Klaipėdos universitetas

The article analyses the fishing and related occupations in the Curonian Lagoon region in the 19th – first half of the 20th centuries. A brief history of fishing in the Curonian Lagoon from ancient times is presented, thus providing historical context which might provide a better understanding of the processes that took place during the period analysed in the article. Available information from historical sources shows that besides fishing the lagoon fishermen were forced to engage in other occupations. The main reason for this was hard natural conditions of the region. Auxiliary fishing occupation soften were related to the fishermen’s skills acquired in fishing, such as boat building and management. Material of archaeological excavations carried out in 2012 at the site of former Kopgalis village is presented in the article. The material shows an important turning-point that took place in the 19 than 20th centuries in the region of the Curonian Lagoon – the transition from traditional fishing to a new activity – resort business. For the first time memoir material of Henrikas Cyrulis – native resident of Kintai village is presented in the study.

Having analysed the forms of the shapes of the ethnic musical instruments of the mankind, the data of the research leads to the presumption that the musical instruments convey the images of the fauna, mode of life, which reflects on very ancient processes of the humanity. The great part of the images of these instruments shows not only the animal kingdom and tools of everyday life, but also the ancient totemic world outlook and the means of burying – process of traveling to ‘another’ world. These means were canoes, boats and even sea ships. Connection with the water and sea propose the idea about the features concerning two cultures – fishing and shipping. The reflections and relics are evident in the shapes of the ethnic musical instruments of mankind. However, the ‘Sea’ culture is noticeable only in the civilisations of ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia and Greece and in the traditions of using the musical instruments of the current people living in these areas. The ‘Water’ culture relates with fishing in the local rivers and lakes and is evident in the traditions of many nations of the world. The images of the fishing culture are the most noticeable feature of the instruments of the Baltic people.

Freshwater fish could provide the stable resource base that made possible permanent settlement in lake basins during the Mesolithic and Neolithic in the eastern Baltic region, but the utilisation of this resource required the development of a body of cultural knowledge and techniques for fishing in different seasons, corresponding to the changes in environmental conditions and the behaviour of fish. This paper examines Stone Age fishing techniques from a seasonal aspect, in the light of ethnographic accounts of traditional fishing.