Aisa Hakimcan /ÃÂjÃÂsàhÃÂkimÃÂdáÃÂan/ (, ; 13 March 1896 â 5 November 1972) was a Tatar artist and publisher among the Tatar community of Tampere, Finland. He was known as a nationalistic cultural figure, who directed plays, wrote poetry and led Tarawih gatherings. In 1970 he took part in a conference for the 50th anniversary of Tatarstan in Kazan. His son Räshid Hakimsan (Reà Âid Hakimcan; 1934âÂÂ1997) was a hockey player and referee.
Born as the son of Khakimzhan Mukhametaminov and Maryam Alyautdinova in the Nizhny Novgorod Governorate Mishar village Aktuk, Aisa Hakimcan (Aisya Khakimzhanov) came to Finland in 1917. Like most other Tatars of his generation, Hakimcan made a living as a merchant, but among the Tatar community of Tampere, he was best known as a tough leader and a versatile artist.
Hakimcan was involved in the founding of local Islamic congregation, and later worked at the board. Slightly before this, a short lived predecessor to given congregation was founded and Hakimcan was in a leading position of the project. Hakimcan was also the chairman of The Tampere Turkish Society in late 1940s, and vice chairman multiple times. At the turn of the 1920s, Hakimcan had been one of the Muslims in Tampere, who signed a letter to the imam of Helsinki, urging him to initiate the project of establishing a Tatar congregation.
Among the community Hakimcan was known as a very musical person. He sang, played violin, mandolin and operated as a choir director. Hakimcan also wrote poetry and directed plays named Aliyebanu (ÃÂaliyÃÂbanu) and Asñlyar, both by Mirkhaydar Fayzi. He also acted himself; for example in 1930s, when a play Zöleyha (ZölÃÂyxa) was shown at Tampere Theatre, in honor of guest Ayaz ðshaki, who is said to have been very pleased with the performance and "appropriately chosen" actors. (Hakimcan was one of the leads and Turkestan-born Gibadulla Murtasin was the director.) Aliye, the daughter of Aisa, as well as the children of his brother; Zinnetulla, Semiulla, Hamdurrahman and Hafize, all took part in his plays. They were known as a talented family among the Tatars.
Hakimcan led the Tarawih gatherings of his community during Ramadan for decades, reciting the hymns "Elveda" (ÃÂlwidaÃÂ) and "ðlahi".
His poetry was nationalistic and dealt usually with the feelings of longing for his birthplace. In short, he expressed his feelings in the opening page of his three-part publication, Milli à ÂiÃÂer wàcñrlar ( àÃÂÃÂÃÂàôÃÂùñ ÃÂàìñÃÂçñ; âÂÂNational poems and songsâÂÂ, 1956-1966), as follows:
The publication consisted of works of the community, collected by Hakimcan. In 1935, Hakimcan wrote that he wished to return to his homeland with "children full of faith", ending the text with ðnnàÃÂd-dinàÃÂinda allahi ÃÂl-islam ("Indeed, the religion in the sight of Allah is Islam"; 3:19.). He referred to his people as "Turkish-Tatars" (Törek-tatar xalqñ).
Hakimcan printed and published songs and poems with his close friend, imam Habiburrahman Shakir. In 1960s they published a booklet in honor of poet ÃÂabdulla Tuqay. With businessman Semiulla Wafin, he published a religious work called ðslam dine xaq dinder (çÃÂóÃÂçàïÃÂÃÂàîçàïÃÂÃÂïñ).
In 1938, a 20-year memorial service for Idel Ural State was held in Warsaw, organized by Tatar activist Ayaz Ishaki. Hakimcan was one of the seven Finnish Tatars who took part in the celebration. Led by the Polish Tatar imam Ali Woronovicz, they visited the tomb of the unknown soldier to honor the deceased fellow Muslims. In June 1970, Hakimcan was invited to Kazan, Tatarstan (TASSR), by Finnish Tatar cultural worker Ymär Daher, as part of the conference on the 50th anniversary of Tatarstan. There they went to the "G. Ibragimov Institute of Language, Literature and Art of the Tatarstan Academy of Sciences", where they were greeted officially. Folklorist Ilbaris Nadirov, who had lectured previously at Tampere, was also present. During the trip, Hakimcan paid a visit to poet Tuqay's grave to show his respects. Magazine "Sotsialistik Tatarstan" (áþÃÂøðûøÃÂÃÂøú âðÃÂðÃÂÃÂÃÂðý) published a poem by Hakimcan and briefly interviewed him.
In his 1993 publication ÃÂit illÃÂrdÃÂge tatar ÃÂdÃÂbiyÃÂtñ hÃÂm matbugatñ, Kazan Tatar literary scientist Xatñyp Miñnegulov, who has studied Tatar writers abroad, mentioned a few Finnish Tatars; XÃÂsÃÂn XÃÂmidulla, Sadri XÃÂmit, GÃÂwhÃÂr TuÃÂanay, and also ÃÂaysàXÃÂkimcan.
ÃÂz awñlñm Yañapar
Qñà Âñn mayaq utñrtalar
olñ yul buylarñna.
Yañaparnññ qñzlarñna
sÃÂlam uÃÂñllarñna.
YÃÂà  Ã§aÃÂñmda küp yöredem
qayñn çaÃÂñllarñnda.
à Âul cirlÃÂrne saÃÂñnñp cñrlñym
iskàtöà ÂkÃÂn çaÃÂñmda.
Yörer idem qñrlarñnda
qaytsam Yañaparñma.
Ber tuyÃÂançñ cñrlar idem
utñrñp yarlarñna.
XÃÂtfàkebek yÃÂà Âel ülÃÂn
üsàðsmÃÂt tawñnda.
Taw yullarñ, qñr yullarñ
bar da bit uylarñmda.
Minem söyep eçkÃÂn suwñm
Mar küpere yanñnda.
Sarñ sazñm, Torataà Âñm,
ÃÂle dàbit küz aldñmda.
Yörer idem, menÃÂr idem
zur tawnññ baà Âñna.
TaÃÂñn ber qat cñrlar idem
Basñp qoyaà  qarà Âñnda.
In his poem "My home village Yañapar" (Aktuk), Hakimcan longs for his birthplace and wishes to return.
This poem was included in a Finnish Tatar paper of Sadri Hamid's, called Ak yul, in 1968.
In modern Russian sources, the surname is spelled Ã¥ðúøüôöðý (Khakimdzhan), which is a closer equivalent of the Mishar affricate pronunciation [dáÃÂ]. Latin letter c stands for same sound in given dialect.
Given name comes from the Arabic ÿêsÃÂ, which means âÂÂJesusâÂÂ. Surname is derived from Arabic Ḥakëm (âÂÂwiseâÂÂ) and Persian jân (âÂÂsoulâÂÂ).
Surname suffix -ov also stands for a patronymic.
Aisa was married to a Finnish woman from Nokia, named Sylvia "Särvi" (óñÃÂÃÂ, SÃÂrwi; 1904âÂÂ1965). She converted to Islam and was actively involved among the Tatar community with her husband. They had two children; daughter Aliye, who was a talented singer and actress in Tatar language, and a son, hockey player-referee Räshid.
The older brothers of Aisa, Ibrahim and Siddik, as well as his mother, widow of a farmer, Merjam Alautdinoff (Maryam Alyautdinova; 1863âÂÂ1947) also lived in Finland. Businessman Ymär Sali was the uncle of Aisa. Brother Hasan Hakimsanoff lived in Finland only briefly in early 1900s.