spring, raw material was cut to be left to dry in summer, and real work began in autumn. In the course of work the seeds for division of labour were sown. Thus, wooden dishes were not made one by one but by patches. Furthermore, already individual workers divided their craft into various steps according to the technique required.
Upon working with several men the steps were divided between men: one carved the wood, one hooped, and one smoothed and polished the vessel, etc. The reasonable organisation of work is also evident by specialising in various items by villages.
The main products of Avinurme have always been VESSELS, i.e. WOODEN DISHES, whereas these have always been simple everyday TOOLS and UTENSILS as the manufacture of embellished objects (beer mugs, etc.) is generally not customary for the municipality. During the 20th century the market of wooden dishes was constantly shrinking. By the beginning of 20th century there was no demand for churns, churn-like wooden vessels and the demand for various pails was also in the decline. Small kegs also disappeared. In the 1930s mostly tubs, small barrels and tripods as well as scrapes were manufactured. The making of double-bottomed wooden dishes has never quite spread in the municipality.
In addition to SMALL KEGS the most well-established was the manufacture of FISH BARRELS with the centre at VADI. The most common FISH BARRELS made were a QUARTER and EIGTHTH. Barrels larger than a HALF (1/2 casks, or 4 poods; with the height of 24 inches and with the bottom thickness of 16 inches) were usually not made.
In addition to fish barrels those for CUCUMBERS, SAUERKRAUT and BUTTER, were also made.
According to the memory of local masters the manufacture of BEER BARRELS started at ADRAKU Village in the 1860-70s, and was later also taken up at the villages of TÕNUSAARE and LINNANÕMME.
Majority of Avinurme wooden products, mostly single-bottomed wooden dishes and bent items, have always been available as MARKET GOODS.
In the immediate vicinity, mostly in Viru County, in the northern are of Tartu County and eastern area of Järva County, the wooden dishes were also sold from VILLAGE to VILLAGE. If all the goods were not sold at the market they were taken to farther villages. As much as could be decided on the word of mouth the importance of peddling and hawking of wooden dishes, grain screens and corn measures was the greater the more distant the past. By the year 1920, travelling salesmen were almost non-existent at local villages.
Vending at villages mostly took place in winter, usually from October-November until the melting of snow-ways in springtime.
The more important FAIRS were attended throughout the year. Peddling trips were mostly undertaken in pairs. Individual vessel makers had their own established BOOTHS that were visited at least once each year.
If the vending at markets and fairs was used money, the villages still frequently practised primitive exchange trade: grain was used mostly, especially trade against rye.
It was customary to give the same full volume of grain for smaller vessels (mugs, pails, milking pails, corn measures, etc), exchange norm of which was common also elsewhere in the early stages of trading.
The exchange of larger items – tubs, screens, etc. – did not have such a norm; corn measure was used for measuring out grain according to goods.
The circle of MARKET TRADE was considerably more extensive than vending at villages. This mostly comprised the entire eastern Estonia up to the line of Tallinn – Viljandi – Halliste, with the larger fair centres of Tartu, Võru, Petseri, Valga, Viljandi,Tallinn, Paide, Rakvere, Jõhvi and Narva towns.
Many fairs had heaps of items made by domestic craftsmen. At the heyday of carpentry in the late 19th century, couple of hundreds of loads of goods were transported from Avinurme to Tartu fair.
This eastern European area was an established trade region where the craftsmen came together to sell their products. Even the vessel makers without land kept a horse for such trading trips.
The constant growth of production and decreasing demand for several products in the second half of the 19th century inevitably resulted in the need to expand the market with the emergence of MIDDLEMEN, who bought goods up because the domestic craftsmen themselves did not have enough time outside their work to seek for selling options farther away.
“Middlemen – there are about couple of tens of them– never go to a market with only type of goods. Their loading often includes almost all kinds of vessels and such mixed goods are of course easier to sell” (“Olevik”, 1903, No. 4, p. 86).
Thus, buying out was fairly well established by the start of 20th century. In subsequent years it became more and more common. The owners of larger farms were the typical middlemen that purchased products from smaller farmsteads and from men without land.
Tallinn, which is situated further from Avinurme than Tartu, provided better market for the middlemen for Tartu had vendors from Avinurme too often and too many. Tartu was mainly used for collecting goods for farther trading trips.
At the time of bourgeois state the rows of middlemen included more and more TOWN TRADESMEN from Tallinn, Pärnu, etc. A fair share of them were former inhabitants of Avinurme that had moved to town. The buying out trips of town tradesmen became more frequent with the emergence of car transportation and the construction of Sonda – Mustvee railway in 1926.
More extensive spread of buying out starting from the end of the 19th century also resulted in the expansion of AVINURME market of WOODEN DISHES. Middlemen were interested in the widening of their market, the more the demand for certain products decreased. These vending trips were now taken farther to the west; they even traded behind Lake Peipsi in the Russian territory, which had been ventured before (mostly in the vicinity of Oudova (Gdovi)). In the west, Avinurme wooden vessels reached all important markets up to Haapsalu and Pärnu. The mass competition of Avinurme vendors stole the market from the small vessel making centres of western Estonia (Hiiumaa, Nõva, etc.), wherefore the latter often prone to abandon this activity. Single selling trips were made even to Kuressaare in island of Saaremaa. In winter RUSSIAN MIDDLEMEN bought up Avinurme wooden vessels – mostly from the big KALLASTE “ice fair” (fair was held on ice) in March.
Avinurme PUNNETS were most common in the Russian villages by Lake Peipsi (therefore the working centre was situated at the coastal area of the municipality), and partly also in the towns of eastern Estonia, especially in Tartu.
Lots of SMOKED FISH BASKETS were also purchased at the fishing centres of north-eastern coast – Aseri, Purtse, Toila, etc. The baskets were also used among Estonian peasants in the vicinity. SHINGLES were mostly sold in northern Estonia with the sales centre of RAKVERE.
During the time of middle class society the production of chairs was also expanding in Avinurme. For a long time the manufacture of chairs was curtailed by the products of LATVIAN CHAIR-MAKERS frequenting Estonian markets.
The sales area of SLEDGES was limited already by the size of these items, which made the transportation in large numbers almost impossible. They were mostly sold in Viru and Järva County. The usual trading circle of Avinurme sledge makers also included Tapa, Koeru, Jõgeva, Mustvee, Jõhvi and Rakvere. The trading season of sledges already started in autumn with carts and ended in February. At the time of czaric government lots of sledges were also made for the orders of manors.
BARRELS and CASKS were almost totally excluded from market goods, for they were mostly made as ordered by different factories and companies. BARREL HOOPS were mass produced for cement factories.
FISH BARRELS were manufactured in great numbers to LAMPREY SMOKING HOUSES of Narva.
At the time of bourgeois state FISH BARRELS were mostly made for fish salting companies based in Tallinn. At the end of 1930s, the principal orders came from FISHING HOUSE of that time (roughly 3,000 barrels a year) with the number of barrel makers considerably rising again.
BEER BARRELS were largely produced for the BEER FACTORIES of Tartu. A fair share of barrels was also sold to root beer industry situated in Narva and Tallinn.
In the 1920-30s some masters of Adraku were also making ASPEN SYRUP BARRELS for the syrup factory of Kadrina (~800 barrels per year).
In selection of market products one could also spot CUCUMBER BARRELS.
Similarly to the production of casks and barrels, the manufacture of ASPEN SNOW SHOVELS, mostly at ADRAKU VILLAGE, got its orders from RAILWAY BOARD of directors.
It was a commonly held belief in Avinurme that it was easier to make one’s living with handicraft than with agriculture.
