Sūduviai tremtiniai – įžymieji gintarautojai Semboje
LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Baltai; Gintaras; Gintaras, Gintaravima; Gintaras, Kryžiuočių ordinas, baltų gentys, prūsai, jotvingiai, sudūviai; Istorija; Jotvingiai; Prūsai; Rytų Prūsija [East Prussia]; Sūduva; Sūduviai; Vakarų baltai; Vokiečių Ordinas (Teutonic Order; Kryžiuočių ordinas); Amber; Amber gathering; Amber, Teutonic order, Baltic tribes, Prussians, Yotvingians, Sudovians; Eastern Prussia; History; Prussians; Sudovians; Sūduva; The Bats; Western Balts; Yotvingians.
ENAfterLithuania regained independence, an opportunity arouse to get a deeper and more conscious knowledge of its ethnic culture, prehistory and history. This in turn led to a deeper awareness and understanding of the development of the Lithuanian culture and civilization over space and time: past, present and future. An axiom, “without a past, there is no present”, has not lost its relevance. In fact, it is the main reason for publishing this article in Volume 6 of the yearly “Terra Jatwezenorum-Jotvingiu kraštas” (“Terra Jatwezenorum- Yotvingia”). Lithuania’s ethnic lands belong to the culture of the Western Baltic. In the middle Neolithic period (4000-3000 BC) a prominent Pomeranian culture developed in this area. It had quite an influence on the development of cultures of string ceramics in contemporary Europe. The Baltic tribes of Aisčiai-Sembai, Galindai, Sūduviai, and Kuršiai were founded on the Pomeranian culture. The Pomeranian culture flourished mainly because of its amber products. Semba was the prevalent area for amber distribution and was the central region between the eastern and south-eastern regions of the Baltic Sea. The high level of cultural development of the region attracted various aggressors. Wars for the lands of the Kuršiai, Prūsai, Galindai, Sūduviai and others began in the ninth century, and reached their peak with the arrival of the Teutonic and Livonian Knights. The Sūduva land was conquered last, which was achieved through the destruction of the tribe’s cultural heritage, the murder of its warriors and the enslaving of part of the population, by moving them to the Semba Peninsula.The displaced Sūduviai settled on a sizeable territory that passed into history as the “Sūduviai Comer” (“Sūduvių kampas”). The Sūduviai were able to keep their spirit of steadfastness and distinct tribal ethnicity even under the difficult conditions of exile. In the sixteenth century they constituted a large Sūduvian colony on the Semban land. After more than 200 years of the exile of the Sūduviai to Semba, the mention of this tribe began to appear in historical documents. It provides the opportunity to look at their life until the seventeenth century, when they finally succumbed to the assimilation of the neighbouring Prūsai (Old Prussians) and Lithuanians, forming the basis for a new ethnic group, the so-called Prussian Lithuanians. The article contains a lot of historical materials about Sūduviai’s spiritual life and their traditions, which were described in the manuscript booklet “Sūduvių knygelė” (“The Booklet of Sūduviai”) between 1520 and 1530. The booklet was later published. The material presented shows that each piece of amber emanates the Sūduviai spiritual legacy and origins. [From the publication]
