The Betti Alver Museum, the former railway workers’ building in Jõgeva bore the name “Tatarsk” for the duration of the project. Photograph: Triin Kerge, 2019

This photograph was taken on 5 March 1953. A photographer had been called to the village school to take a class photo. The event was cancelled since information arrived about the death of Stalin. Since the photographer was in the village, Tiiu’s determined mother decided to take advantage of the situation and have her children photographed. All the “Siberian children” distinctly remember the day of Stalin’s death, because the reactions of teachers at school and their mothers at home were very different. The death of Stalin gave a glimmer of hope that perhaps they would be able to return home to Estonia.

Laine still has the train tickets from their return from Siberia. Photograph: Triin Kerge, 2019

Marika Alver’s film “Return” (Tagasitulek, 2019) was screened at the opening at the Jõgeva train station. Photograph: Peter Biella, 2019

View of the exhibition “A Light Room and a Dark Room” (Hele ruum ja tume ruum). The photographs were placed on a curtain that was crocheted by Maimu (1925–2018), a deportee. The flower motif originated from her friend in Siberia. Photograph: Triin Kerge, 2019

When the girls arrived in Estonia they had their hair in long braids, as was the fashion in Siberia, whereas curls were in fashion in Estonia. Aima’s braid was cut off so she would fit in quicker. Photograph: Triin Kerge, 2019

Eha (b. 1936) and Laine (b. 1937) have been in daily contact for decades. Through their shared experiences, they are best placed to understand each other. Photograph: Katarina Meister, 2019.

View of the series of photographs by Marika Alver at the exhibition “A Light Room and a Dark Room” (Hele ruum ja tume ruum). Photograph: Triin Kerge, 2019

“Blossoming Monument” (Õitsev monument) awaiting replanting, leaning against the memorial to the deportations. Photograph: Tanel Rander, 2019

The exhibition “A Light Room and a Dark Room” (Hele ruum ja tume ruum) looked at how children deported to Siberia acclimatised to life in Estonia upon their return. The fact that returning to Estonia after liberation was also a traumatic experience for those who were deported as young children, is one that is not often addressed – few had homes to return to, their educations were largely in Russian or had been cut short in Siberia. The return and acclimatisation with Soviet Estonia was complicated for the deportees, because they had very different memories of their homeland. Their dreams did not fit with reality and also, the deportees felt socially stigmatised in Estonia.

The central artwork of the exhibition was Marika Alver’s film “Return” (Tagasitulek) in which Tiiu Trisberg contemplates on how to maintain hope and dreams that help one persist and continue living in difficult situations.

Two trains left Haapsalu train station on 27 March 1949 with 1,876 people, of whom 910 were women and 614 children. The destinations were Barabinsk, Karasuk and Tatarsk in Novosibirsk Oblast.

Our programme included hanging a sign bearing the name “Tatarsk” on the former railway workers’ building in Jõgeva (now the Betti Alver Museum) and planting a Novosibirsk bird cherry tree next to the building.


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