ELL: Livonians

Maximilian Hartmuth maximilian.hartmuth at GMX.NET
Fri Jul 21 20:37:30 UTC 2000


two things...
1) I recently read this article about the livonians and that livonian
singer in Central-Europe Review (URL and article below) and thought some of
you might be interested. It`s a truly endangered language in the baltics
("Today there are only about 300 Livonians, most of whom have become
Latvianised. Approximately 70 of them understand Livonian partially, maybe
ten speak it as their mother tongue.")

2) A question that just came to my mind... This city Livonia near
Detroit... Does anyone of you know from where it has got its name ? Was it
maybe created as a settlement by immigrant livionians ? (Or should i waste
no time on names of US-Cities ? Near that city livonia is a town called
Angola, and also that St.Petersburg in Florida :o)

best regards,
maximilian hartmuth,
vienna (the one in austria, not in the US :o)

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Defender of a
Small Nation
Hubert Jakobs

Perhaps those interested in history have heard about the Livonian War, the
Knights of the Livonian Order and the geopolitical formation called
Livonia, which was located on the territory that now makes up Estonia and
Latvia during the Middle Ages. When I studied Finno-Ugric philology at the
University of Tartu, we also had lectures on the Livonian language and
culture. But back then, I regarded Livonian as an extinct language that
only linguists and folklorists could find some interest in.

Therefore, I was astonished when, 20 years later, I discovered that
Livonian culture was still alive. I had been invited to the release party
of the first CD of the Estonian-Livonian joint project, Tulli Lum ("Hot
Snow" in Livonian). The emotional power and expressive performance of lead
singer Julgi Stalte captivated me completely. I got the album and, as I
liked it more with every listen, I wanted to learn more about the group,
its singer and the history behind the album. Why would anybody in Estonia
want to unite modern ethno-jazz with the cultural heritage of an almost
extinct national group that is as good as unknown to the outside world; not
to mention sing in a language, which, although beautiful, is understandable
to only a few?

The Livonians are an almost extinct Balto-Finnic nation, living in the
coastal villages of northern Couronia in Latvia by the Baltic Sea.
In order to find answers to these questions, I arranged an interview with
Julgi Stalte, after the group performed at the annual Jazzkaar festival in
Tallinn. The musicians in Tulli Lum, all of whom have also been involved in
other groups, had already played together for some time, and the uniting
factor was probably their mutual interest in ethno-jazz and folk music.

After listening to a recording of Livonian folk songs, the leader of the
group, Alari Piispea, expressed a desire to use an authentic folk singer,
most likely an old man. But, after they met Stalte,
Julgi Stalte
a bright young Livonian girl from Riga who had come to study folk music in
Estonia, their search ended. Most of the material in Tulli Lum's repertoire
stems from the books of Estonian folklorist Oskar Loorits. And, in a way,
it is a fusion of authentic folk music and modern day jazz-rock. Although
Stalte has grown up amidst traditional Livonian folk music, she regards
this kind of contemporary folk sound as excellent. "It adds modern power to
the old folk song," says Stalte. "The main thing is to not lose respect for
the authentic folk song. And this Tulli Lum hasn't done."

There are only about a handful of people who speak Livonian, which is
closely related to Estonian and Finnish, as their mother tongue. Stalte is
one of those few. She remembers well her grandfather, who only spoke
Livonian with her. Her parents were very actively involved in reviving
Livonian folklore and, together with their children, took part in the work
of the Skandinieki folk ensemble. The Stalte family performed on the first
Livonian compact disc ever made, which contains the Livonian anthem, which
is based on the same melody as the national anthems of Estonia and Finland.

Julgi Stalte is a fighter. Not only is she proudly declaring her own
nationality and cultural belonging (although she is married to an Estonian,
she has no doubt that their son, Karl Oskar, is Livonian), her heart's
desire is that everybody who regards themselves as Livonian should also
show it in their actions and words. Stalte knows that there are many more
"hidden Livonians" than the official statistics maintain, with Livonian
blood in their veins, in both Latvia and southern Estonia.

Today there are only about 300 Livonians, most of whom have become
Latvianised. Approximately 70 of them understand Livonian partially, maybe
ten speak it as their mother tongue.
The fate of Livonians can also act as a warning to the relatively bigger
Baltic nations, who are still in danger of losing their cultural identity,
as they aspire to become members of the EU. Music, of course, can sometimes
speak louder than words, and Tulli Lum's first album is just a beginning.
There is so much more material from the rich Livonian heritage that is
waiting to be made known. Tulli Lum wants to bring the message of a tiny
nation, with its tragedies and hopes, to the world outside.

As Julgi Stalte says: "If you dare to say who you are, if you dare to fight
for it, then you have actually won the whole world. But if you steal it
from your children, then you have indeed stolen the whole world from them,
language-wise, culturally, in every sense.

Hubert Jakobs, 10 July 2000
http://www.ce-review.org/00/27/jakobs27.html


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