{"id":2378,"date":"2018-08-27T13:42:15","date_gmt":"2018-08-27T10:42:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lauska.lv\/veikals\/artistss\/vilki\/"},"modified":"2018-09-26T20:06:06","modified_gmt":"2018-09-26T17:06:06","slug":"vilki","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/lauska.lv\/veikals\/artists\/vilki\/?lang=en","title":{"rendered":"Vilki"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n
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Edgars Lipors<\/strong>Gundars Kalni\u0146\u0161<\/strong>U\u0123is Treide<\/strong>Andris Balcers<\/strong>J\u0101nis Kr\u016bmi\u0146\u0161<\/strong>Raimonds Kundzi\u0146\u0161<\/strong>\u0112riks \u0112riksons<\/strong>In 1980, the teacher M\u0101ris O\u0161s began a folklore ensemble in Engure, Latvia, named after Jukums V\u0101cietis, a commander of Latvian Red Riflemen forces during World War I.Such an action, however, did not sit well with the ideology of the occupying Soviet regime of that time, and therefore the KGB (Cheka) of the Latvian SSR fabricated a criminal case against O\u0161s in 1982 and arrested him. The \u201cEngure Folklore Ensemble Named in Honour of Jukums V\u0101cietis\u201d was subsequently reorganized and a part of its members continued their activities and accepted new members to the group under the leadership of B\u0113rtulis Pizi\u010ds, who was then director of the Daile Theatre in Riga.But the KGB pressured the folklore group once again. And again a part of the members reorganized, accepted new members, and formed the group \u201cLiepavots\u201d in 1987. The goal of this group was to continue popularizing the cultural heritage of Latvian soldiers.\u201cVilki\u201dAs the group turned its attention to learning the songs and way of life of ancient soldiers, it decided to change its name and has been known as the \u201cVilki\u201d men\u2019s ensemble since November 5, 1992.The core of the \u201cVilki\u201d repertoire consists of soldiers\u2019 songs from the most ancient times to the present day. We search for songs in published Latvian folk music materials but also from our own recorded interviews with people. Thus, many of our songs of the Riflemen in World War I, soldiers in the Latvian War of Independence, the Latvian Legion in World War II, and the national partisans have been learned directly from the former soldiers themselves.Currently \u201cVilki\u201d consists of six men, all of whom have an interest in the soldier\u2019s way of life as well as Latvian traditions and folklore. Each of us also practices one of many ancient arts, such woodworking, leather working, the making of musical instruments, and silver smithing. Most of our costumes \u2013 shirts, cloaks, footwear, jewelry and ornaments \u2013 are also handmade by ourselves based on fragments of clothing and other ethnographic material from the 9th to 13th centuries found in archaeological excavations throughout Latvia.But a soldier does not stand apart from the rhythms of everyday life, and therefore \u201cVilki\u2019s\u201d repertoire includes songs reflecting all stages in a man\u2019s life \u2013 from the cradle to the grave \u2013 family celebrations, seasonal festivals, and so on. We often sing these songs at weddings, name-giving ceremonies, and funerals in which we are asked to participate as well as at seasonal festivals, celebrations, and special events where we teach traditions to others.We consider the most important aspect of our activities to be the popularization and transmitting of this rich cultural heritage to the next generations, especially the very colourful heritage of soldiers\u2019 songs, which are unfortunately often silenced. To this end, we often perform in schools and for army troops.In schools we teach children about our history, the ancient soldier\u2019s clothing and armament, musical instruments, Latvian freedom fighters of the 20th century, patriotism, and selflessness in the fight for our country\u2019s freedom. These are not dry lectures, but instead a lively illustration of the soldier\u2019s life through song, ritual, and true stories from the battlefield.We also demonstrate and teach about the richness and diversity of Latvian folklore, music, songs, dances, games, and rituals at festivals and concerts abroad. <\/p>

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