Livonian
People
In this section, we introduce the people who appear throughout the lessons in the textbook.
Julgī and Lelū Stalte
Julgī Stalte and her eldest daughter Lelū Stalte come from a well-known Livonian family that keeps alive Livonian folk music heritage. Julgī’s parents Dainis Stalts and Helmī Stalte founded the folklore ensemble Skandinieki in 1976, which performs both Latvian and Livonian music. Julgī Stalte is a musician and songwriter who, in addition to the Stalte family folk ensemble and Skandinieki, has also performed in several other musical groups, including Nurmorkestõr, Tuļļi Lum, TaiTai.
The accompanying photo is a screenshot from the Livonian language learning video created by the University of Latvia Livonian Institute. Listen to them perform the song “Lēba” (Bread) in the textbook section 6.5.2.
Valts Ernštreits
Valts Ernštreits (Livonian: Valt Ernštreit) is a Livonian writer, linguist, translator, and head of the University of Latvia Livonian Institute. His Livonian roots are in the village of Pizā and one of his ancestors was the first Livonian poet – Jāņ Prints. Valts plays an important role in preserving the family histories, memories, and language of the last native speakers of Livonian.
Photo: Zane Ernštreite
Gita Kūla
Gita’s family roots are in the village of Sīkrõg. She lives in Liepāja and does handicrafts in a local applied arts studio. Gita is also active in the projects of the University of Latvia Livonian Institute and her voice can be heard, for example, in the Livonian dictionary’s audio samples (see https://livonian.tech/).
She learned Livonian from her grandmother Elfrīda Žagare. She remembers from her childhood how her grandmother spoke Livonian with her friends. Today, Gita mostly speaks Livonian with her mother Maija Norenberga and her daughter Sofija.
Photo: Andris Kūla
