A Short Summary of the
History and the Present-day of Korp! Indla
By the year 1923 there were already three student
organisations for women in the University of Tartu – two of them being
student societies and one a sorority. Nevertheless, ten female students
felt the need for a new organisation. “They had a wish to found a
centre which would oppose the governing mentality and unite students
with similar views, a centre which would advocate the world view that
was considered as essential for an Estonian academic woman.” In these
words has vil! Tuuli Keerberg explained the backgrounds of the
establishment of korp! Indla. That is why korp! Indla was founded on
March 07, 1924.
It is quite logical that korp! Indla shared the same general principles
with other organisations at the time: patriotism, academicism, and
intellectuality were held in high esteem. These three principles were
not the only ones; furthermore, other traditional-conservative values
such as activeness, dutifulness, honesty, morality, and sobriety were
cherished. The sorority was supposed to match two somewhat contrasting
roles for an academic woman - professional and family life. The
principal idea was to combine all those seemingly controversial
concepts as traditionalism and contemporaneity, grandiosity and
stability. In other words - to be in our time, ahead of it and
independent of it.
Although the first sorority Filiae Patriae was above all focused on
patriotism, C!I! chose not to follow the same path but stressed the
importance of one's love of home. However, this was not all, through
that a lot of importance was attached to our nation. It was believed
that one's homeland starts from one's family and home. Yet, such values
looked alien in that society, they were deemed old-fashioned and
outdated. This resulted in a clash between eternal and transient
values - one tried to be social while avoiding frivolous behaviour that
was regarded as unsuitable for an academic woman. The members of C!I!
reckoned teetotalism to be all-important, whereas sobriety did not
denote only abstinence from alcoholic drinks but a sober and temperate
way of thinking as well.
C!I! was founded by ten young students and it might be assumed that
their personalities and attitudes provided the basis for the
development korp! Indla's main principles. The name, the motto and the
colours of our organisation reflect these principles. Our sorority's
name was derived from a neologism ind of a renowned Estonian linguist
Johannes Aavik, which means enthusiasm but also zeal, eagerness, and
avidity. Korp! Indla is a place, where all these afore-mentioned
features are treasured. The endeavours of the founding members are
repeated also in our motto: "Confidence in words, honesty in actions,
love of home!" Colour combination of C!I! is cherry-brown - white -
green,
where cherry-brown symbolises friendship, white sobriety, and green
youth. On top of the cherry-brown cap, which has white and green
stripes, stands a Zirkel of the letters V, C, F and I (being the first
letters of the words that form a sentence "Vivat, crescat, floreat
corporatio Indla!") which is surrounded by a rosette of ten white
arrows.
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| As our official song says, "We
are young, and youth is something that....." |
The activities of C!I! were and are above all directed towards its own
members. But this is not all. In 1926 we joined a Women's Academic Home
Defence unit; starting from 1930 we took part in the editing-work of
the Student Newspaper of the University of Tartu and participated also
in the work of the student senate; in 1930 we signed a friendship
agreement with Savolainen Osakunta from the University of Helsinki; we
also took successfully part in student championships and in the
activities of many academic societies.
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| Volleyball winners in 1933 |
On July 31 1940 the beginning of the Russian occupation
in Estonia put a stop to korp! Indla's activity in Tartu. Our members,
who had emigrated during World War II, continued activity in exile,
establishing convents abroad in countries such as Sweden, the USA,
Australia and Canada. They were encouraged to actions by common aims:
to preserve Estonian language and culture, to secure their continuance.
Although far from homeland, they remained loyal to the principles of
korp! Indla both in their thought and actions.
The patriotic disposition of the last decades of the previous
century
resulted in an activities' boom among students. Student organizations
were revived after being prohibited for almost half a century. In the
fall of 1988 10 female students came to the conclusion that it was time
to re-establish korp! Indla. At the end of the year they decided that
the official re-establishment would take place in spring 1989, in March
just like the establishment in the beginning of the century. On March
31, 1989 our flag was consecrated at a church service at the St. Paul's
church in Tartu, the establishment meeting was held in the main
building of the University of Tartu and a small party at the
university's old café.
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| Re-establishment of korp! Indla
on March 31, 1989 |
Principles that originate from the establishment times are followed in
the re-established korp! Indla. However, time has made some corrections
to the principles. The requirement of teetotalism was dropped, but it
is still presumed that the members of korp! Indla will regard the
consuming of alcohol with moderation. The rules regulating the life in
corporations have also been changed, but these changes deal with the
details only, the principles have remained intact. In October 1991 the
relationship with our friend organization Savolainen Osakunta was
revived. On March 11, 2000 a korp! Indla and korp! Dzintra in Riga
entered into a cartel agreement.
The activities of korp! Indla are based on traditions, the most
important of them being kommerss which is held twice a year (around
October 24 and March 7). The three days of festivities comprise a quiet
evening in our convent, a joint meeting for active members and
filisters, a sorority ceremony and a party in the form of a family
evening, five o'clock tea or a ball. The spring kommerss is more
festive than the autumn kommerss, especially on jubilee anniversaries.
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| Autumn-kommersh 2002 |
This time between kommersses is more prosaic, but nevertheless busy and
full of activities. Since the establishment times there are weekly
meetings and lessons for fuchs, and cantus lessons according to the
necessity for them. The fuchses can polish their dancing skills at
dancing courses, which are held together with male corporations.
However, the summer and winter days and research paper presentation
evenings are meant primarily for bringing the active members and
filisters closer to each other. Our convent is open to the members of
other organizations at all times, but guests are especially welcome on
tea evenings, an inseparable part of which is the presenting of a
fuchs' research paper. Naturally a number of different events with
other organizations are added to the traditional events, as well as
official visits to the other convents and receiving guests in our own
convent. The celebrations of the anniversaries of the University of
Tartu (December 1st) and the Republic of Estonia (February 24th) and
the festivities on the Walpurgis night have become firm traditions.
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| Korp! Indla's Fuchs in Fuchs-lesson, October 2002 |
As an intimate organization korp! Indla is foremostly centered towards
its members, only single events are directed outwards from the world of
corporations. We have lots of events for our own members, for example
April 1 when coloured members and fuchses change their roles;
celebration of popular calendar days - St. Martin's Day and St.
Catherine's Day; Shrovetide feast with Shrove buns and rides on
sledges; excursions to the nature; visiting older filisters, etc. The
last event of the school year is komitaat where all our members who
have graduated from the university during the year are honoured. In
addition, we have organized many spontaneous events as survival camp,
basketball games, bowling etc. There is always a reason to organize
something, be it a fuchs-theatre performance, a style party or
whatever. It is important to fill our time with different events and
the membership of the organisation itself.
Noble attitude has always been characteristic of the corporation life,
even when emphasising nationalism is not on the first place any more.
At present, the most important are the academicism and membership,
social communication and symbolic ceremoniality. And the holy mission
that everybody understands in his or her own way.
Korp! Indla’s spring programme 2005:
Korp! Indla's expanded board in spring
term 2005:
Chairwoman: ksv! Anu Sarnet, Anu.Sarnet@mail.ee
Assistant chairwoman: ksv! Külli Kivioja,
kyllikivioja@hotmail.com
Secretary: ksv! Maarja Vaske, Maarja.Vaske@mail.ee
Fuchsmajor: ksv! Triin Heinsalu, triinsalu@hotmail.com
Korp! Indla