Suitu Dūdenieki

Suiti is a special cultural and historical region in Kurzeme on Latvia’s western coast. For many years, the Suitu Sievas (Suiti Women) ethnographic ensemble has served as the musical trademark of the Suiti people. In the Suiti region – which consists of three villages: Alsunga, Gudenieki and Jūrkalne – traditional singing and active religious participation combine to make traditional culture a rich and fulfilling part of life. Many aspects of everyday life, such as textiles, cooking, folk songs and dances, have survived here as a living tradition, while the reintroduction of the bagpipe is the result of dedicated work by the Suiti people. In the early 2010s, it was the local Catholic priest who is said to have brought a bagpipe home to the village, and since then the number of bagpipe players in the Suiti region has been growing. Suiti bagpipers proudly represent their musical heritage and in 2024. Released full lenght album consisting of dances and well known melodies from their region. It is named “Three round moons: Suiti bagpipe dances” (Lauska, 2024), paraphrasing a chrestomatic bagpipe tune “The Round Moon” which is interpreted in 3 different variants.