English translation of the documentary episode „Dalelė Lietuvos“. Žemaičio Maušo Erdmano sėkmė JAV ir Madisono šokių kolektyvas „Žaibas“
About this translation: Made from YouTube's auto-generated Lithuanian captions using AI. Obvious speech-recognition errors were corrected from contextMusic-only stretches and a sung folk song are omitted. Timestamps mark where each passage starts.
Introduction
[0:26] Narrator: Coming up on the show: how Maušas Erdmanas, who came from Samogitia (Žemaitija), made it into the elite of American architects.
[0:33] Vaidas Aksamitauskas: A man who came here from Lithuania founded a huge, very successful firm.
[0:48] Narrator: In Lithuanian, the word dalelė has two deep meanings. In the old sense, it means a person's lot: their fate, their purpose, their dramatic destiny. Today it means a small part of something great. The ten-part documentary series A Piece of Lithuania joins both meanings into one story. We travel in search of physical pieces of Lithuania abroad: historic and modern buildings, churches, monuments and neighborhoods that matter to Lithuanians. But behind every stone and every wall hides another, most important piece: a person's lot.
[1:30] Narrator: These are the moving fates of several generations of Lithuanian émigrés, their dramatic life stories and their everyday lives. Gathering these unique details, we reveal facts not yet known about the living identity of the diaspora. Join us to get to know, discover and feel. Here is A Piece of Lithuania.
Marshall Erdman: from Tverai to Madison
[2:12] Narrator: Surrounded by northern winds and scenic lakes, Madison at first glance seems very far from Lithuania. But wander the streets and architectural landmarks of Wisconsin's capital and the city unexpectedly offers another discovery: a quiet but remarkably strong thread connecting this corner of America with our country. It turns out that the architect and construction innovator Maušas Erdmanas, from Samogitia, left deep footprints here. In the United States he became known as Marshall Erdman. Telling us about the famous Lithuanian-born architect is Vaidas Aksamitauskas. Originally from Vilnius, he has lived in Madison for many years and, as Maušas once did, develops a range of architectural projects.
[2:59] Vaidas: I finished my architecture degree in Lithuania and came to America on a work visa. At first I worked in Chicago, then I came to Madison, and I heard there was a firm called Marshall Erdman and that a Lithuanian had founded it. I didn't really believe it. But one day I drove to the firm's building, a huge building, and went inside. There's a wall with the history of the firm, and I'm looking, and behind glass there's a Lithuanian passport, with the date and place of birth in Lithuania: Maušas Erdmanas, born in Tverai in 1922. A man who came from Lithuania founded such a huge, very successful firm.
[3:54] Vaidas: Then I learned that he was born in Tverai and had a brother, about eight years younger, I think. When the little brother was two, their mother died, and the father was left alone with two boys. So they decided to send one child to America, to the mother's brother, who already lived in Chicago.
[4:23] Vaidas: So Maušas Erdmanas set off for Chicago. He found his uncle by the address: he arrived at a huge, newly built apartment building by the lake, with a doorman and an elevator. For him it was a completely new world. He lived with them for a while, later somewhere else, and then served in the American army during World War II. When he came back, he came to Madison to study. Here he met his future wife. While they were still students, they started building their own house. While they were building it, a woman saw it, got interested and said, "Maybe I'll buy this house from you, if you're selling." So they sold it to her, and that's how their interesting line of work began. Little by little he started building houses for other people, as a developer.
[5:35] Narrator: Vaidas tells how Maušas Erdmanas, from a small Lithuanian town, earned the trust of one of America's most famous architects, Frank Lloyd Wright.
[5:43] Vaidas: He had already built several houses when he heard that Madison's Unitarian community had commissioned the famous American architect Frank Lloyd Wright to design a church. Wright designed it, and the drawings went to several construction firms to say what it would cost to build. The bids came in hugely over what the community had for a new church. Nowhere near.
