Oka River

Name and history

The Oka river was the homeland of the Eastern Slavic Vyatichi tribe. By the 5th century the land around the Oka river was inhabited by different Slavic tribes. The Baltic tribe of Galindians also lived in the western part of the Oka basin. Turkic tribes also inhabited the Oka area. The Oka river was also inhabited by Vikings and other peoples from Scandinavia. Artifacts of Scandinavian origin were found along the Oka–Volga route. There is no consensus opinion where the name Oka originated from. It could, however, be cognate with Sanskrit ओघ ogha, meaning 'stream' or 'current'.