SWARM

The Finno-Ugric language group numbers over 20 million people, among them are the Maris. They are divided into 3 ethnographic groups: the Eastern, the Meadow and the Hill Maris. The biggest part of the Eastern Maris are located on the river Belaja, which is in the northern part of Bashkortostan. The Maris are appeared by the end of the first millenium of A. D. The Meadow and the Hill Maris live on the territory of the Republic of Mari El. The Eastern Maris are located outside the republic. They count a half of all Maris living outside of Mari El. The ancestors of the Finno-Ugric peoples lived in Eastern Europe and Urals since the late Stone Age and occupied places from the Baltic Sea to the Western Siberia. Bee-keeping in Bashkiria is an ancient trade of the native population. It has deep historical roots, a thousand-year experience and traditions. The Eastern Maris adopted the methods of the Bashkirs and began to deal with bee-keeping together with them. The honey of Bashkiria is considered a symbol of that