Collection of Anna Bērzkalne

There are over 3000 folklore units in the collection of Latvian language and literature teacher and folklorist Anna Bērzkalne (1891-1956) who was the founder of the Archives of Latvian Folklore. These are folklore materials collected by Anna Bērzkalne herself (mainly in Viesiena, her native parish in Vidzeme) as well as records by other collectors and some press excerpts. The collection covers the period from 1918 through 1972 (the first recordings were made in Kazan, Russia, where a part of the First World War Latvian refugees resided; some materials were submitted to the Archives after Bērzkalne’s death). The collection presents a wide diversity of folklore genres: there are folksongs, legends, fairy tales, proverbs, riddles, beliefs, customs, rhymes, a chain letter (LFK 49, 1532); 49, 225-233; 1533-1537), Russian chastushkas (LFK 49, 1538-1691; 1715-1744), etc.

Anna Bērzkalne’s main informant was her mother, Ede Bērzkalne (born Reinsone, 1862-1951). There are more than 1000 folksongs from Ede’s song repertoire in the collection. Among the informants, there are also other members of Anna Bērzkalne’s family, close neighbours, and people she met while performing her professional duties either as a folklore researcher or as a school teacher. At Riga Secondary School No. 2. Bērzkalne led a folklore club, and part of the collection is made up by the club members’ folklore records (LFK 49, 1833-3017).

Written by: Rita Treija