Ethnographer Onutė Drobelienė finds creative inspiration in dzūkija village

Ethnographer Onutė Drobelienė settled in the Dzūkija region of Lithuania 40 years ago to pursue a creative life in the countryside.

She was born in the Russian city of Intoje to a family of political prisoners who were exiled from Lithuania. Drobelienė recalls her childhood in exile, where her parents maintained a connection to their homeland and shared stories of Lithuania as a dream land.

During the Soviet era, her family faced harsh conditions, and her mother showed great ingenuity by repurposing old clothes to dress the children. Drobelienė now works as an ethnographer and explores traditional crafts such as weaving, candle making, and leather work. She seeks to understand the practical history of rural life, such as how people used wooden shoes called vyžos to endure winter cold. She explains that she tested these methods herself to understand the thermal principles used by ancestors.

Her work focuses on the balance between human activity and nature, a characteristic she identifies as a core part of the local culture in the Dzūkija region. The village of Margionys is experiencing a shift as it attracts creative people seeking peace and a sense of community. Drobelienė observes that while the lifestyle has modernized, the community remains strong.

She notes that new residents often move to the area to escape city life, while long-term residents maintain a deep connection to the land. She believes that the region's history of self-sufficiency and its ability to withstand industrial and political changes have preserved a unique cultural identity.