Lietuvos etnokultūrinis regionavimas

LTPlačiąja prasme regionai paprastai siejami su etnografine lietuvių kultūra, o etnografinių bruožų analizė remiasi paskutiniųjų šimtmečių istorija, nagrinėja šiuo metu dar gyvus kaimo papročių bruožus. Nors tai yra pats artimiausias etnokultūros istorijos sluoksnis, visgi tai tik nedidelė etnokultūros bruožų sistemos dalis. Šis darbas supažindina mus su archeologiniais, istoriniais tyrimais, mums leidžia atskleisti ankstyvąją, pirminę natūralią etnokultūrinę sąrangą, istorinių laikų Lietuvos teritorinę struktūrą, leidžia pažinti regionų kalbinius, etnomuzikinius, etnoarchitektūros, drabužių bruožų panašumus ir skirtumus, o gyventojų savimonės raiška įgija visiškai naują istorinį kontekstą. Visa tai žingsnis po žingsnio šioje knygoje atskleidžia Lietuvos etnokultūrinių regionų sąrangą ir leidžia kiekvienam iš mūsų geriau suvokti savo vietą joje. [Iš leidinio]Reikšminiai žodžiai: Etnokultūriniai regionai; Etnokultūrinis regionavimas; Etnokultūrinių regionų struktūros; Regioninės kultūros; Ethnocultural regions; Ethnocultural regionalization; Ethnocultural regions structures; Regional cultures.

ENIn a broad sense the subject of this research is the territorial organization of Lithuania’s ethnocultural regions. In a narrow sense it focuses on Lithuania’s ethnocultural regions. This research aims to carry out ethnocultural regionalization of Lithuania. [...] Even though there is a large number of studies dedicated to regional ethnoculture, the aspects and scope of research vary significantly. Consequently, the inconsistency of findings in diverse fields of research aggravates the comparison of various regional features and thereby bears testimony to the fact that the integrated notion of ethnocultural region is not yet prevalent. To develop such notion in research of ethnocultural regions, it is necessary to apply interdisciplinary approaches and integrated methodology. The ethnocultural regionalization of Lithuania is based on the guiding principles of historicity, integration and representativity, which dictate the following criteria for defining ethnocultural regions: segregation, overlapping, historical compatibility, historical significance, functioning and uniform composition of a region. A combination of these principles and criteria enables to define the existing and historically grounded territorial structure of Lithuania’s ethnocultural regions. In the process of change within the network of Lithuania’s functional (administrative, religious) units, historical regional formations of territorial organization might be traced through adoption of the boundaries of functional units at sub-regional level. The structure of Lithuania’s territorial organization comprises 5 regions of territorial organization: Klaipėda region, with the sub-regions around Klaipėda and Pagėgiai; Žemaitija, with the sub-regions around Telšiai, Raseiniai and Šiauliai and the local centres of Mažeikiai, Kretinga and Tauragė.Užnemunė, with the sub-regions around Marijampolė, Šakiai and Lazdijai (Dzūkai of Užnemunė); • Dzūkija, with the sub-regions around Alytus and Merkinė-Varėna; Aukštaitija (core of the state), with the sub-regions around Vilnius, Kaunas, Kaišiadorys, Utena and Panevėžys and local centres in Ukmergė, Zarasai, Rokiškis and Biržai. A comparison between ethnographic regions and distribution of dialectological, ethnoarchitectural and ethnomusical traits revealed that the manifestations of distinctive traits unique to a particular ethnocultural region differ according to the form of material and nonmaterial ethnoculture. Therefore the delineation of the boundaries between distinct ethnocultural regions depends on the chosen aspect of research. The structure of Lithuania’s formal regions comprises 6 core areas: Samogitian ethnographic core area, defined by distinctive dialectological, ethnoarchitectural and ethnomusical traits; Aukštaitian ethnographic core area, defined by distinctive ethnomusical and dialectological traits, but showing ethnoarchitectural affinity to the core areas of Vilnija and Dzūkija; Dzūkian ethnographic core area, defined by distinctive ethnomusical and dialectological traits; Vilnija ethnographic core area, defined by distinctive ethnoarchitectural and ethnomusical traits; Suvalkian ethnographic core area, defined by distinctive ethnoarchitectural and dialectological traits, but showing ethnomusical affinity with the Dzūkian core area; ethnographic core area of Lithuania Minor, defined by distinctive ethnoarchitectural and ethnomusical traits, but dialectologically related to the Samogitian and Aukštaitian dialects. The existence of regional self-perception reflects the vitality of ethnocultural regions.However, besides the ethnographic self-perception, related to distinct ethnographic regions, there is also more or less pronounced ethnocultural self-perception, which may be ascribed to the following historical ethnocultural formations; Selonian in the north-eastern part of Aukštaitija region; Dainavian, which basically covers the entire region of Dzūkija; Sudovian in the ethnographic region of Suvalkija; and Curonian in Žemaitija. The inhabitants of the north-western part of Aukštaitija relate themselves to the historical region of Semigallia (Žiemgala). Because of the Semigallian self-perception, a separate perceptual (vernacular) region of Žiemgala is distinguished in the western part of Aukštaitija ethnographic region. The structure of Lithuania’s perceptual (vernacular) regions comprises the following core areas of regional self-perception: Žemaitija, Žiemgala, Dzūkija, Sūduva, Aukštaitija and Lithuania Minor. [...]. [Extract, p. 166-167]