[6:23] Vaidas: So what then? Someone suggested Maušas Erdmanas. (He took the name Marshall later; actually, the army changed his name.) People knew he was local and building houses. So a meeting happened between Maušas Erdmanas and Frank Lloyd Wright, and that's how they started working together. He did build the church in the end. It cost more, but the community got very involved: people came and carried bricks, split stones themselves, someone donated lumber. The church still stands, it was renovated recently, and for anyone interested in Frank Lloyd Wright it's a very well-known project. What I found interesting was that a man who came from Lithuania built it. From then on his name became better known. He worked more with Frank Lloyd Wright, and they built several modular houses around here.
[7:27] Vaidas: Later, Marshall had an idea for doctors: a kind of suburban clinic. In America everyone drove, of course, so you drive to the doctor and there's a separate reception area and several exam rooms. That was his idea, and it became very popular. He started building these projects around Madison and Wisconsin, then in other states. In healthcare, as they say in English, the firm gradually moved on to building big hospitals. Madison was their center, and later they even went into furniture manufacturing.
[8:28] Vaidas: The story really caught my interest: that Madison has this connection to Lithuania. What's interesting is that he always presented himself as Lithuanian. Everyone knew him as a Lithuanian. He was a well-known person in Madison, and since Madison is Wisconsin's capital, he knew senators, governors and people in Washington. I think that's how he spread Lithuania's name widely. It isn't actually confirmed, but when Madison's mayor Paul Soglin was looking for a sister city, I have no doubt that maybe this was why, because he had already heard of Lithuania, that the idea came up to pair the city with Vilnius.
Madison's Lithuanian community and the Žaibas dance group
[9:25] Narrator: After the break: how three generations of Madison Lithuanians keep community life going today.
[10:13] Narrator: Today Madison is tied to Lithuania not only by history but by living academic and cultural connections. Lithuanians study and work at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and for more than three decades the Lithuanian folk dance group Žaibas has been rehearsing its steps in the city.
[10:27] Nijolė: I was never a dancer, only Latin music, samba, rumba. I didn't dance with a Lithuanian group, but I was always in the audience; I went to every dance festival. So it was really fun to join with my husband.
[10:53] Nijolė: That was in '91. Our first dance festival was in '92, in Chicago. It was not just fun and lovely, it was a small miracle. I remember the rehearsal: we came out into the arena and everyone started applauding. It felt so warm, so much love.
[11:29] Narrator: Nijolė Semenaitė-Edviler (?), who led Žaibas for many years, impresses with her clear mind and excellent memory.
[11:36] Nijolė: When I first came to Madison, I was in grad school at the university. There were about three families here: the Matulionises (?), another family whose name I can't remember now, the Palionises (?), of course. The Matulionises still lived here; she only moved away from Madison this week, after so many years. The Palionises died, and another family went back to New Zealand. When the Vilnius connection started (?), we found out there were many more Lithuanians, of all three generations. And one thing that's very important to tell everyone: in Madison we have these three generations, and everyone works together, everyone gets along, and it all works beautifully.
[12:42] Narrator: Photographer Paulius Musteikis agrees with Nijolė.
[12:42] Paulius: It's interesting with the Lithuanians in Madison. It isn't a big city, but new people keep turning up from somewhere, and they're all very different. There's the old Lithuanian generation. There are people who were born and grew up here and have kept their Lithuanian identity. There are people who turn up and disappear again after a year or two. And there are people who fall somewhere between those categories. The picture is very mixed and very varied.
[13:23] Narrator: Edita Logan shares warm memories of her first meeting with Žaibas's longtime leader. She says she is deeply grateful to fate for giving her so many joyful moments with fellow Lithuanians.
[13:37] Edita: My daughter started dancing. She was five, and she was in American dance classes: ballet, all of that. I was sitting in the studio and at the other end I heard Lithuanian music, and I thought, what's this? While she was dancing, I went to ask what this Lithuanian music was. Nijolė was there; Žaibas had practice there. I asked, and she said, we've been dancing Lithuanian dances for 11 years. I said, my daughter would like to dance. I called Gabrielė over. She doesn't speak Lithuanian. Nijolė asked her, "Do you want to dance with us?" She said, "No, I don't." I said, "Well, you're going to dance Lithuanian." And so we started dancing.
