Litvin

In the 16–18th centuries, the term "Litvin" was mostly used by East Slavs to refer to all inhabitants of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.[1][2]

Litvins are a small ethnic group in the area of the mid-stream Desna River (northern Ukraine).[3] The ethnographic or cultural studies about Litvins are poorly noted and are traced to the beginning of the 18th century.[4] The poet-monk Klymentiy Zinoviyiv who published several cultural studies noted that Litvins, perhaps after an older pagan tradition, worked on Sundays and rested on Fridays.[4][5] More notes about Litvins were provided at the end of the 18th century by historians of the Russian Empire Afanasiy (Opanas) Shafonsky and Yakov Markovych.[4] According to Markovych, Litvins are a regional group such as Gascoigne in France or Swabians in Germany.[4][6]

The name Litvin (Litvyak) owes its origin to political factors and is a demonym (politonym) referencing the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.[4] Litvins in the Chernihiv region (Chernihiv Oblast) call themselves Ruski, but not Moskals or Katsaps.[4] They consider the term Litvin to be derogatory.[4] According to the 2011 census, there were 22 Litvins in Ukraine.[7]

Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991,[8] the term "Litvin" has been adopted by some modern Belarusian nationalists to stress the Belarusian claim to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.[9] This is an alternative to the demonym "Belarusians" which is derived from White Rus' and, therefore, implies that it is somehow less than the Great Russia.[9] Belarusian writers such as Mikola Yermalovich and Viktor Veras claim that the Grand Duchy was Belarusian and that modern Lithuanians are historical Samogitians (the term Samogitia translates as Lowlands of Lithuania proper) who, despite being "not Lithuanians", somehow managed to usurp the name "Lithuania" for themselves. In other words, these writers in contrast to linguistics of Lithuanian language claim that modern Belarusians are the "true" Lithuanians referred to in historical texts and not modern Lithuanians. This theory is considered fringe and is not accepted by mainstream historians.[8][10] During the 2009 census, 66 people identified themselves as Litvins in Belarus.[11] Belarusian folk band Stary Olsa usually sings ballads about Litvin and their historical past.