Omastamine või lihtsalt tõlge? Seto laulud eesti keeles

Appropriation or mere translation? Seto songs in Estonian Translation and adaptation are common phenomena in folklore. However, when translation is undertaken by folklorists in positions of power and driven by ideological motives, the matter becomes problematic. The relationship between Estonian folkloristics and Seto folklore has been both variable and complex. For historical reasons, the Setos themselves have not had a voice in the processes of publishing or translating folklore. This article examines three cases of translation that demonstrate how even seemingly “innocent” acts of translation can amount to cultural appropriation. Although the cases originate from different periods and reflect differing ideological or scholarly agendas, they reveal similar mechanisms of appropriation. Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald drew upon Seto folklore to substantiate his theory of the development of Estonian song and to prove the authenticity of the epic Kalevipoeg. Seto song culture provided Kreutzwald with an ideal opportunity to lend empirical support to his theories. He regarded the alteration and translation of Seto songs as an editorial process intended to uncover their original form. Jakob Hurt translated Seto lyric-epic songs for his popular anthology of folk songs intended “for all Estonians”. Once rendered in Estonian, these songs began a new life in school textbooks and popular publications as Estonian folk songs. Soviet folkloristics, in turn, employed invasive methods to produce ideologically acceptable folklore. During the Stalinist period, folklorists under pressure commissioned Seto women to compose politically suitable songs. A selection of these was published in school textbooks as examples of Soviet Estonian folklore – initially alongside the Seto-language originals, and later solely in Estonian.