News archive

August brought diligent helpers, once again, from Estonia to Toronto. Tiiu Kravtsev and Kaia Ivask from the National Archives organised VEMU’s document archives, including the Estonian Central Council in Canada’s extensive archive. Riina Reinvelt from the Estonian National Museum continued the systemisation of Tommy Tomson’s sizeable collection of photos, which she began last year. Krislin Kämärä, the coordinator of the team of curators that works on VEMU’s future permanent exhibit, arrived at the end of August to start in on research at VEMU archives. Work meetings about the permanent exhibition took place, in which Krislin, Tiiu and Riina joined. We’re thankful to our guests for their dedication and the Global Estonian program for their financial support. Aimar Altosaar and Marge Tiidus, both former directors of the State Archives and on the road to the Kotkajärve Forest University, could also stop by VEMU for a visit. Eli Pilve from the Estonian Institute of Historical Memory got acquainted with VEMU’s activities and collections after Forest University. Hille Viires from Montréal brought archival material. Piret Noorhani and Kerly Ilves spent two days in Collingwood choosing items for VEMU’s archives from Ene-Liis Martens’ collection.

The Baltic Heritage Network summer school, the eleventh which has been organised thus far, took place this year from June 26th-29th. Founded in 2008, the Baltic Heritage Network promotes collaboration between cultural institutions which focus on preserving and researching the cultural heritage of the Baltic Diaspora. This includes organising events such as conferences, seminars, and summer schools. Each summer school takes place in a different location with a different theme. This year’s took place in Värska, Võrumaa, investigating the theme of “My Estonian Roots”. Before travelling to Värska, summer school participants gathered at the Noora, the new National Archives of Estonia building in Tartu. There, the group heard a lecture by Tõnis Türna, who spoke about conducting genealogical research and any restrictions one might run into when requesting materials. Birgit Kibal then gave a tour of the building before the group began their bus journey to Värska. When the group arrived in Värska, there was a screening of the show “8 mm elu”, which investigates film footage of the Estonian diaspora, along with a Zoom discussion with the show’s editor, Maarja Merivoo-Parro. A clip was also shown examining the legacy of Estonians on the island of Gotland in Sweden. The Baltic Heritage Network Annual Meeting kicked off the second day, followed by a packed schedule of presentations and discussions. While new members are joining BaltHerNet, financial opportunities and support have decreased simultaneously. Nevertheless, the BaltHerNet team always manages to tackle any work that comes their way, the results of which we can be proud. The morning presentations investigated Estonian diaspora archives. Though unable to attend in person, Maie Barrow spoke with the group over Zoom about the work done within the Estonian-Australian community and its archives. There was also a presentation by Keila Kopvillem on the EstonianCanadian archives of VEMU and using the collections for genealogical and personal research. Madli Wiiburg Walfridsson spoke about the Estonian archives in Sweden and efforts being made in preserving and gathering data about the photo collection. After lunch, Fred Puss from the Estonian Biographical Centre spoke about genealogical research, sharing examples from his work and his family history. Tiina Tael from the Estonian National Museum investigated letters from Setomaa in the museum collections. Marin Laak from the Estonian Literary Museum shared material from Ilmar Laaban, Gunnar Neeme, and Abel Lee collections. Janis Tobreluts from the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church archives discussed transferring church archives from the Estonian diaspora to the Saaga collection of digitised archives. A discussion regarding cooperation in Estonian cultural heritage in diaspora followed these lectures. Participants included Kadri Linnus and Marin Mõttus from the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Heidy Eskor from the Estonian Institute, and Piret Noorhani from Baltic Heritage Network and VEMU. Many organisations pursue similar projects and programming, and the project leaders are often the same cultural workers. Collection campaigns could be organized through competitions in supplementary schools and educational institutions in the Estonian diaspora to create connections between different generations and communities. BaltHerNet could also greatly benefit from new, young energy. There are many exciting possibilities for meaningful collaboration in the future. Programming for the evening was a viewing of the television show “Sinu uus sugulane” (Your New Relative) and a discussion with the show consultant Fred Puss. The series is similar to the British show Who Do You Think You Are, which has been on the air for several decades. In each episode of “Sinu uus sugulane”, a public figure in Estonia finds new relatives – other wellknown people – that they did not know about before. The third day of summer school investigated the collection of stories. Mari-Ann Remmel from the Estonian Literary Museum spoke about local lore and its role in shaping identity. Tiina Kirss from the Association of Estonian Life Stories introduced the association’s collection and explored how a biography is not just the story of an individual but a story about the individual, ancestors, and family. Marju Meschin from the Institute of Estonian Memory talked about the work of EMI and the plans to celebrate the upcoming anniversary of the Great Escape. Piret Voolaid, the director of the Estonian Literary Museum, spoke about collecting Estonian school lore in Canada and how former and current students and teachers across generations in Toronto remember their school days. After lunch, VEMU’s Piret Noorhani screened the film Meie Tartu, and, following the film discussed VEMU’s plans for the future. Aune Valk from the University of Tartu presented findings from a survey investigating Estonian identity. Following this presentation was a discussion about Estonian identity in the diaspora, moderated by Aune Valk with Riina Kindlam, Tiina Kirss and Lea Kreinin. On the last day of summer school, the group was taken on a tour of Setomaa, thanks to tour guide Helen Külvik, beginning in Värska’s orthodox church. After learning more about traditions and history at the Seto Farm Museum, the group was treated to a performance by a Leelo choir. Although time was running short, the bus was still able to make quick stops at Vana Jüri Seebikoda (soap store) and at Seto Atelier Gallery in Obinitsa, where the group was treated to a singalong with Evar Riitsaar and Kauksi Ülle. Instead of summer school next year, Baltic Heritage Network will be organising a conference in Vilnius – which means our Latvian and Lithuanian counterparts will also join in. Keep up with BaltHerNet news via the newsletter: https://www.balther.net/balthernet/balthernet-newsletters/ Keila Kopvillem Birgit Kibal

