May 28
Today in Badacsony, Hungary at the seminar “Minority and language policies in the Amber Road region” organized by the University of Tokaj, UL LI senior researcher Gunta Kļava gave the presentation “Livonian as an Indigenous Language of Latvia: Language Policy Implications” and researcher Uldis Balodis gave the presentation “Historical and Modern Language Policy in Latvia”.
May 28
The website delfi.lv features an interview with our researcher Uldis Balodis—on linguistics and translation; research into the Livonian, Ludza Estonian, and Native American languages, their roots, and much more.
May 26
Colleagues from our joint project “Ȭpen” have begun work on the first Latvian handwriting recognition model, which is expected to include experiments in Livonian handwriting recognition in future phases. To this end, we are currently preparing several datasets, including digitizing the handwriting samples we have on hand.
May 23
The 2025–2026 academic year for the Livonian language and culture program came to a close with a group visit to the Latvian Ethnographic Open-Air Museum. A heartfelt and resounding “Tienū!” to all 35 participants of the Livonian language and culture school and 8 teachers who, over the course of this year, have collectively proven that where there’s a will, there’s a way for the Livonian language, and that even in just one year, a great deal can be achieved.
The Latvian Ethnographic Open-Air Museum was not chosen for the closing ceremony by chance. It houses a piece of the Livonian Coast—the Livonian farmstead “Dēliņi,” brought here from Lūžņa. Moreover, since spring, another piece of the Livonian Coast has been active at the museum—teacher and guardian of Livonian heritage Zoja Sīle, without whose storytelling much of the Dēliņi farmstead would remain unknown. And here it would be fitting to say a special “Tienū!” to her, not only for her storytelling but also for the idea of turning the Livonian school year-end celebration at the Dēliņi farmstead into an annual tradition!
A heartfelt thank you to the Ministry of Education and Science, which for the second year in a row has provided state-supported opportunities to learn the Livonian language and culture throughout the year (and this investment, as we can see, is paying off handsomely). We would also like to thank the Latvian Ethnographic Open-Air Museum for its support in organizing the closing event!
May 20
On 20 May, Institute Director Valts Ernštreits delivered an intervention at the 25th Session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Return of Cultural Property to its Countries of Origin or its Restitution in Case of Illicit Appropriation (ICPRCP) in Paris, UNESCO — on behalf of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. The intervention introduced the Forum and its work to the Committee, presented the Forum’s existing recommendations on the repatriation of cultural property, sacred objects, and ancestral remains of Indigenous Peoples, and outlined the multifaceted challenges these processes entail given the diversity of Indigenous Peoples’ situations — including those reflected in Livonian experiences.
Among the proposed approaches: proactive facilitation and consultation by Member States, and ensuring full access by Indigenous Peoples to their cultural property even prior to formal restitution discussions. The intervention also proposed the establishment of a dedicated Focus Group within the ICPRCP — a collaborative mechanism bringing together Committee representatives, Forum members, representatives of other Indigenous mechanisms, and Indigenous Peoples themselves.
May 19
Valts Ernštreits represented the UL Livonian Institute at UNESCO’s Brown Bag Lunch — an informal talk series in hybrid format bringing young UNESCO staff across the headquarters and offices around the world together for open, in-depth discussion. His talk, “Keeping Languages Alive”, placed the work of the Institute and the Livonian language community at the centre of that conversation. Many thanks to David Castillo Parra for the invitation, and to Young UNESCO for their support in making it happen.
Photo: Audrey–Maude Perreault
May 18
In Lēdurga, we met with members of the Livonian cultural community in Vidzeme, local historians, and representatives from museums and libraries to discuss the Livonian linguistic heritage in place names and research on the subject.
We learned about the tremendous work that has been done in collecting place names (especially house names) in Vidzeme, shared our experience in the field of collecting, researching, and mapping Livonian place names, and discussed our shared plans for the future. We also presented the libraries with a catalog of Livonian place names and a guide to the Salaca Livonian language. Thank you to the organizers for the warm welcome and to all participants for their involvement!
May 15 – 17
From 15 to 17 May, the team behind the project “Documenting and popularising the Estonian Swedish dialect Runska” (2024–2026) visited the island of Ruhnu to share the progress and outcomes with the local community and Ruhnu Swedish descendants.
