Latgalians
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| Latgalians (Latgalīši) |
|---|
 Latgalian flag |
| Total population |
|
c. 150,000 (est.) |
| Regions with significant populations |
 Latvia:c. 150,000 (est.)
|
| Languages |
| Latgalian |
| Religions |
| Catholicism |
| Related ethnic groups |
| Latvians, Lithuanians |
The term Latgalians (also spelt Latgallians and sometimes known as Lettigalls, Latgolans, or Lettigallians) can refer to the inhabitants of the Latgale region in eastern Latvia in general, the ethnic Latvians of Latgale (especially those who speak the Latgalian language), or to the ancient Baltic tribe. In English, the more archaic Lettigallians usually refers to the tribe.
In Latvian, latgalieši refers to the ethnic Latvians of Latgale, which developed separately from the rest of ethnic Latvia in 1621-1917, whilst latgaļi refers to the ancient tribe, though the terms are confused in colloquial Latvian.
In Latgalian, the terms latgalīši and latgali have been traditionally used as synonyms describing both the ancient and contemporary Latgalians as a part of the same continuum. The term latgalīši (in both meanings) prevailed in Latgalian literature and mass media during the first decades of the 20th century, whereas the term latgali has been consistently used (also in both meanings) in Latgalian literature and media published during 30ies in Latvia and from 1940 to 1988 in exile. Since the cultural revival of Latgalians in 1988, there is a tendency in Latgalian literature and media to follow Latvians in their use of both names.
[edit] Ancient Latgalians (proto-Latvians) and ancient "Eastern Latgalians"
The ancient Letts, or "Latgalians" (i.e. inhabitants of the primal Latgale, – this ancient Central-Baltic term derives very likely from *Lætgale = "The Lettland"; compare with *Zemgale = "The lower-land"), were a Central Baltic tribe of little-known origin, which dwell in the 5th-6th centuries A.D. only in the Eastern part of present-day Vidzeme (westwards from Aiviekste River), and later on – in the nearly all territory of that region. In written sources they are mentioned since the 11th century. In the first two decades of 13th century the (Western) Latgalians are conquered by German (mainly Saxon) crusaders and included into Livonia. In 13th-14th centuries they assimilated in nowaday Latgale an unknown East-Baltic tribe, the latter this way becoming part of ethnic Latvians (it's accentuating, that the Latvian term latgalieši ("Latgalians"), in sense "Eastern Latvians", dates only to the early 20th century).
Most sure source of information about the ancient (Western) Latgalians is archaeology. In the lands of the Western and the Eastern Latgalians about 80 flat cemeteries of Western Latgalian origin have been excavated, with more than 2000 burials uncovered. The first large scale excavations took place in Ludza Odukalns Cemetery in Latgale (1890-1891), where 339 Late Iron Age burials were uncovered. In the excavations at Pildas Nukši Cemetery (in Latgale, 1947-1948) 218 burials were uncovered, dated to 9th-12th century, while at Zvirgzdenes Kivti Cemetery (in Latgale; 1948, 1955-1958) 175 burials from the 7th-12th century were excavated. 315 burials were found at Aglonas Kristapiņi Cemetery (in Latgale; 1928, 1938, 1977-1980, 1984-1987, 1999-2000), in use from the late 8th to 12th century. Ērgļu Jaunāķēni Cemetery was totally excavated in 1971-1972, when 89 burials were found. At Koknese Cemetery 102 burials from the Late Iron Age were uncovered (1986-1989). In the area of Gauja's Latgallians two cemeteries, Drabešu Liepiņas and Priekuļu Ģūģeri are well excavated too.
Archaeological excavations have also carried out on the hillforts of Ķente, Koknese, Sārumkalns, Tanīskalns, as well as on other Latgalian sites. Only a few (Western) Latgalian settlements have been excavated; large scale excavations (1960s-1970s) and reconstruction has been done at the Āraiši lake dwelling site (9th century).
In Latgale since the 6th-7th centuries there were flat cemeteries as well as barrow cemeteries, but in the 9th-10th century the transition started from flat graves to barrows. There are about 15 excavated Eastern Latgalian barrow cemeteries, but usually only a small number of barrows were investigated.
Archaeologically identified living sites in Latgale include hill forts, settlements and lake dwellings. Among hillforts, well researched is Jersika Hillfort (excavated in 1939 and from 1990 onwards), forming complex together with Dignāja Hillfort, on the opposite bank of Daugava. Jersika was occupied in the 10th-14th century, probably after the decline of Dignāja, which had been inhabited since the 6th century.
It is possible, that ancestors of the so-called Eastern Latgalians migrated to territory of present-day Latgale in the 7th and 10th-11th centuries, pushed from their previously inhabited territory by Slavic migration; some archaeologists also believe, that the Eastern Latgalians formed from the most ancient East-Baltic inhabitants of Latvia, who lived in central and Eastern parts of Latvia just in the "Roman" Iron age (1th-4th centuries A.D.).
[edit] Modern Latgalians
During the first independence of Latvia (1918-1940), Latgale was the only region of Latvia with strong regional political parties. Although Latvian governments mainly promoted a united Latvian culture, fostering assimilation of Latgalians, especially after the coup by Kārlis Ulmanis in 1934, the Latgalian language was also used. Books were published in Latgalian, it was taught in some schools, and people could choose to use Latgalian when communicating with the government. They were classified as a Narodnosti in the First All Union Census of the Soviet Union in 1926.
The Soviet period severely damaged Latgallian culture. Although publishing in Latgalian was generally banned, some political periodicals, like "Ludzas Taisneiba" ("Truth of Ludza") were published from the end of the forties to sixties in Latgalian. Latvian and Russian were the only recognized languages.
Latgalians continued to publish books and periodicals abroad. Publishing in Latgalian in Latvia resumed during the Third National Awakening in the late 1980s but is still rare. The Latgalian language is mostly used at home in rural areas and Latvian is overwhelmingly used in official use and in urban areas. Some government protection for Latgalian language is provided by the language law of 2000 which states that "the state guarantees the preservation, protection and development of the written Latgalian language as a historic form of the Latvian language."
Some Latgalians consider themselves to be an ethnic group separate from Latvians. The majority opinion is, however, that present-day Latgalians are a subgroup of the Latvians. The number of people who would identify themselves as separate from Latvians is unknown because the Latvian government does not identify Latgalians as a separate group in census data.
Additionally, the majority view is that Latgalians appeared because Latgale was part of Latvia for 100 years and under Russian rule, while the rest of Latvia was under German and Swedish rule. Thus Latvians living in Latgale are more Russified than the rest of the Latvian people.
