Astasova folklore group
Olūteņi

Filming of staging The song as long as a human life, 2 August 1997

      Name: Olūteņi
          meaning: springs
          recommended transcription in English: Oluteni
          approximate pronunciation in English: Oluutengi
          Listen pronunciation in AU format (18 Kb)

      Created: 25 December 1996
      Location: Astasova, Andrupene parish, Kraslava distr., Latgalia
      Leader: Inta Viļuma
      Number of participants: 8, of them by age:
          younger than 14 years: 3
          from 14 to 24 years: 1
          from 25 to 44 years: 4
      and by gender:
          males: 0
          females: 8
      Forms of activity: sing, play music, play roundelays
      Musical instruments: accordion, hands drum, washboard.

      Description: In childhood I liked very much to listen, as my mum with her sisters were singing. Later in our, Makonkalns, parish a folklore ensemble was created, and I went to the rehearsals and wrote down songs.
    When married, I moved to Andrupene parish of Kraslava district, where I decided to realize my old dream - to create a folklore group. And so, 25 December 1996 we (three persons) for the first time went to scene. Then we did not have name, we thought it up later - 15 March 1997. To us have joined new participants, coming to Astasova from different areas. So small springs have merged in one stream. All know, that the cleanest water is in springs. The Latvian folklore is clean and clear as springwater, our pleasures and griefs are in it. Because of it we are named ourselves Olūteņi - the little springs.
    We sing on different holidays in Astasovo culture house (for ex. on Christmas, Easter, Full-grown day, John's day, the Holiday of childhood, Michael's day and others), in Andrupene, in Dagda.
    During performances we not only sing, but also we tell stories written by ourselves, play stagings, play roundelays. We sing not only folk, but also composed songs.
    In 1997 group is recorded in the dramatized television staging The song as long as a human life.

First year of existance

      Address:
          in Latvian: Inta Viļuma, Zaļozoli, Astašova, p/n Jaunokra, Krāslavas raj., LV-5684, Latvija
          in English: Inta Viluma, Zalozoli, Astasova, p/o Jaunokra, Kraslava distr., LV-5684, Latvia
      Phone: (+371) 56-59239

      Date of presenting the information: 25 August 1998