Vepses or Vepsians are Finnic people that speak Veps language, which belongs to the Baltic-Finnic branch of Finno-ugric family. The self-names of these people in various dialects are vepslaine, bepslaane and (in Northern dialects, South-West of Lake Onega) ludi, ludilaine.

In early Russian chronicles they are called "Весь" (Ves).

Presently they live compactly in Republic of Karelia in the area between Lake Ladoga, Lake Onega (Äänisjärv) and White Lake (Valgjärv, Белое Озеро), in Leningrad Oblast by the Oyat River, and in the Eastern part of the Leningrad Oblast with the part of Vologda Oblast.

According to the 2002 census, there were 8240 Vepses in Russia. Out of the 281 Vepses of Ukraine, 11 speaks Vepsian. (Ukr. Census 2001)

External links

• Vepsians organization
• Effort to vitalise the Vepsian language
• The Peoples of the Red Book: THE VEPS

Vepsia | Ethnic groups in Europe | Ethnic groups in Russia | Finnic peoples | Indigenous peoples of Europe

Vepse (poble) | Wepsen | Vepslased | 벱스인 | Wepsowie | Вепсы | Vepsäläiset | Vepser | Вепси