Ethnographical ensemble
Suitu sievas

Near the Order castle in Alsunga

      Name: Suitu sievas
          meaning: Suiti women
          recommended transcription in English: Suitu sievas
          approximate pronunciation in English: Suitu sievas
          Listen pronunciation in AU format (21 Kb)

      Created: 1924 (see description)
      Location: Alsunga, Kuldiga distr., Kurland
      Leader: Ilga Leimane
      Number of participants: 11, of them by age:
          from 14 to 24 years: 1
          from 25 to 44 years: 3
          from 45 to 64 years: 1
          older than 64 years: 6
      and by gender:
          males: 0
          females: 11
      Forms of activity: sing

      Description: Near the Amber sea, in the western part of Latvia - Kurland, a very original area is laying, which name is Suiti land, and name of its inhabitants - Suiti. The Suiti land includes 4 parishes - Jurkalne, Alsunga, Gudenieki, Basi (now attached to the Gudenieki parish). In all parishes there are ethnographical ensembles (Gudenieku suiti, Maģie suiti), which store ancient traditions. Participants of the ethnographic ensemble Suitu sievas live and sing in Alsunga.
    For the first time the Suiti people have sung on scene in 1924, when prof. Ludis Bērziņš had taken them to Riga. Therefore we consider 1924 the year of foundation of the ensemble.
    The ensemble has acted many times elsewhere in Latvia and abroad. We have sung on Baltica festivals in 1987 (in Lithuania), 1988, 1991, 1994, 1997 (in Latvia), participated in miscellaneous transmissions of Latvian television.
    In 1973 the ensemble was filmed in Latvian feature film Blow, windy. Then we came to thought to name our ensemble Suitu sievas.
    In our repertoir there are songs, performed in this area from generation to generation. Many songs were inherited directly from parents, however we use materials of Folklore storehouse of Latvian Academy of Sciences too.

Adornment of bride, in camp 3x3, Alsunga, July 1995

      Sound sample: Apdziedāšanas dziesma (Chaffing song)
One couplet in AU format (245 Kb)
Full song in MP3 format (431 Kb)

      Address:
          in Latvian: Ilga Leimane, Krasta 4-19, Alsunga, Kuldīgas raj., LV-3306, Latvija
          in English: Ilga Leimane, Krasta 4-19, Alsunga, Kuldiga distr., LV-3306, Latvia
      Phone: (+371) 33-51467 (h.), 33-51382 (o.)
      Fax: (+371) 33-51358

      Date of presenting the information: 28 August 1998