The project brought together researchers from the University of Tartu, the University of Gothenburg, and the University of Latvia Livonian Institute, alongside the Ruhnu Cultural Space and the community of Ruhnu Swedes in Sweden (Svenska Odlingens Vänner). Its aims were to document and systematise existing language materials, record the remaining speakers of Runska, and broaden awareness of this lesser-known linguistic heritage.
The project was funded by Nordplus.
Photo: UT Institute of Estonian and General Linguistics
May 14
Today, at the event “University of Latvia on the Path to the TOP 500” (Latvijas Universitāte ceļā uz TOP 500), the institute’s lead researcher, Valts Ernštreits, presented the achievements of the project “Improving Accessibility of Critically Small-Resource Languages: AI-Based Approaches to Livonian Language Data Synthesis and Acquisition” (Kritiski mazu resursu valodas pieejamības uzlabošana: MI balstītas pieejas lībiešu valodas datu sintēzei un iegūšanai), as well as the institute’s international activities in the field of shaping the future of technology.
May 12
Today the Global Task Force for the International Decade of Indigenous Languages is meeting at UNESCO in Paris. For the first time, Latvia is represented at this body by the Institute’s senior researcher Gunta Kļava.
As head of the Institute’s Livonian language acquisition programme and a researcher of intergenerational language transmission, she has previously served as an expert in the Task Force’s Ad-Hoc Group on Indigenous Language Transmission, established in 2023. Institute director Valts Ernštreits returns to the Task Force in his capacity as representative of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII), alongside fellow members Emma Rawson-Te Patu (Aotearoa / New Zealand) and Amina Amharech (Morocco). We are proud to expand our presence in this important international body dedicated to building an equitable future for indigenous languages worldwide — and to share Livonian experiences in language sustaining and revitalisation.
May 11 – 15
From May 11th until May 15th, the International Finno-Ugric Students’ Conference, or IFUSCO, took place at the University of Helsinki, Finland. Our researcher Bridge Moran-Nae presented her working paper on the motivational drivers of Livonian musicians in the revitalization movement.
April 21
The 25th session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) has opened in New York — and we have wonderful news to share. During the opening ceremony, the Director of the Livonian Institute, Valts Ernstreits, was elected as Vice-Chair of the Forum.
The UNPFII is the highest-level UN body dedicated to indigenous peoples’ rights and brings together Indigenous communities, member states, and international organizations from around the world. Having a representative of the Livonian people in its leadership is a historic moment — and a testament to the tireless work of all those who have carried this cause forward.
April 20
We were delighted to hear that Mikus Spiridovskis, a student in Class 11C at Riga Jugla Secondary School, won an honorable 3rd place at the national level in the social sciences category at the 50th National Conference on Student Research Projects in Latvia! The supervisor of the research project “Development Opportunities for the Livonian Community Center” (Lībiešu tautas nama attīstības iespējas) is the distinguished cultural studies teacher, mg.paed. Ļevs Rusilo.
We sincerely congratulate Mikus and his research supervisor, Ļevs Rusilo, on their hard work and perseverance! We are pleased that the UL Livonian Institute contributed to the creation of this work. The support of Mikus’ family was also significant in the development of the study, tienū!
April 15
Today 24th Meeting of the Baltic Division of United Nations Group of experts on Geographical Names took place in Riga.
During the meeting we had an opportunity to present work that has been done at he the institute regarding Indigenous Livonian place names, their standardisation and use, as well as present global initiatives and collaborations regarding Indigenous place names and languages.
April 10
You can listen to (and read) the discussion about the Law on Latvian Historical Lands with colleagues from Latgale and Sēlija in the podcast “Mīti” on the Latgalian cultural news portal (Latgalīšu kulturys ziņu portals) lakuga.lv!
Photo: Amanda Anusāne
April 9
A discussion dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the adoption of surnames in Vidzeme was held at the Turaida Museum Reserve, where, together with distinguished colleagues, we discussed Latvian surnames, as well as Livonian naming traditions and how they have changed over time.
Photo: Maira Dudareva
April 8
Liepāja State Gymnasium hosted one of the master classes in the “Cultural Impulse” series , where students had the opportunity to learn about Livonian history, traditions, and identity as part of Latvia’s cultural heritage through the storytelling of Sofija, a student at the gymnasium, Livonian speaker and active member of the Livonian community. The session offered a new perspective on the Latvian Cultural Canon, allowing participants to gain a deeper understanding of our cultural diversity and its roots.
