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Photos: ‘Little Latvia’ lives on in Siberia

The people of the remote Siberian village of Bobrovka call it the "Little Latvia of the Taiga," where Baltic traditions continue more than 100 years after settlers from the region first arrived. At the end of the 19th century, several Latvian families moved 3,000 kilometres (1,800 miles) east to take up an offer of free land made as part of an agricultural reform. Latvia was at the time a part of Tsarist Russia.

Updated on: Aug 09, 2019 4:49 PM IST

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A villager wearing a traditional Latvian dress whistles during a reception at a village club in Bobrovka, some 350 km of Omsk. The people of the remote Siberian village Bobrovka call it the “Little Latvia of the Taiga,” where Baltic traditions continue more than 100 years after settlers from the region first arrived. (Alexei Malgavko / AFP)

Updated on Aug 09, 2019 4:49 PM

A villager wearing a traditional Latvian dress whistles during a reception at a village club in Bobrovka, some 350 km of Omsk. The people of the remote Siberian village Bobrovka call it the “Little Latvia of the Taiga,” where Baltic traditions continue more than 100 years after settlers from the region first arrived. (Alexei Malgavko / AFP)

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At the end of the 19th century, several Latvian families moved 3,000 kilometres (1,800 miles) east to take up an offer of free land made as part of an agricultural reform. Latvia was at the time a part of Tsarist Russia. (Alexei Malgavko / AFP)

Updated on Aug 09, 2019 4:49 PM

At the end of the 19th century, several Latvian families moved 3,000 kilometres (1,800 miles) east to take up an offer of free land made as part of an agricultural reform. Latvia was at the time a part of Tsarist Russia. (Alexei Malgavko / AFP)

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Villager Sergei Benke carries a bucket with milk in the village. Today, many of the roughly 130 villagers still speak Latvian, though Russian is the language of day-to-day-life. (Alexei Malgavko / AFP)

Updated on Aug 09, 2019 4:49 PM

Villager Sergei Benke carries a bucket with milk in the village. Today, many of the roughly 130 villagers still speak Latvian, though Russian is the language of day-to-day-life. (Alexei Malgavko / AFP)

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A horse looks out from the window of a shed in Bobrovka. Some five hours drive from the nearest major Siberian city of Omsk, Bobrovka boasts wooden houses built in the traditional Latvian style and makes cheese based on Latvian recipes. (Alexei Malgavko / AFP)

Updated on Aug 09, 2019 4:49 PM

A horse looks out from the window of a shed in Bobrovka. Some five hours drive from the nearest major Siberian city of Omsk, Bobrovka boasts wooden houses built in the traditional Latvian style and makes cheese based on Latvian recipes. (Alexei Malgavko / AFP)

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Latvian women bath in a huge tub heated by a bonfire. Almost every family owns the traditional Latvian dress, which they bring out for special occasions when songs and dances from the homeland are also performed. (Alexei Malgavko / AFP)

Updated on Aug 09, 2019 4:49 PM

Latvian women bath in a huge tub heated by a bonfire. Almost every family owns the traditional Latvian dress, which they bring out for special occasions when songs and dances from the homeland are also performed. (Alexei Malgavko / AFP)

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Villagers and visiting Latvians perform a traditional dance during a reception at a village club in Bobrovka. At the end of last month, Baltic folk group Druvas Zemturi came to the tiny settlement as part of a project to support Latvian Diasporas around the world. (Alexei Malgavko / AFP)

Updated on Aug 09, 2019 4:49 PM

Villagers and visiting Latvians perform a traditional dance during a reception at a village club in Bobrovka. At the end of last month, Baltic folk group Druvas Zemturi came to the tiny settlement as part of a project to support Latvian Diasporas around the world. (Alexei Malgavko / AFP)

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