Living On: Conference Devoted to Southern Finnic Nation

[The Ripper]

Living On: Conference Devoted to Southern Finnic Nation



A conference at the University of Tartu takes a look at the Livs, a Finno-Ugric people from Latvia's coastal areas with a moribund language but a culture that lives on.

The November 25 event is the highlight of the year, which has been declared the international year of Liv language and culture by Līvõ Kultūr sidām, the Riga-based Center of Livonian Culture.

One of the organizers, Karl Pajusalu, who teaches the history of Estonian and dialects at Tartu, says the Livonians are one of the closest kindred peoples to Estonians.

"Today the Livs are in a historically new situation where Livonian is no longer in use as a mother tongue and Livonian culture is developed in cities and online," said Pajusalu.

A number of experts on Livonian culture from different countries will speak in the White Hall of the University of Tartu history museum, including scholars with Livonian roots: Valts Ernstreits (who recently defended a doctorate in Tartu on the history of written Livonian) who will present a survey of the language and culture today accompanied by another Ph.D in history, Renate Blumberga, from the Center of Livonian Culture.

Göttingen University professor Eberhard Winkler will talk about contacts with Livonians based on vocabulary. Professor Riho Grünthal from the University of Helsinki will also present. And Christopher Moseley (UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University College, London) will deal with Livonian as the most endangered language in Europe.

Kristopher Rikken

News.err.ee

[The Ripper]

Here's a website operated by the Livonian Cultural Centre: http://www.livones.lv/

Available in Latvian, Livonian and English.