The Novgorod Slavs, Ilmen Slavs, or Slovenes were the northernmost tribe of the Early Slavs, and inhabited the shores of Lake Ilmen, and the river basins of the Volkhov, Lovat, Msta, and the upper stream of the Mologa in the 8th to 10th centuries. The Slovenes were native to the region around Novgorod. There is a belief among researchers that Novgorod is one of the regions which were the original home / Urheimat of the Russians and the Slavic tribes.