Lawmakers in Baltic caucuses fare well in election

Andris Straumanis | 

For the U.S. congressional representatives who lost their seats during the Nov. 7 midterm election, here’s a bit of advice: Join the House Baltic Caucus and your political career might just be ensured.

Of the 70 U.S. representatives who are members of the House Baltic Caucus, only three were not re-elected. Rep. Rob Simmons of Connecticut, Rep. Curt Weldon of Pennsylvania and Rep. Sue Kelly of New York, all Republicans, lost their seats in the election that returned the House to Democratic control. Simmons held on through a recount of a close race, but conceded Nov. 15.

One other caucus member, Republican Rep. Jim Kolbe of Arizona, has announced his retirement and did not run in the election. Another, Democratic Rep. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, ran for the U.S. Senate and was elected.

Both chairs of the House caucus were returned. Republican Rep. John Shimkus of Illinois and Democrat Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio easily won re-election.

“For any election, it is always a relief when Baltic Caucus leaders, especially the co-chairmen, win their races,” Karl Altau, executive director of the Joint Baltic American National Committee, said in an e-mail. “It really helps with the continuity.”

However, JBANC suffered one setback. Republican Sen. George Allen of Virginia, whose hopes for re-election evaporated after he used the word “macaca” to describe a worker for his Democratic opponent, is one of the 13 members of the Senate Baltic Freedom Caucus.

Back in 2000, Altau said, the Baltic lobby was shocked to lose a friend when Republican Sen. Slade Gorton of Washington lost re-election.

Other Senate Baltic Freedom Caucus members fared better, including Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, who failed to get the Democratic Party’s endorsement for re-election, but ran as an independent and won.

Altau said he hopes Brown, now that he has been elected to the Senate, will join the Senate Baltic Freedom Caucus. He also mentioned Democrat Ben Cardin of Maryland, who also moved from the House to the Senate and has been “a real friend over the years” to Baltic causes.

The general success of lawmakers who serve in the Baltic caucuses should help JBANC in its lobbying efforts.

“I feel that we have established some good continuity, and will continue to deepen these bonds, and exchange of information and ideas,” Altau said. “JBANC, for instance, makes it a habit to regularly visit all Baltic Caucus offices in the House and Senate three to four times a year to exchange information. Of course, there will be more attention depending on need and issue.”

JBANC now is focusing on getting word out about the NATO summit in Rīga later this month.

Andris Straumanis is a special correspondent for and a co-founder of Latvians Online. From 2000–2012 he was editor of the website.

New-look 2×2 camp focuses on young Latvians

Daina Grosa | 

Much has been heard about the Latvian 3×3 camps. These annual gatherings for all three generations—children, parents and grandparents—have been a huge success since the idea for these camps was born back in the 1980s. But have you heard of 2×2? Is this another 3×3 adjunct?

Certainly not. The 2×2 camp also has an even longer history.

Originally started in 1964 by Brunis and Biruta Rubess, the seminars were held regularly through 1996. Spanning three decades, the 2×2 movement inspired and provided cultural and ethnic “food for thought” for a whole generation of youths—1,500 Latvian teenagers and twentysomethings living in North America. Many of today’s “baby boomers” met their spouses at these seminars. Many 2×2 seminar attendees are still active in the North American Latvian community, while some have moved to Latvia and live and work in their ancestral homeland.

Now comes a rejuvenated 2×2 called “2x2divi,” signifying a fresh chapter in the life of this movement. It is scheduled Dec. 26 to Jan. 2 in West Virginia.

An identity-building seminar such as this is just what is needed for teenagers who have just finished high school and have just started college. Latvian schools will give a solid grounding of the rudiments of Latvian history, language and culture, but a sense of identity and belonging is forged in the later teenage years and early 20s. Unfortunately it’s often at this time during their lives that many youths fall by the wayside. College studies, establishing of a career, and a social life with new-found friends outside the Latvian community are all part of growing up, but that leaves the Latvian side of a young person quite neglected. Sure, there are opportunities to meet in an organized way, such as folk dancing, choir, sport and theatre. But as many of us have experienced ourselves, the best way to bond is at a “retreat.”

