Ethnic Roots and

Tourism- Lithuania 20

12

Ciaran Henderson,

Karolina Tutlyte,

Jack White, Kevin Rouse

DT413/3Ethnic Roots and Tourism TFTR3005

Dáire MagCuill16/11/2012

Investigation into the incoming Ethnic tourists and Roots Tourists to Lithuania supplementary to the groups presentation which was presented on the 13/11/2012.

Foreword

This document has been compiled by Ciaran Henderson, Karolina Tutlyte, Jack White and Kevin Rouse. “The author”, “we”, “the group” and “the team” mentioned in-text, refers to team as a whole. There is also a supplementary presentation.

If you would like to find out more about Ciaran;

His LinkedIn Profile:

His O-Desk Profile:

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ContentsIntroduction.................................................................................................................................................3

Ethnic Tourism, Overview............................................................................................................................4

Ethnic tourism, Focused..............................................................................................................................7

Roots Tourism, Overview............................................................................................................................9

Roots Tourism, Focused............................................................................................................................12

Conclusion.................................................................................................................................................14

References.................................................................................................................................................15

Bibliography...............................................................................................................................................16

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Introduction

Difference between ethnic tourism and roots tourism:

According to Sharma (NA) “ethnic tourism signifies the tourists interest In the customs of the indigenous and exotic people” and “it involves intimate contacts with the authentic indigenous culture… in this form of tourism, the tourist…participates in their festivals, dances, rituals and other forms of cultural expressions” whereas Roots tourism is when tourists, who normally reside in a different country, visit the places where their ancestors originated from. (Basu 2004)

LocationLithuania is located to the east of Europe. It is the largest of the three Baltic States. Lithuania is situated along the south eastern shore of the Baltic Sea.

The capital of Lithuania is Vilnius which is located to the south east of the country with a population of 546,000. The population of the entire country is 3,525,761. Its native language is Lithuanian and its main religion is Roman Catholic.

War was the main reason why Lithuanians left the country. The World Wars and the wars for Independence from the Soviets caused many people to emigrate from Lithuania in search of peace and the hope of a better life.

Lithuania is located here

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Ethnic Tourism, Overview

Ethnicity in Lithuania/ Ethnic tourists Ethnicity is the main mean that helps to highlight differences between societies. Nowadays the societies are becoming more and more multicultural. Each culturally different member has own unique identity that is based on traditions such as language, religion, culture, influences of the history and ethnographic traditions. Xie (2010)

The ethnic tourists are seeking for something ‘real’, ‘truthful’ and ‘authentic’ as major trend driving ethnic tourism. More and more tourists are going to explore the countries, which are not the main targets and attractions from international tourism point of view. Lithuania is a small country, as it is called ‘East European’ but actually is a part of the central Europe. In 2011, the accommodation establishment of Lithuania received 1 million foreign tourists, which is by 19.5 per cent more than in 2010. (Statistics of Tourism in Lithuania, 2011). There is no information of how many of them were ethnic tourists but it is possible to presume that the number is reasonably high.

According Smith (1989) the ethnic tourism involves four interrelated elements: (found in Xie’s Book)

1. Geographical setting (habitat)2. Ethnographic traditions (heritage)3. The effects of acculturation (history)4. Marketable handicrafts

The emphasis of ethnic tourism in Lithuania is going to be based on these four H’s.

Geographical settings- habitats

Communicate the ethnicity of the special regions. Ethnic tourists can get involved into the region’s ethnicity by visiting the most spectacular attractions. There are four ethnical regions in Lithuania. Every region has something to offer to ethnic tourists but the most attractive region is Zemaitija (Samogitia). It has a huge potential for tourism development, due to its natural beauty, cultural and historical heritage. Most popular tourist destinations are Palanga, Kretinga and Žemaičių Kalvarija. The majority of tourists come from Latvia, Poland, Belarus, Russia, Germany, Spain, Finland, Italy and Sweden. Palanga(the beach city) is popular tourist destination among tourists from the United Kingdom, Germany and Russia. Lithuania is called a land of Amber. Thus, Amber Road route is offered for ethnic tourist. They get acquainted with the amber traditions, including historic moments, extraction, processing and jeweler (http://www.balticamberroad.net/)

Another route Curonian Spit in Klaipeda to Nida route (52km). It introduces to Klaipeda’s marine life and Curonian Spit National Park, which was recognized as one of the most unique natural and cultural heritage sites of the Baltic Sea region by UNESCO. Ethnic tourists are introduced with ethnographic

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fishermen’s houses with reedy roofs and fishing nets drying nearby, seacoast beacons, wooden sculptures of the Hill of Witches

Ethnographic traditions (heritage)

are one of the most important parts of ethnic tourism. Ethnographic traditions allow tourists to understand the culture and ethnicity more into depth. Ethnic refers to the group of people who share the same heritage, - material artifacts, belief systems, customs, language, recreation, traditional housing style, etc. Heritage is strongly related with authenticity. Tourists are seeking for real experiences to interact, understand culture, language and folk traditions.

