134 The Creation of Ethnicity: National Costume as Reconstruction or Construct? ANETE KARLSONE Institute of Latvian History, University of Latvia Abstract. Since its development at the end of 19 th century, Latvian national costume has become a symbol of national identity. The task of this article is to trace how the publications of ethnographers during the 20 th century shaped the view of Latvian national costume. The appearance of national costume was in- fuenced by the growing knowledge of the national cultural heritage. Although national costume resembling ethnographic examples was recognized as highly authentic, in reality it was a reconstruction created by museum staff and other ethnographic researchers. The public demand for practical publications which could be of use in making national costume hindered more profound research into the history of national costume. Key words: national costume, ethnography, renewed tradition, national sym- bols. Anotacija. XIX a. pabaigoje susiformavęs latvių tautinis kostiumas tapo tautinės tapatybės simboliu. Šiame straipsnyje pateikiami tyrimų apie XX a. latvių etnografų publikacijas šia tema rezultatai, esminį dėmesį atkreipiant į tai, kaip ši spauda veikė ir atskleidė tokio lygio pagarbos tautiniam kostiumui susiformavimą. Paaiškėjo, jog visa tai lėmė būtent aktyvi informacijos sklaida ir ja suformuota pozityvi masinė nuomonė apie šį tautinio paveldo objektą. Tačiau, nors etnografniai latvių tautinio kostiumo pavyzdžiai yra laikomi neginčijamai autentiškais, iš tikrųjų visų pirma tai yra kruopštaus muziejininkų ir etnografų rekonstrukcijos darbo rezultatas. Pastebėta, jog spaudoje viešai prieinama in- formacija apie galimybes plačiai siūdintis tautinio kostiumo pavyzdžius kartu ir trukdė siekti išsamesnių istorinių latvių tautinio kostiumo studijų. Pagrindiniai žodžiai: tautinis kostiumas, etnografja, tradicijos gaivinimas, tautinė simbolika. Introduction In the formative period of nations, intellectuals from European nations took part in the development of national education and culture, and created its na- tional symbols. National costume is one of the symbols closely connected with national cultural heritage and ethnic consciousness. The task of this article is to trace the development of Latvian national or folk costume, paying more attention to the way that publications by ethnographers and handcrafters shaped the view of national costume. The aim of this article is to establish what was most impor- tant in publications: the search for historical truth, which is the basis of costume reconstruction, or the search for functional costume for public events. This view of the development of national costume is innovative in publications related to