THE LITHUANIAN’S HOME

Excerpts from the book “Lietuvio Namai”

By Angelė Vyšniauskaitė

Translated and Adapted

By Gloria O‘Brien

The Lithuanian, from ancient times, has thought of his home (namai) as sacred: his dwelling, the place of his own birth and that of his children and his childrens‘ children; his homestead, that supported his way of life; his kaima, where his neighbors were settled; and finally, Lietuva - Tėvynė.

The complex of farm buildings and the surrounding trees, fences, and orchards was known as the sodyba, and was the center of his universe. Throughout all of history, the Lithuanian has fought and struggled to defend the home of his parents and forefathers, his Tėviškė (native land).

Owing to the disastrous effects of forced collectivization under Soviet communism, many people now returning to Independent Lithuania are not coming back to their remembered homes. At best, there might be one or two old trees or possibly some sort of ramshackle farm building still standing. A shudder passes through the heart at the sight of these empty homesteads. Here amongst these ghosts can be felt the fading embers of the ancestors‘ spirit, which brought family members to join together at one hearth, to sit at the family table, and join young and old in one group. The Lithuanian‘s home was his fortress and his place of worship. However humble, it was his. Here, his spirit was at peace.

Gyvenvietės - Settlements

Over the centuries, several different kinds of settlements developed. The oldest was the kaima, groups of homes built near rivers or forests. In time, royal land reforms parceled out land to peasants and at the same time, changed the orientation of the kaimas. Reforms of the 16th century produced the so-called gatvinius kaimus (roadside villages). Cottages and outbuildings were ranged along a straight road, with communal buildings, such as barns, grain storage, as well as several saunas (pirtis), built crosswise at the end of the road. The roadside kaimas held property in common, such as fields at riverside where grass grew high. At haying time, farmers shared the work of cutting, then shared out the haystacks amongst themselves.

Land was apportioned beginning in 1557, by the Valakų reforms, to families according to their ability to prosper, and the number of working members in the family. As usual, the individual prosperous farmer continued to run his sodyba (vienkiemis) in a spot that suited him. Regardless of varying types of land reform, until the convulsions and upheavals of the middle of the 20th century, the old friendly relations amongst neighbors were preserved. All were ready and willing to join in talka (collective farming assistance), mutual help in haying, harvesting, flax-pulling, mowing, or flax-breaking. And as we all know, each activity was accompanied by its well-loved folksongs.

© English Translation - Gloria O’Brien 2011

This article was printed in Bridges, 2011