Lithuanian village has always been a source of Lithuanian nation community, ethnicity, cultural vitality and authenticity. Lithuanian village contains authentic ancient traditions alive. There are many museums established in villages where the ethnic tourists can observe the handicrafts and get engage of making them.

Rumsiskes-is the ethnographic open-air museum. This is a museum of People’s way of life. Rumsiskes is one the most famous places where locals (Lithuanians) and ethnic tourists are acquainted with authentic houses and typical interior. (Contains 140 buildings from the 18th–19th century) The Lithuanian ethnographic festivals are celebrated and folk song and dance concerts are held in Rumsiskes. Moreover, there are workshops organized which help to engage with the ethnology of Lithuania.

In 2011, accommodation services were provided by 615 rural tourism farmsteads (in 2010, by 590). Rural tourism farmsteads received 252.8 thousand guests, of whom about 20.6 thousand were foreigners. The majority of foreign guests were from Poland, Russia and Germany. In 2011, compared to 2010, rural tourism farmsteads accommodated by 8.4 per cent more Lithuanian residents and by 55.8 per cent more foreigners. (Statistics of tourism in Lithuania, 2011)

(Statistics of tourism in Lithuania, 2011)

Furthermore, the language is another piece of ethnicity. The ethnic tourists mainly learn simple phrases such as ‘hello’, ‘Thank you’, etc. There are language schools established throughout Lithuania, so tourists are welcome there to learn Lithuanian.While they are visiting the country they are able to listen the language from the locals and get familiarised with how it sounds.

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Lithuanian cuisine offers many national and traditional dishes, which can be tried in most of the restaurants. ‘’Foreigners like the black bread, the high-quality dairy products and the smoked meat. Even a dish like šaltibarščiai (cold beetroot soup) is popular with many.’’. (www.liw.lt)Effects of acculturation- History

The ethnology of a country relates to the history. Ethnic tourists are visiting the most important historical places of Lithuania. One of the most significant is Trakai. The Island Castle in the middle of Garve Lake is now the museum of history. ‘’Great Value, Superb Guide. One of the best European day trips we have enjoyed’’. Reviewed by James Barry S. (www.viator.com)

Another most visited place is Vilnius Old Town. It is one of the largest surviving medieval old towns in Europe; it is included to UNESCO World heritage list. ‘’Very atmospheric and compact. All the main sights of the Old Town are within walking distance. Vilnius Old Town is perfect for wandering around and there always something to discover, from old signs in Hebrew and Polish, to Baroque churches under restoration.’’ Review by Warsaw F.(www.tripadvisor.ie)

The last part of what ethnic tourists can acknowledge is handicrafts. Handicrafts show the national, folk arts. This is strongly related with authenticity. Ethnic tourist can see the authentic crafts. Moreover, there are many galleries/shops in Lithuania. They offer workshops that ethnic tourists can get engage in creating authentic Lithuanian handicrafts. For example ’Amatu Gildija’ organises such workshops.

Important data:Inbound tourism when trips were organised and services were provided by travel agencies and tour operators in 2011. By country:

(Statistics of tourism in Lithuania, 2011)

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Asia 5356Israel 1498Japan 1491China 1103Thailand 239Australia and Oceania 770Russia 17505Belarus 5903Euro Area 54635

EU 27 Countries 66159Other countries 2332

Canada 196 USA 2534America 3013Africa 60

Ethnic tourism, FocusedFor the focused facet on ethnic tourism we focused on festivals within Lithuania and the importance they hold for incoming ethnic tourists. They offer many varied opportunities for tourists to learn something new or interact with the indigenous people

Lithuanian Folk Song and DanceAt nearly all Lithuanian festivals there is some kind of traditional Lithuanian folk songs, especially at the Lithuanian song and dance festival which comprises of a dedicated song day as part of the celebrations. This can be especially unique for ethnic tourists as this event encourages ones “creative self-expression, vitality of the national culture, and promotes artistic creativity” and “has gained its popularity for its natural, spontaneous interaction between performers and the audience, for its relaxed atmosphere and its inclusive spirit” (visitlithuania.net). As an ethnic tourist interaction is the key element to the experience and the Song and Dance festival provides this opportunity for interaction between the ethnic tourist and indigenous people.

