Customary Legal Relations of Mordvins and Chuvash

The article provides a comparative analysis of the customary legal views of the Mordvins and the Chuvash, who are its ancient neighbor in the east, beyond the Sura, known from time immemorial under the name "vetke". The closeness of the social structure of the Mordvins and the Chuvash was reflected in the common components of the religious pre-Christian beliefs of both. Long-term adherence to pagan beliefs was accompanied by the preservation and application of customary law. The Chuvash, like the Mordvins, adhering to the customs of antiquity, tried to minimize contacts with the external environment as much as possible, and above all with the state authorities. The establishment of the volost justice allowed at least to some extent to take into account the ethno-legal views. Both peoples have identical ideas about violations of customary legal norms regarding the forms of marriage. At the same time, the neighborhood of peoples sometimes formed very contradictory ideas about each other, associated with particular difficulties of interaction of a domestic nature.

customary law, Mordvins, Chuvash, comparative legal analysis, commune, marriage, family