Kuršu ķoniņu workshops explore free villages and traditional dress

A series of workshops at Atālmauļas, a Kuršu ķoniņu family home, introduces participants to the history and culture of the ancient free villages and their traditional dress, LSM reported, citing Skrundas Television.

The five-session course, titled “Kuldīga Municipality and Kuršu ķoniņu Traditional Dress”, combines historical talks with practical work. Participants are making decorations for the mėlene, knitting regional mittens, sewing skirts and crocheting.

The Kuršu ķoniņu free villages were unique social and economic communities in Latvia, whose residents were never serfs.

Before discussing the traditional clothing, one session covered how yarn was dyed with plants before synthetic dyes became available. Botanist Janta Meža of the Latvian National Museum of Natural History said the plant known as krāsu mēle was especially valued for producing dark blue dye.

Meža described the mėlene as a dark blue woollen shawl decorated with metal pendants, a feature she said may link archaeological and ethnographic periods. She noted that similar garments are not found in other regions.

Inita Peniķe, who married into an old Kuršu ķoniņu family, works to preserve and share its heritage. With her family, she has created a history and gathering room in the home, where members of the family have lived and worked over the generations. She is also active in the Kuršu brīvciemi association.

Workshop participant and craftswoman Zanda Šlegelmilha said the sessions help people feel connected to a place and discover their roots. Elita Lampa said the knitting patterns were familiar from the work of her grandmother, mother and aunts. Kuršu ķoniņu descendant Juris Zauers said he had traced his family roots back 400 years.