[14:58] Edita: That's how we got to know the Madison Lithuanians, more and more. That pull is always there: a Lithuanian is a Lithuanian, it never goes away.
[15:17] Narrator: Nijolė never forgets to point out that she was born in Kaunas, so she considers herself Lithuanian first.
[15:25] Nijolė: I'm Lithuanian first, raised as an American. As you can see, I don't speak Lithuanian very well, because I was very stubborn when I was young. We didn't live in a Lithuanian neighborhood in Chicago; we lived in an American neighborhood. So I spoke only English. My parents spoke English well, so I knew I didn't need to. They made me speak Lithuanian, but I didn't. Now it's a real pity, but it's too late for me.
[16:03] Nijolė: But when I found this community of ours here, the Lithuanian community, everything became so fun, so dear. I grew up on Lithuanian food, because my grandmothers were still alive, and I have all their recipes. My home has a lot of work by Lithuanian artists. I've been to Lithuania six or seven times. When we went back, my dad had already died, but my mom and my husband came. We first went back in '93. We went to Lithuania and I discovered how beautiful that country is, how lovely. There was still a lot left over from the Soviets then, but three years later everything had improved. Now when we go, we feel like we're going home. Home.
[17:24] Narrator: Paulius says what makes him happiest is that his children, born and raised in America, talk freely with their grandparents today. Neither the distance nor a language barrier gets in the way.
[17:33] Paulius: My wife is Lithuanian, and we speak Lithuanian at home. Both kids were raised that way and they speak Lithuanian. Basically, we tried not to allow any other language at home, only Lithuanian. Our daughter calls, too. It's lovely to hear that she can chat, call her grandmothers and talk to them in Lithuanian. I know not everyone has that luxury; not all grandparents get it with grandchildren living abroad. So that's nice. As for my connection to Lithuania, it's news, small news. I talk to my mom almost every day, or every other day. I like to walk a lot on my way to work, and my mom keeps me well informed. A good news service.
[18:37] Narrator: According to Paulius, his search for identity is only beginning.
[18:48] Paulius: I don't know how we feel. Do we sometimes feel more Lithuanian, or more American, after living here 25 years? At heart we're Lithuanian. When I go home, and I do say home, to Utena, I can walk through the house with my eyes closed. I know where all the doors are and can easily pick out which key opens which door. I can still do that. But often, after some time in Lithuania, I start looking over my shoulder and get a bit impatient. I want to come back here, because a small world has been built here that is waiting for me.
[19:32] Paulius: When I go back to Lithuania, I actually prefer spending time with people more than with places. It's nice to see the capital, nice to see Kaunas, nice to visit the seaside, but I often find myself at relatives' in the countryside, in the sauna, hidden away from everyone, because I miss that simplicity. I don't have big demands when I go back to Lithuania; I don't need much. I'm not looking for big entertainment. I'm looking for small joys.
[20:40] Narrator: Though the winds of fate bring plenty of change, Paulius is convinced that what earlier generations of Lithuanians created must be preserved. Just as important is nurturing the foundation of every small nation: its language, traditions and culture.
[20:58] Paulius: It would be so nice if all that heritage were preserved. I think it's probably inevitable that some of it will be lost. Little crumbs will fall away and maybe not all of it will be carried forward. But maybe that's how it should be. Maybe it's a natural course of evolution, where a little is lost and maybe something new is found. Let's hope it won't be lost entirely. With young people, and with our own kids, we try to keep it going. But to be honest, in all of this I feel like I'm freestyling. I don't know; I don't have any book on how to do it. So we try. Sometimes Lithuanian food, the Lithuanian language. We have Lithuanian books for the kids too. But basically we'll see. I don't know how it will go, or how long we'll manage to preserve it.
Closing
[22:08] Edita: What unites us is our Lithuania. Simply because we still miss it. When we all get together, we all talk about Lithuania, about our country, and it has brought us closer somehow. Our celebrations are always good memories. Our Lithuania is good.
