Editing Vots (section)

==Culture==
[[File:Votian doll, 1935 - Museum of Cultures (Helsinki) - DSC04765.JPG|thumbnail|right|Votic doll on display at Museum of Cultures, Finland]]
Historically most Vots were farmers. [[Slash and burn]] (''sardo'') was practiced until the early 20th century. Cattle, horses and geese were the most important livestock. Some made their living from fishing. Many primitive fishing habits survived a long time in Votic communities, such as fishing with a club or spear. [[Seine fishing]] was practiced during the winter. Vots formed seine groups (''artelli'') and made fishing trips as far as the Finnish outer islands like [[Seskar]]. Fishermen lived in wooden sleds called (''pudka'') during these trips.<ref name="Suomensukuiset kansat"/> Hunting was never an important source of income, because local nobility had reserved the right to hunt to themselves. Since St. Petersburg was so close to Votic homelands, many of the Vots went working there. Men worked in factories and women worked as servants. This contributed to rapid demise of Votic culture.<ref name="Suomensukuiset kansat"/>

Vots were quite poorly educated, and only one Vote, [[Dmitri Tsvetkov]], is known to have ever attended and graduated from a university. Ancient Votic religion is not known well, but it is assumed that it was similar to other Finnic beliefs.<ref name="Suomensukuiset kansat"/>

===Language and identity===
Most Vots were able to speak [[Ingrian language|Ingrian]] and Russian as well as the Votic language. In fact, Ingrian was more common in everyday use than Votic in some villages. Votic was commonly used with family members, while Russian and Ingrian were used with others. Russian was the only language used in churches. Vots often referred to themselves as ''Izhorians'', since this term was more commonly known among others. The term came in use when people wanted to make a difference between Lutheran and Orthodox Finnic populations in Ingria.<ref>Mauno Jokipii, ''Itämerensuomalaiset - Heimokansojen historiaa ja kohtaloita'', Jyväskylä 1995, {{ISBN|9519362800}}</ref>