Many of us émigré Latvian children can vouch that a Latvian summer camp or high school will often result in friendships that last a lifetime. A seminar such as 2×2 can potentially deepen these friendships, at the same time forging new ones, simultaneously helping to unravel your ethnic identity issues.

Judging from the program, the focus on the new-look 2×2 seminar will be making Latvia accessible to young Latvians in North America, educating them on study and work options—making Latvia come alive and a viable option in this challenging and dynamic time in their lives. Topics such as “Latvia Today,” “Our Latvian Cultural Heritage,” “Leadership,” “Language” and “Latvians – What Are We?” all touch on important, emotive issues, but most are highly focused on practical discussions and possible solutions, not dwelling in the past and navel-gazing. Other practical group sessions are highly relevant to this age group: active sports, film, computer graphics, Latvian Internet resources, relaxation, theatre, and the more traditional (but always fun) folk dancing, choir and jewelry making.

The organizer of this year’s 2×2, Aivars Osvalds, himself a 2×2 veteran, states the same formula that worked well in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s has been applied to this seminar. Minor changes have been made to make the topics relevant to today’s youth and a big job had to be done in informing the younger crowd about the whole concept. Ten years of 2×2 in hibernation have meant a new generation has needed to be informed, encouraged and enthused about the idea. It sems this has worked as interest is being expressed and places are filling. With the maximum number of participants at 100 it looks like there won’t a problem finding attendees (almost 70 of the 100 registrations have been completed as of this writing).

Is the point of the seminar to raise the next generation of leaders in the community outside Latvia? Now that the homeland is so easily accessible, anyone who deems themselves Latvian and possesses an adventurous spirit will probably end up living in Latvia after all. Osvalds is not worried about this. Quoting the words of one of the former 2×2 leaders, current Latvian President Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga: “Šeit aicinājums visiem tiem, kam Latvija ir dzimtene vai senču tēvu zeme. Arī jūs esat daļa no tā ļaužu kopuma kam par pienākumu ir gādāt, lai Latvija būtu, lai zeltu, lai plauktu, lai pastavētu. Latvijai esat vajadzīgi jūs visi. No tuvienes, vai tālienes, nāciet Latvijai paliīgā” (This is an invitation to those for whom Latvia is your homeland or the homeland of your ancestors. You too, are an integral part of a unified group of people with a responsibility to make sure that Latvia grows and prospers. Latvia needs every one of you. From near and far, help Latvia prosper.)

The unique quality to this seminar is the bridge from the old 2×2 to the new. The inspiration has come from the older generation—those who experienced something magical back in their youth, so much so, that they want to pass the baton on to their children (and some, their grandchildren). The path was already well trodden, some weeds just needed to be cleared and the route appeared again, ready for use by a new generation. Let’s hope this formula that was a success will be repackaged so well that someone from this group of participants will be able to repeat the phrase of one (now) thirtysomething, who took part in a few 2×2 seminars 10 years ago: “They were the best weeks of my life!”

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The 2x2divi camp for Latvian youth is scheduled from Dec. 26 to Jan. 2 in West Virginia.

Daina Gross is editor of Latvians Online. An Australian-Latvian she is also a migration researcher at the University of Latvia, PhD from the University of Sussex, formerly a member of the board of the World Federation of Free Latvians, author and translator/ editor/ proofreader from Latvian into English of an eclectic mix of publications of different genres.

Reizniece’s book teaches Latvian folklore 101

Daina Grosa | 

Latvian folklore was traditionally passed down from one generation to the next via family traditions. These traditions have, over the centuries, unfortunately lost their relevance in daily life, so the passing down of Latvia’s cultural heritage has largely been left to schools and community groups. Their efforts now may be aided by a new book, Rokasgrāmata folkloras mācīšanā, by Ilga Reizniece.