The festival also has a dedicated dance day which is performed in the stadium “Žalgiris”. This is a massive dance based around a central theme and is very inclusive with participants ranging from children to the elderly and comprises of up to 9000 performers (visitlithuania.net). If ethnic tourists were interested in learning traditional folk dance, they could contact the Lithuanian Dance Information Centre which has organized over 30 dance workshops and training programs since 1995 (culture360.org) and hosts an annual summer dance school in the Arts Printing House in Vilnius (dance.lt). As part of our research we also investigated YouTube for examples of traditional dance (ciscouf, 2008) but decided not to include it due to time restraints.

HandicraftsAs part of many of the Lithuanian festivals handicrafts can play a huge part in the authenticity of the experience and being able to participate in these ancient traditions is a huge draw for ethnic tourists. The team came across an organization in Vilnius called Baltic Blues events (Balticblues-events.com, NA) that offer classes in various Lithuanian handicrafts including the age old traditions of pottery and weaving. The group found the ancient tradition of cross crafting, which has seen resurgence in the past 20 years since the re-establishment of Lithuania’s independence (Počiulpaitė, 2011), is also offered around Vilnius at various workshops and events, the group discovered it was offered at the 2011 International folklore festival in Vilnius (Vilnius-events.lt, 2011). These type of classes and workshops

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allow interaction between the ethnic tourists and the indigenous people while learning an ancient cultural tradition.

As part of our presentation we presented the example of Maggie Holtzberg visiting Jonas Stundzia to learn about the midsummer solstice and he presented many different handicraft including garlands, kupole staffs and and iron saule. Supplementary to this we found a YouTube clip where Judy Buswick from ChelmsfordTV (2012) interviews him about Midsummer head Garlands.

Traditional food The Shrovetide carnival, which occurs just before lent, is traditionally celebrated in many different cultures with an abundance of food, for example in Ireland it is known as pancake Tuesday. In Lithuania nine to twelve meals consisting of rich foods are eaten and the main food for Shrovetide in Lithuania is also pancakes usually adorned with apples, berries and other fruits (Lebedevaite, 1997). The group has discovered that Baltic blues events (NA) that was mentioned earlier also organizes ethnic cooking classes where guests can learn how to cook ‘Kibinas’, a type of pastry with stuffing, which was a traditional dish of a small ethnic group called the ‘Karaim’. An image of a kibininé can be seen on the right (Dani, 2008).

All of these activities can lead to an increase in visitor numbers and as the president of Lithuania, Grybauskaite (2010) points out it could create new jobs, bring economic benefits while at the same time reigniting Lithuania as a cultural and tourism destination for the future.

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Roots Tourism, OverviewAccording to Meethan, 2007, roots tourism has been defined as “using travel as a means to forge deeper connections with the places associated with ones family, ethnic or religious group”

In 11th Century the Lithuanian states were formed. The reason for the states being formed was due to the turmoil caused by the military’s struggle for power. Between the years 1919 – 1920 there were three main wars within Lithuania. These wars were between the Lithuanians and the Soviets. They were fighting for independence from the Soviet Rule. They had been ruling the country for over 50 years at this stage.

Currently there are one million Lithuanians living abroad with eighty percent of those living in America. Lithuanian communities have been established in nineteen countries as an effort to preserve the Lithuanian culture. Majority of the people who emigrated during the war period were from the younger generation. This left the older generation to die out, taking most culture and traditional ways with them.

There are five main reasons for people to return to trace their ancestors:

Festival Food Music Culture Genealogy

Festivities:Roots Tourist could return to Lithuania to sample the festivities that could bring them closer to tracing their ancestors. Lithuania holds many festivals to celebrate its ancestors and heritage. These include:

Three King’ Masquerade St. John’s Day Mindaugas Day Velines & All Saints’ Day Folk Song and Dance Festivals

Of these festivals the Velines & All Saints’ Day would be the most important as it is the day that people celebrate the dead, tending to and visiting their graves. It is held annually on the 1st of November. This would be a great opportunity for returning tourists to research and find ancestors.

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Food:The tourists could sample food that their ancestor would have eaten and food that is still common to date. A prime example of food that is still popular in Lithuania these days is the flour pancake. The locals are so fond of pancakes that they consider Shrove Tuesday a massive event full of festivities and of course pancake making and eating. Other common foods are grain, which they use to bake breads, and meat.

Music: The main genres of music that has been around since the wars within Lithuania are folk and classical. The music was inspired by the Baltic States. People sang songs about the struggles within the country, rituals and work. The work songs varied from each sector, for example miners would sing their own song and harvesters would sing another. By listening to the music and lyrics the roots tourist could identify the hardship and anger that their ancestors felt throughout all of the upset during the wars.

