Is the kanklės (the Lithuanian stringed instrument) of the Northeast Aukštaičiai the heritage of the Sėliai culture?

The aim of the article is to show the connection between the Northeast Aukðtaièiai kanklës, and playing the kanklës and the Sëliai culture. While analyzing the traditional and modified kanklës it is evident that in Northeastern Aukðtaitija differently as in Western Aukðtaitija, Samogitia and Suvalkija there remained a very strong tradition of playing traditional kanklës till the middle of the 20th century. The repertoire of the traditional kanklës also almost did not change. The elderly and old men usually played the kanklës and they passed the secrets of playing from generation to generation. It was thought that the kanklës helps to escape death. The magic of the kanklës and its connection with burying allowed to ground the hypothesis of the kanklës as a small boat and a coffin – a model of the means of old-time burying for the journey to other world. A hollowed boat, its making and usage are described in the Karelian epos “Kalevala”. The kanklës of Northeastern Aukðtaièiai most probably reflects very old images of the means – a boat and a coffin – of the journey to other world. The kankles is widespread only in the place of the Sëliai old land so it can be linked with older than the Sëliai culture that most probably was of the West Balts. The adopted by the Sëliai kanklës later on became the part of Aukðtaièiai culture and remained till its disappearance in the middle of the 20th century