Award-winning Archaeological Reconstruction of a Costume

This archaeological reconstruction of a costume excavated in Stāmeriena was made by Lilija Balgalve-Treimane, an outstanding master folk art artisan, member of the Latvian Arts and Crafts Association in Canada, and author of the book “Celaines. Celu jostu un apaudu aušana”, [Tablet weaving: belts and trims]. The reconstruction of the ancient Latgalian costume was created for the applied arts exhibition at the 6th Latvian Song Festival in Canada in 1976. Preparatory work for making the costume was lengthy and included information gathering, sketching, and consulting with Aleksandra Dzērvīte. The shawl is based on archaeological materials obtained during the excavation of a Late Iron Age barrow on the shore of Lake Ludza in Stāmeriena Parish in 1898. Several people helped in the making of the costume: Rita Auziņa made the cloth for the skirt and shawl, and metalsmiths Oskars Grīns, Kārlis Grencions and Juris Kļaviņš made the metal jewellery and ornamentation. Lilija herself incorporated the bronze rings into the shawl and wove the trims. Lilija received several awards for her masterpiece – a certificate of recognition and an award from the Organising Committee of the 6th Latvian Song Festival in Canada, as well as a certificate of recognition from the Cultural Foundation of the World Federation of Free Latvians. The costume was later exhibited in several Latvian booths at ethnic folk festivals in North America.