kuala

kuala, in Finno-Ugric religion, a small, windowless, and floorless log shrine erected by the Udmurt people for the worship of their family ancestors. The term kuala is etymologically related to similar words in other Finno-Ugric languages, such as kola (Zyryan), kota (Finnish), and koda (Estonian), all of which simply mean “shelter,” “house,” or “home.” The kuala developed into a shrine from the actual dwellings of the Udmurt, but since the 20th century it has been...