The masterclass encouraged young people to broaden their horizons and view culture as a living, authentic process that helps to better understand Latvia’s national identity.
March 30
Valts Ernštreits introduces the Livonian language in the “Language Tasters” series at Vytautas Magnus University.
More information here.
March 29
From the 19th to the 29th of March, the Korrika took place in the Basque Country. This relay race to promote the Basque language lasts 11 days – day and night – and passes through all Basque-speaking areas in Spain and France every two years.
Our researcher Bridget Moran-Nae ran in the Korrika on the 27th of March in Vitoria-Gasteiz and on the 29th in Bilbao, carrying the Livonian flag with her and representing the Livonian Institute of the University of Latvia.
We hope that all of our Basque colleagues at EHU had a wonderful Korrika, and we hope to have more fruitful collaboration with them in the future!
March 23
To mark Livonian Heritage Day, the Estonian National Museum has published a booklet about Ferdinand Linnus and Aarne Mõttus’s journey to the Livonians.
The publication is available here.
March 23
A report on Estonian public television about Livonian Heritage Day and the bird-waking ceremony in Ainaži and Ikla.
The report is available here.
March 22
Livonian Heritage Day is celebrated throughout Latvia in areas historically inhabited by the Livonians. The tradition has continued since 2023, when, following an initiative by the University of Latvia Livonian Institute, the Latvian National Commission for UNESCO, and the Latvian National Center for Culture, the Year of Livonian Heritage was celebrated for the first time.
Information about all events can be found on the website libiesugads.lv, which features both a map of all events that have taken place since Friday, as well as a description of the bird-awakening tradition and a song.
March 16
The theme of the latest issue of the Estonian journal Keel ja Kirjandus – the Livonian language in the context of the recently celebrated 500th anniversary of the first published book.
The journal also includes an article by the institute’s director, Valts Ernštreits, and his colleagues. The electronic version of the journal is available here.
March 13
In October 2025, Touko Keränen (member of the Young Leaders Board of the Finlandia Foundation National) visited the UL Livonian Institute and met with UL LI researcher Uldis Balodis. The newest issue of the Finnish American Reporter includes the article written by Keränen describing his visit to the UL Livonian Institute as well as the value and significance of the Livonian and Lutsi languages and cultures in Latvia and the broader Finnic context.
March 10
We warmly congratulate our colleague and University of Tartu doctoral student Bridget Moran-Nae on receiving The Three Rectors’ Scholarship!
The Three Rectors’ Scholarship is a joint initiative established by the rectors of the three Baltic states’ universities, which has been awarded since the 2017/2018 academic year. The aim of the scholarship is to develop cross-border cooperation between the three Baltic countries and their leading universities, as well as to promote the teaching and study of the Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian languages and cultures.
February 23
At 1 p.m. an open online lecture of research fellow candidate Bridget Moran-Nae “Revitalizing Minoritized Languages: Musical Performers as Language Policy Actors in the Livonian Community” took place.
February 19
On February 19th at 10 p.m., TV24’s program “Latvijas formula” (Formula of Latvia) featured a discussion on preserving Latvia’s statehood, language and identity, touching on issues such as the preservation of the Livonian language, ensuring the competitiveness of the Livonian language, as well as interdisciplinary research and approaches to gaining a better understanding of Latvian values.
The institute’s leading researcher, Valts Ernštreits, also participated in the discussion.
January 26
Over the past month, we have encountered several cases where various excuses have been used in order to prevent the use of Latvia’s second indigenous language, Livonian.
To clarify and help all Livonians who still face restrictions on speaking and writing in their own language, as well as to promote understanding among others, we have prepared a brief overview of the status of Livonians and the Livonian language in Latvia.
More details in the blog post: https://www.livonian.lv/…/libiesu-juridiskais-statuss…/
January 23
At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we discussed current affairs in the institute’s cooperation with international organizations, particularly with UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, which is mainly concerned with preserving linguistic and cultural diversity in the digital age and protecting the rights of indigenous peoples.
Photo: Ādams Edvards Vasaraudzis, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
January 20
The UL Livonian Institute is one of the cooperation partners involved in this project.
January 17
Research work is also planned for this year on the hillforts and in their surroundings, including dust analysis and charcoal residue research.
More information here. Photo: Juris Urtāns
