It Is a Living Thing: An Estonian Tradition Bearer and Supernatural Beings Called Haldjad

Abstract

A living example of Estonian traditional ways is a seventy-something Estonian-American woman who has kept alive the beliefs of her ancestors -all living things have a spirit, and their spirits are part of the Creator. This includes believing in the haldjad, or Little People. This ethnographic study demonstrates that many traditional beliefs with pre-Christian elements continue to be a way of living, even in modern America. The subject was born in Estonia during World War II, and later lived as a refugee in one of the American-run camps with her mother and three siblings from August 1945 to May 1950. Even though she was very young when she left Estonia, she inherited the traditional beliefs of her ancestors through her mother, beliefs that sustained her through the harsh displaced persons' camps and on to America. Her belief system includes the haldjad, whom she sees as her guardians and guides, who often manifest themselves as the Little People. Believing in the Little People is interwoven with the traditional Estonian belief system that everything is alive and sentient. She discusses the major differences in life philosophies between the conquering Germans and the Estonians, mainly how the German invaders emphasized domination over the land, as opposed to the Estonian peasants who worked with the land. She sees her worldview as being universal, especially in indigenous cultures, saying: "What we call the old religion is not a religion at all. It is simply a way of seeing life and living."