Kursenieki

"Kuršiai" refers only to inhabitants of Lithuania and former East Prussia that speak a southwestern dialect of Latvian.

Kursenieki were considered Latvians after World War I when Latvia gained independence from the Russian Empire.

[citation needed] This consideration was based on linguistic arguments and was the rationale for Latvian claims over the Curonian Spit, Memel, and some other territories of East Prussia.

In 1933, Latvia tried to establish a cultural center for Kursenieki of the Curonian Spit where the majority of them lived, but that was opposed by Lithuania, of which Memel Territory was a part of.

Near the end of World War II, the majority of Kursenieki fled from the Red Army during the evacuation of East Prussia.

Kursenieki that remained behind were subsequently expelled by the Soviet Union after the war and replaced with Russians and Lithuanians.

Neither Lithuania nor Russia have allowed the return to Kursenieki of property confiscated after World War II.

The Kursenieki were predominantly Lutheran,[citation needed] like most former inhabitants of East Prussia, although some ancient pagan customs were preserved.

The first scholar who took an interest in Kursenieki culture and language was Paul Kwauka, a member of the separatist movement of Memel Territory.