This summer, the National Library of Lithuania hosted a talk on how to search for Lithuanian data in US archives and genealogical websites presented by Karilė Vaitkutė, head of the Genealogy Department at the Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture in Chicago (USA).

This summer, the National Library of Lithuania once again invited the participants of the Lithuanian Studies Summer Courses organized by Vytautas Magnus University. The Library has been inviting the participants of these courses for several years now, to discuss topics of interest to teachers, to share their experience and concerns, and to listen to lectures presented by the library experts.

Several dozen books on Lithuanian and Judaica subjects were added to the collections of the National Library of Lithuania. All of them were donated by Donatas Januta, a Lithuanian American lawyer, who visited the Library at the end of this summer.

On July 13-18, 2023, Prof. Dr. Renaldas Gudauskas, Director General of the National Library of Lithuania, visited the United States of America. The main purpose of the visit was to participate in the commemoration of the 90th anniversary of the flight of two Lithuanian American pilots, Steponas Darius and Stasys Girėnas, across the Atlantic.

This year, Lithuanian American Nijolė Bražėnaitė-Lukšienė-Paronetto turned hundred years old. On this occasion, the National Library of Lithuania invited Nijolė’s friends and all those interested to an evening to commemorate this anniversary. The event featured a presentation of the book “Apie anuos nepamirštamus laikus: Juozo Lukšos-Daumanto ir Nijolės Bražėnaitės susirašinėjimas” (About Those Unforgettable Times: The Correspondence between Juozas Lukša-Daumantas and Nijolė Bražėnaitė) compiled by Laima Vincė.

On July 15, 2023, on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the flight of the legendary pilots, Steponas Darius and Stasys Girėnas, an interactive exhibition by the National Library of Lithuania was opened at the Čiurlionis Gallery in Chicago (USA).

The summer edition of the Baltic Heritage Network quarterly newsletter is now available. In these pages, you will find information about our past and future events, new publications, and what is happening across the globe within the diaspora research and archive communities.

Since the invasion of Ukraine by Russia in February 2022, various forms of media have broadcast the events in Ukraine and the quality and state of life of Ukrainian refugees in Estonia. A lesser degree of focus has been put on how the war has affected Estonians and what role Estonians have played overall in the war. Another question that needs to be posed is how this war has affected diaspora Estonians and their respective communities. There’s no doubt that the war in Ukraine has revived personal and familial memories for many Estonians from the era of the Second World War, the fears related to it, and the trauma of leaving their homeland. With the upcoming collection campaign titled “Stories of War” from the Association of Estonian Life Stories and the Estonian Cultural History Archives (Estonian Literary Museum), we wish to collect stories related to the Ukrainian war from individuals from various generations. VEMU/Estonian Museum Canada in Toronto is a partner for the collection campaign.