Selonians
Selonians were a Baltic tribe inhabiting the central-southern part of what is now Latvia, in a region historically known as Selonia. Their heartland lay along the Daugava River and its tributaries, with Jersika as a notable early medieval center. They are considered one of the Baltic peoples who contributed to the ethnogenesis of the Latvian nation.
Society and language: The Selonians formed a loose tribal confederation comprising smaller chiefdoms; their social structure
History: During the Northern Crusades of the 12th–13th centuries, the Selonians resisted German crusaders. The Livonian
Culture: Practiced Baltic paganism before conversion to Christianity in the medieval period; religious centers, ritual practices,
Legacy: In modern Latvia, Selonia denotes a cultural-historical region in the southeast, reflecting the historic lands