Who Are The Lithuanians? (People, Flag, Geography, Language)

In order to truly understand the Lithuanians, one must understand its PEOPLE, FLAG, ETHNO-GEOGRAPHY, and LANGUAGE. You will be surprised and amazed to find out how a country the size of South Carolina can have such an illustrious world history and deep-rooted traditions that stretch back to the very first settlement of Europe millennia ago! Let’s begin with independence.

February 16, 2018 commemorated the centennial of restored Lithuanian Independence, 100 years since it cast off its Soviet occupiers in 1918. Called “Atkurtai Lietuvai” in the Lithuanian language, it is a time not only to remember a long, bloody history of Russian and German occupation, but it is also a chance for a nation to celebrate its independent spirit, uniquely brilliant minds, and stand as a role model for success against oppression. (#AtkurtaiLietuvai100, #RestoredLithuania100). But who are the Lithuanians?

Lithuania’s history is long and complex, equally as complex as its language. For those who don’t know what a “Lithuania” or “Lithuanian” is, well, let’s take a closer look at this relatively small European nation that sits right off of the Baltic Sea at the geographic heart of Europe.

The Lithuanians – Population and Flag

With a population of just over 3 million, there are also over 1 million diasporic Lithuanians living all around the world, most prevalently in the US (Chicago, Pennsylvania, Connecticut), Canada, the UK, Western Europe, and even Brazil. This article is being written by a diasporic part-Lithuanian.

First things first: a bit of protocol. The proper name of Lithuania, in Lithuanian, is LIETUVA. If you are Lithuanian, you are “Lietuvis (male)/Lietuvė (female),” as in the phrase “aš esu Lietuvis/Lietuvė” or ‘I am Lithuanian.’ With the 2018 Winter Olympics concluding in 2018, and subsequent Olympics ensuing, you would have paid close attention to how the country’s name was spelled on its uniforms – for all countries for that matter.

The Lithuanian flag, like all other nations, is a symbol of intense pride. Just as we gaze upon our United States flag in reverence and place our hands over our hearts when reciting the National Anthem while standing, the Lithuanian flag holds a very dear place in the hearts of its people both at home and abroad. The Lithuanian flag comes with its very own customs. It’s a symbol of Lithuanian independence.

Lithuanian emigration to the United States started well before the 1890s, but it really wasn’t until the early 1900s that many Lithuanians left their homeland in search of a safer place for their families. Russia had occupied Lithuania from 1795 until 1918 (123 years) until Lithuania declared its independence; even still, life did not change very quickly. That independence was only to last 22 years until World War II (1940) when the Russians, and then Germans, and then Russians again occupied Lithuania for a successive 50 years. Total occupation time: 173 years!

Lithuanians came to the US primarily in two waves. The first wave was during the c.1890s up until the early 1920s, these were primarily farmers and tradesman. The second wave came later and were comprised more of the Lithuanian intelligentsia who were escaping Russian persecution during WWII – especially under Stalin who was targeting them for extermination.

Whatever the circumstances, the Lithuanians that came to the United States were hard working, industrious and all about their families. They worked and toiled and sacrificed all for the future generations in this great country. For the first few generations at least, families kept their language and social customs but in reality tried as much as possible to assimilate to being American. Even the Lithuanian diaspora contributed in many ways toward Lithuanian independence.

No matter where they were outside of their home country of LIETUVA, however, they always seemed to maintain their cultural identity through the establishment of Lithuanian social spheres wherever they set down their roots.

Some of the more notable Lithuanian-Americans are: Dick Butkus, Johnny Unitas (Jonaitis), Vitas Gerulaitis, Charles Bronson, Bob Dylan, Ruta Sepetys, Jason Sudeikis, Rose Namajunas, not to mention all the Lithuanians in the NBA such as Jonas Valančiūnas and the legendary Arvydas Sabonis!

The Lithuanians – Ethno-Geography

In terms of its topography, Lithuania is not a mountainous country by any stretch of the imagination – its highest point, Aukštojas Hill, is only 964 feet high. The country is 25,200 square miles, about the size of South Carolina, with a population of about 3 million people, 90% of whom are ethnic Lithuanians. According to Lithuanians, their country sits at the geographic center (heart) of Europe and just happens to be heart-shaped. It’s also a neat tourist destination near Vilnius. Pretty cool!