A diary extract from Goran Bergandal demonstrated this theory as he returned to Lithuania to trace his roots. He describes the music as “rooted in indigenous, partly national origins” (Bergandal, 2005). He then goes on to say that the music helped to “lead the Lithuanians to their roots and to strengthen their Lithuanian identity” (Bergandal, 2005).

Culture: Lithuania is pouring with cultural sites. An immense culture change happened during the switch from a Soviet to a Baltic State. Example of cultural sites that tourists could visit in order to trace ancestral roots include; Vingis Park Amphitheatre, Karnavé and Trakai Island Castle.

Karnavé would be an excellent cultural site to visit as it is the location where King Mindaugas fought for independence from the Soviets during 1919 – 1920. Each year on the 6th July recreational wars are held at Karnavé. There is also lots of food and folk music throughout the entire event. This is a great way for tourists to trace roots and get a better insight to the conditions their ancestors would have lived in long ago.

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Genealogy: Ways that people could trace their Lithuanian roots would be from four main record bases:

Civil Records Census Records Church Records Land Records

As Lithuania was in the centre of both World Wars there was rich documentation on the population and who they were, especially during the Second World War. A Nazi Census was carried out in 1942 which could really help people to trace back family members. The Nazis carried out this census to determine the number of Jewish people living in Lithuania, which was a high percent of the population. With the vast amount of records to choose from it should not be difficult for someone to trace their ancestors back especially during the periods of war.

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Roots Tourism, FocusedThere are a number of reasons why a person would want to find his/hers family roots. Some of these would include validate family stories, trace medical conditions, find out if they are related to someone famous etc. As roots Tourism is very specific in information, the authors will use a case study on Matt Gross to help show the steps taken in finding his family’s roots and the sources that help you unfold family history. Matt Gross is a writer for the New York Times and he is travelling to Vilnius in search of his ancestors past.

Matt decided to get a Tour guide/ Professional Genealogist named Regina Kopilevich to help him in his research. Genealogists are a major help in uncovering history. They are excellent at:

Searching the correct sites for certain records (archives) Can usually speak more than one language fluently. As in the case of Regina, she speaks five

languages) Language can cause a barrier in finding out information. Have training and experience in searching family history

There are numerous sources of finding out the information that you are trying to find. Some of these include civil records, census records, church records and land records.

ArchivesRegina brought Matt to the Archives which are situated in the centre of Vilnius. Archives are where all the information on births, deaths and marriages are kept. This would be an excellent source of information on past history of a family. From this a person can discover many things about their ancestors such as the town they lived in and occupation. Here in the case of Matt he found information on his great great-great grandfather. Matt learned that his great-great-great grandfather was a tailor. He also learned that the village he grew up in was named Marijampole. Furthermore Matt discovered that his family began back in 1829 with the marriage of Mowsha to Dobra. Unfortunately the records on Matts family history ran dry from 1874 for 25 years. Unluckily Matt did not find any information on why his ancestors left Lithuania. Regina had a theory that it was probably due to the Russians conscripting men to join the army. His ancestor most likely did not want to fight for Russia and fled in search of better prosperity.

MarijampoleMatt then later went to Marijampole (the town his ancestors were from) in search of a deeper investigation of his grandfather. He found the killing site of the Jews. Nothing was left only 11 tombstones around a great pile of earth. The writings on the tombstones were engraved in Hebrew. Here he found numerous surnames called Moshes. That was the surname of his ancestors. He then knew this was the place in which his ancestors died and were buried.

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ToursA company named Lithuanian Tours (2012) offers a travel package of 6 days 7 nights in Lithuania. This would be an ideal amount of time to search for information on relatives, however, the group would recommend using a specialist in family history research if financially possible. Vilius is one such specialist who offers services such as family history tours, visiting where your ancestors lived & worked and locating presently living relatives still living in Lithuania(Lithuaniavisits.com, NA)- this type of personal service would help roots tourists to have an immensely deep understanding of their ancestry.

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Conclusion 

To conclude ethnic and roots tourism are an important parts of global tourism. More and more tourists are seeking to experience something new. Nowadays as people have more income than for instance 20 years ago they can travel more. Some tourists are travelling to the main tourists attractions such as Barcelona, Paris,

However, more tourists are going to less known countries, such as Lithuania to get acknowledge with a culture and traditions, country’s ethnology attractions. The department of tourism in Lithuania states that the number of foreign tourists is increasing every year.

Moreover, to number of roots tourists is slightly increasing too. Today the society is more and more multicultural. People who have their roots in other counties are seeking to find more information by travelling to their ancestors’ country. The majority of roots tourists in Lithuania are from America. Over one million people from America have roots in Lithuania.

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