Friends of North Karelia

Individuals and legal entities whom Oleg Eikhe considers friends of Northern Karelia

1. Sergey Mikhaylovich Prokudin-Gorsky (Russian: Сергей Михайлович Прокудин-Горский; 1863 — 1944). Born: Funikova Gora, Pokrovsky Uyezd, Vladimir Governorate, Russian Empire. Died: Paris, France. A Russian chemist and photographer, pioneer of color photography, who was the first to take color photographs of Northern Karelia. In the summer of 1916, Prokudin-Gorsky made his last photo expedition – he photographed the recently built southern section of the Murmansk Railway and the Solovetsky Islands.
2. Arhippa Perttunen (Russian: Архиппа Иванович Перттунен; 1769 — 1841). Born: Latvajärvi, Kemskaya volost, Archangelgorod Governorate, Russian Empire (Russian: Ладвозеро, Кемская волость, Архангелогородская губерния), now Ladvozero in Kalevalsky District, The Republic of Karelia (Russian: Калевальский национальный район Республики Карелия). Died: Latvajärvi, Kemsky uezd, Olonets Governorate, Russian Empire. A famous Karelian rune singer of folklore in the Karelian dialect. Much of the material for the creation of the famous Karelian-Finnish epic «Kalevala» was collected thanks to him. Around 1834, Elias Lönnrot met Perttunen for three days, while on his fifth field trip collecting poems for the Kalevala.
3. Into Konrad Inha (born Konrad Into Nyström, November 12, 1865, Virrat – April 3, 1930, Helsinki) a pioneer of Finnish photography, author, translator, and journalist. His legacy is not only two hundred photographs that testify to life and everyday life in the territory of Vienan Karjala (White Karelia; Russian: Беломо́рская Каре́лия, romanized: Belomorskaja Karelija, lit. ’White Sea Karelia’; North Karelian and Finnish: Vienan Karjala or simply Viena; Swedish: Vitahavskarelen), but also a book called «In the Land of Kalevala Songs».
4. Elias Lönnrot (born: 9 April 1802; Sammatti, Nyland and Tavastehus County, Swedish Empire — died: 19 March 1884; Sammatti, Grand Duchy of Finland, Russian Empire) — a Finnish linguist, folklorist, physician, philosopher, poet, musician, journalist, philologist, collector and compiler of the Karelian-Finnish epic «Kalevala«
5. Vaassila Kieleväinen (1755—1840) Born: Vuonnini, (Russian: Войница), now Kalevalsky District, The Republic of Karelia (Russian: Калевальский национальный район Республики Карелия). A Karelian storyteller, rune singer. In 1833, during an expedition, the Finnish folklorist Elias Lönnrot met with Kieleväinen and wrote down a number of epic songs and spells from him, which later became part of the epic Kalevala.
6. Maria Ivanovna Mikheeva (Russian: Мария Ивановна Михеева; born: 1884, Alajärvi, Kemsky uezd, Arkhangelsk Governorate, Russian Empire — died: 1969, Uhtuo, Karelian ASSR, USSR). Karelian storyteller, performer of epic songs.
7. Aleksandr Mikhailovich Linevskiy (Russian: Александр Михайлович Линевский, 3 May 1902, Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire – 20 February 1985, Petrozavodsk, Karelian ASSR, USSR) – a Russian writer, archaeologist, ethnographer, candidate of historical sciences, honored cultural worker of the Karelian ASSR, laureate of the State Prize of the Karelian ASSR, honorary citizen of the city of Petrozavodsk. As a student, he took part in ethnographic expeditions in Karelia, where in the summer of 1926, near the city of Belomorsk, about three hundred rock carvings were discovered, carved approximately 4-5 thousand years ago, called «Besovy sledki«. In 2018, the Belomor petroglyphs were included in the preliminary list of UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of Petroglyphs of Lake Onega and the White Sea. In December 1928, he defended his diploma on these petroglyphs. In 1951-1964, A. M. Linevsky created his main epic book about the White Sea Karelia region («Pomorye», «The Ice Has Broken», «The White Sea Region Is Raging», «Trials» — Russian: «Поморье», «Лёд тронулся», «Бушует Беломорье», «Испытания»). The book sold 700 thousand copies. The tetralogy recreates the life of the Pomor region in pre-revolutionary times and in the first years of Soviet power.
8. Federal Trade Network «Pyaterochka» (Russian: Пятёрочка, romanized: Pyatyorochka, lit. ’Five’) is a Russian chain of convenience stores managed by X5 Retail Group. As of April 24, 2025 in Kem, Republic of Karelia, the level of service and customer care is at the highest level.
9. German Lvovich Sterligov (Russian: Герман Львович Стерлигов; born 18 October 1966, Zagorsk (today Sergiyev Posad), Russian SFSR, Soviet Union) — Russian businessman, manager, first official millionaire of Russia. In 2004, Sterligov ran for the presidency of Russia, but his candidacy was prevented by the federal government. One of the co-founders of the first commodity exchange in Russia — «Alice», as well as many other projects, for example, the non-profit partnership «Register of non-drinking men». Chairman of the board of directors of the German Sterligov group of companies, chairman of the board of the «Society of lovers of ancient writing», founder of the Anti-Crisis Settlement and Accounting Center, which gave financial support to those exchanging goods and services. From his experience, any Karelian in the most difficult financial situation can gain knowledge for survival.
10. Manny Pacquiao (Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao Sr.; born December 17, 1978) — a Filipino politician, businessman, and former professional boxer. He is the only boxer in history to have won titles in eight weight classes. In May 2022, he took part in the presidential elections in the Philippines, where he took third place, receiving 6.81% of the votes. An example of resilience!
11. «Oloniya» (Russian: «Олония») is a branded retail chain of our Republic of Karelia. In Kem there are several retail outlets where you can always buy dairy products, baked goods and the entire range of products from the Olonetsky Dairy Plant at the best prices.
12. Galina Igorevna Shirshina (Russian: Галина Игоревна Ширшина, born on May 12, 1979, in the village Alakurtti of Murmansk region)  — Russian political and public figure, head of the Petrozavodsk urban district (2013-2015), chairman of the board of directors of the company «Oloniya» — makes a significant contribution to the development of Karelian products and their access to the markets of our region.