Railway construction and the subsequent forest development transformed
the life of the Border Karelians in the forest region north of Lake Ladoga
during the 1920s and 1930s. The area included six Finnish municipalities
which were ceded to the Soviet Union after the Second World War. Before
the Suojärvi railway line was completed (1922), this area was dominated
by Orthodox Karelian culture which distinguished itself from the rest of
Finland by language and religion. Until the frontier between Finland
and Russia was closed in 1918 (Finland became independent in 1917),
the Border Karelians bought their necessary foodstuffs from Russia, increasing
their contact with the East.
After the railway was completed, a heavy migration movement
was directed toward Border Karelia from all over Finland. Jobs in the wood
processing industry and forestry caused the so-called 'Suojärvi fever.'
Because of that, a rapid cultural change took place in Border Karelia.
The settlers were mostly Finnish and represented Lutheran culture. Mixed
marriages became common and the customs related to the indigenous Orthodox
culture gradually fell out of fashion. Even the Karelian language spoken
by the Border Karelians gave way to the Finnish language. The Border Karelians
gave up their old Karelian way of living together in a large family. As
the nuclear family became common, large Karelian houses were abaondoned.
As a replacement, people adopted new building traditions from other
parts of Finland. New ways were also adopted in forest work, and old Karelian
forest workers' tools were replaced by tools brought from other parts of
Finland.