Not all Latvian schools both in Latvia and outside of it teach Latvian culture as part of their curriculum. Some schools, however, have included some elements of Latvian folklore in their school traditions.

Our children, who are attending school in Rīga since Sept. 1, have come across two such celebrations so far: Mikeļdiena and Mārtiņdiena. Mikeļdiena celebrations were marked by fruit and vegetable sculptures created by the children (and in many cases, the parents) and displayed in the school yard, while Mārtiņdiena was the day the children from the older grades sold homemade items to the younger kids. I asked the children if any of the teachers had explained anything more about these days that are of important ritual significance in the ancient Latvian solar calendar. “Nē”, they both replied, not much more had been explained. The younger children had painted a rooster (the traditional fare for Mārtiņdiena feasts) in art class, so I guess that was as far as the teachers wanted to go with this topic.

Some schools in Latvia, such as the Jūrmala Alternative School not far from Rīga, have embraced Latvian traditions fully with folklore lessons part of the school’s curriculum. One of the educators at this school is Reizniece, best known as the lead singer and violinist for the post-folklore band Iļģi. Reizniece is a person with boundless energy and a passion—and a gift—for the passing of Latvian traditions on to the younger generation. In the past 15 years many books have been published on the subject of Latvian folklore. Some have actually had content that is very similar to what you will find in this book—Latvian children’s games with music and actions, songs, skaitāmpantņii (children’s verses)—but this book goes one step further.

Although it is in Latvian, the book is an easy read, so don’t fret if you think your Latvian will not be strong enough to follow the text.  The tone of the book is informal and chatty, making you feel that Reizniece is talking to you directly. She relays some interesting stories from her folklore “lessons” (it seems more fitting to call them “sessions of fun and games”). Reizniece has not only included a huge variety of traditions and grouped them by season (as is usually the case when teaching traditions), but has done it in such a loving and playful way that you almost want to run out yourself, find some children and start singing and dancing with them to your heart’s content!

The seasonal approach is not the only way the traditions have been grouped. There’s a section on lullabies, sun songs, Latvian mythology in general, jokes, folksongs about mothers, birds and so forth. The sheer variety of ideas would be a delight to anyone teaching the subject in a weekly school situation as you would be guaranteed a lesson every week for the whole school year with many topics left over. The book is not meant as a curriculum. It is more a treasure chest of suggestions that can be adapted to suit the situation at hand.

Rokasgrāmata folkloras mācīšanā is practical as it recognizes that the concepts portrayed in these traditions are hard to explain to kids who live in the 21st century where technology rules and contact with an agricultural lifestyle is minimal. Reizniece has drawn from many years’ experience with children of all ages and has come up with her own solutions to this problem. Another positive element is that reference is made to other media as potential resources for teachers: the Web, videotapes and DVDs, and excursions to specific museums in Latvia, such as the Ethnographic Open Air Museum, Latvišu Folkloras krštuve (Archives of Latvian Folklore) or the Krišjāņa Barona muzejs.

The book can be used by parents or grandparents and incorported into their own family traditions. This doesn’t necessarily have to mean it is “taught” to children by an educator in the classical sense. It also is great to read even if you don’t come into contact with children in your day-to-day life. You can learn a great deal about the world view of the ancestors of modern-day Latvians from the explanations of these simple children’s songs and games.

Details

Rokasgrāmata folkloras mācīšanā

Ilga Reizniece

Rīga:  Zvaigzne ABC,  2006

ISBN 9984-37-509-9

Where to buy

Purchase Rokasgrāmata folkloras mācīšanā from BalticShop.

Note: Latvians Online receives a commission on purchases.

Daina Gross is editor of Latvians Online. An Australian-Latvian she is also a migration researcher at the University of Latvia, PhD from the University of Sussex, formerly a member of the board of the World Federation of Free Latvians, author and translator/ editor/ proofreader from Latvian into English of an eclectic mix of publications of different genres.