Lithuania, as a land that has been settled for millennia, is typically described as having at least 5 distinct “ethnoregions.” These ethno-cultural Lithuanian sub-groups are the descendants of ancient tribes that were noted by historians such as Tacitus to have had distinct customs and languages who eventually merged into a single, mighty nation. Samogitia’s correct, modern spelling is Žemaitija. Lithuanian independence owes its thanks to all of them.

Lithuanian Language and Independence

To best understand the Lithuanians, its country, history and world view, you MUST understand its language. Lithuanian has been said to be one of the hardest languages to learn as it is highly inflected and has stress and intonation patterns that cannot be learned from any basic grammar of the language, only through memorization of speech.

Lithuanian holds the prize for being the oldest living language in the Indo-European Language Family closest to its original form. Its nearest extinct relatives in that category would be Latin or Sanskrit! Although there are other languages more closely related to Lithuanian, Latvian for example, none have retained the sheer amount of Proto-Indo-European features as has Lithuanian.

Linguists have said that if you want to hear what the original Indo-European language sounded like, go and listen to a Lithuanian speaker.

Having that distinction, Lithuanians are extremely proud of their language. So much so that during the Russian occupation of their country when the military attempted to erase all traces of Lithuanian, both spoken and written, the people hung on to their language as you would hang on to a child in mortal danger with all your might.

Even upon pain of a gruesome death, families would hide and smuggle books, speak in secret and as a result fomented a healthy disdain towards Russian, and often Polish. Even after 173 years of occupation and forced assimilation, the Lithuanian language thrives. I think this is why I became a linguist! Language is at the heart of Lithuanian independence.

Speaking of books, Lithuanians have always been book nerds! As a place of pride in their language, Lithuanian books have always abounded as a cherished reminder of their . . . well, sheer awesomeness! Want Lithuanian books to read? Here’s the best list of Lithuanian books out there on the internet.

One cool feature that is retained in modern Lithuanian is that men have one variation of their surname while women have two variations: an unmarried and married version. For example, if I am Aleksandras Stanišauskas and I marry Elžbieta Gedrimaitė (daughter of Mr. Gedrimas), her name would become Elžbieta Gedrimaitė-Stanišauskienė. Make sense? My son would be a Stanišauskas and my daughter would be a Stanišauskaitė.

The Lithuanians – Independence and the Land

Last, but not least, as an introduction to the country of Lithuania and its people, is its amazing natural beauty. Lithuania is one of the most picturesque places on earth! It truly reveals its natural splendor during the Fall when the leaves turn that perfect tinge of yellow, green and red, reminiscent of the Lithuanian flag.

If you really want to be prepared to be amazed, follow “We Love Lithuania” or “Made in Lithuania” on Facebook, they post the most breathtaking shots from around the country from actual users with actual photographic skill. They are one of my favourite FB feeds.

The land is of supreme importance to Lithuanians. As a mostly rural country, the forests, rivers, and outdoor spaces are central to a Lithuanian’s ordering of the universe. As the last nation in Europe to become Christianized, Lithuania has always held a connection to its pagan past. The origin of the name LIETUVA (Lithuania) is supposed to be derived from the word lietus meaning ‘rain’ or with some reference to terrestrial water. However, there are several theories as to its etymology.

As the centennial of Lithuanian Independence is celebrated on February 16, 2018, the country will be alive with the pride of a people whose language is irrepressible and whose history of work towards guarding its freedom was ultimately successful during several of the darkest chapters in European history. Who are the Lithuanians? Today, in Lithuania and abroad, lives a people who are uniquely gifted, quiet in manners, and very much a part of the fabric of many nations.

Lithuanians have always known freedom. Ever since the Baltics were first settled in Neolithic times, tribes living in the region have been fiercely independent, fighting back ensuing waves of invaders including Mongols, Vikings and Teutonic Knights. In the 1200s Lithuania elevated itself to become the largest landholding kingdom in Europe, the Kingdom of Lithuania (1219-1596-1795), often erroneously referred to as the *Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

Lithuania has a lot to celebrate beyond its 100 of restored independence since 1918, its history of independence dates back thousands of years prior to that. In fact, I wonder if next year we will see an octocentennial celebration of Lithuanian independence from 1219 until 2019? Learn how the country celebrated its 100 years of Lithuanian independence in 10 over-the-top ways!

*A special thanks to Cyndi’s List for featuring this article under their “Baltic States [sic] History & Culture page.”