Samogitians
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Samogitians (Žemaitē) |
|---|
| Total population |
|
about 0,5 mln in Lithuania |
| Regions with significant populations |
| Lithuania |
| Languages |
| Samogitian language, Lithuanian language |
| Religions |
| Catholics |
| Related ethnic groups |
| Latvians, Lithuanians, Latgalians |
Samogitians (Lithuanian: Žemaičiai, Samogitian: Žemaitē) are a Baltic ethnic group inhabiting the region of Samogitia in Lithuania. Many speak the Samogitian dialect of the Lithuanian language.
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[edit] History
Samogitians live in western Lithuania. In 1413, they became the last Europeans to convert to Christianity. In 1857, there were 418,824 people with Samogitian ethnicity and 444,921 persons declared Samogitian as their mother tongue in 1897 in Kovno Governorate[1]. Currently Lithuania does not allow for declaration of Samogitian nationality in passports.[2]
[edit] Exonyms
Samogitians call themselves Žemaitē, though exonyms are used in different languages.
| Language | Samogitia | Samogitians |
|---|---|---|
| Samogitian | Žemaitėjė | žemaitē |
| Lithuanian | Žemaitija | žemaičiai |
| Belarusian | Жмудзь | жмудзь |
| German | Schameiten | Schameiten |
| Latvian | Žemaitija | žemaiši |
| Polish | Żmudź | żmudź |
| Russian | Жмудь | жмудь |
[edit] Notes
- ^ Petrulis, Valdas (2005). "Žemaitijos etninės savimonės regiono erdvinė struktūra". Geografijos metraštis 38: 163-175. ISSN 0132–3156.
- ^ lrytas.lt (2007-06-04). Žemaičio tautybė - vos porai dienų (Lithuanian). Retrieved on 2007-11-23.
[edit] External links
Samogitians edition of Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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