(sitting middle), year 1920. 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. 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 (Ğaliyəbanu) and
Asılyar, both by Mirkhaydar Fayzi. He also acted himself; for example in 1930s, when a play
Zöleyha (Zöləyxa) was shown at
Tampere Theatre, in honor of guest
Ayaz İshaki, 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" (Əlwidağ) and "İlahi". In 1935, Hakimcan wrote that he wished to return to his homeland with "children full of faith", ending the text with
İnnə əd-dinə ğinda allahi əl-islam ("Indeed, the religion in the sight of Allah is Islam";
3:19.). He referred to his people as "Turkish-Tatars" (
Törek-tatar xalqı). Hakimcan printed and published songs and poems with his close friend, imam
Habiburrahman Shakir. In 1960s they published a booklet in honor of poet
Ğabdulla Tuqay. With businessman
Semiulla Wafin, he published a religious work called
İslam dine xaq dinder (ايسلام دينى خاق ديندر
). (Kazan 1970). 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" (Социалистик Татарстан) published a poem by Hakimcan and briefly interviewed him. In his 1993 publication
Çit illərdəge tatar ədəbiyətı həm matbugatı, Kazan Tatar literary scientist Xatıyp Miñnegulov, who has studied Tatar writers abroad, mentioned a few Finnish Tatars;
Xəsən Xəmidulla, Sadri Xəmit, Gəwhər Tuğanay, and also Ğaysə Xəkimcan. == Poem ==