Shoksha

Shoksha (Erzya: шокшот, romanized: šokšot, Russian: шокша, romanized: shoksha) is an ethnographic group of Erzya people. It is named after the village of Shoksha [ru] in Tengushevsky District, Mordovia.^[1][2] They live mostly in Mordovia, Tengushevsky District and Torbeyevsky District. The ethnonym is relatively recent.^[3]

Shoksha live (or lived) in following settlements:

• Tengushevsky District: Баево, Березняк, Вяжга, Дудниково, Коляево, Кураево, Малая Шокша, Мельсетьево, Мокшанка, Нароватово, Сакаево, Стандрово, Шелубей, Широмасово, Shoksha^[3]
• Torbeyevsky District: Drakino, Кажлодка, Майский, Фёдоровка (depopulated), Якстере Теште (depopulated)^[3]

The Shoksha speak the Shoksha dialect [de; ru], a dialect of the Erzya language formed under the influence of the Moksha language, as for a long time Shokshas have been living with and surrounded by Mokshas. The language is unwritten and has a status of critically endangered.