Livonians

The Livonians were the indigenous Finnics who since ancient times populated the shores of the Gulf of Riga adjacent to the Indo-European Balts. The Livonians spoke Livonian language, randakeel ("coast-language"), and designated themselves as the raandalist ("coast dwellers"). By the 19th century most Livonians had assimilated with the Baltic Latvians. In the 20th century, they experienced both a brief cultural revival and Stalinist extermination.

Like many other Finnic tribes, the Livonians were farmers, livestock-breeders and fishermen. Like also the Karelians of the Karelian Isthmus, they were setteling an area of international importance in ancient time, the trade route along River Düna/Daugava. They had close (trading) contacts with Gotland in the West, the Kievan Rus in the East and Ingrians/Karelians in the North, and were before christianization noted as one of the more developed cultures of the Baltics.

The Northern Crusades led to the establishment of Riga at the estuary of River Daugava and the subjection of the Livonians traditionally dated to 1201 and 1206. Subsequently, Livonia was settled by the more numerous Latvians, and the Livonians were gradually assimilated. There are many traces of Livonian language in Latvian place-names and in the Livonian dialects of Latvian language.

Livonians have however not completely disappeared. They were able to retain their identity, based on fishing, and different from that of the Latvians in the inland villages. In addition, the coastal Livonian settlements were cut off by forests and marshlands, and they had closer relations with the island of Saaremaa, but the world wars of the 20th century were significant setbacks. In both world wars, the land of the Livonians was evacuated of them who hadn't already fled to Gotland, and the few who returned were in 1949 deported to Siberia.

However, meanwhile Livonian culture had made noticeable progress in the Latvian Republic of the interwar years, and Livonian song festivals had been important manifestations. Livonian language had become an optional subject in schools in 1923. A national awakening and desire to develop the Livonian ethnic culture was spurred by the Finnish promotion of closer ties with the kindred Finnic peoples. With Glasnost a Livonian Cultural Society was founded in Latvia, and since then a revival of the old language and culture is in progress.