 Coat of arms of the historical province of Ostrobothnia | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| South, Central and North Ostrobothnia | |
| Languages | |
| Finnish (South, Central and Northern Ostrobothnian dialects) | |
| Religion | |
| Lutheranism (Awakening and Laestadianism) | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Other Finns |
Ostrobothnians (Finnish: Pohjalaiset) are a subgroup (heimo) of the Finnish people who live in the areas of the historical province of Ostrobothnia in the northwestern parts of Finland.
Ostrobothnians descend from Tavastians and Savonians, the latter started to settle in Ostrobothnia during the 1500s.[1][2]
A notable historical event involving the Ostrobothnians is the Cudgel War, in which peasants led by the local rebel leader Jaakko Ilkka rose in a revolt against the nobility during the Swedish rule.[3]
The South Ostrobothnian dialect is characterized by the changed of /d/ in Finnish to /r/ in Ostrobothnia lehren 'leaf's' (Finnish: lehden), the middle vowels tylysä 'boring' (Finnish: tylsä) and the diphthongs uo, yö and ie changing into ua, yä and iä.[4]
The Central and North Ostrobothnian dialects have been influenced by the Savonian dialects. They have changed the written Finnish sound of /t͡s/ into /s:/ or /ʰt/ and the vowels -ea and -eä into -ia and -iä.[5]
The stereotypical Ostrobothnian is brave, calm and dependable.[6][7][8]
Many Ostrobothnians are either Laestadians,[9] or active in the Awakening movement (körttiläisyys).[10]