E. Jonušas’s visit to Nida and the impressions he experienced there proved to be life-changing. In Nida, he witnessed the remnants of the disappearing Curonian way of life (at that time, a small number of returning Curonians still lived there). The artist dedicated thirty years to reviving the ethnic culture of this region, which had been consciously destroyed in the postwar period. He especially nurtured the most prominent symbols of local culture: traditional grave markers (krikštai), weather vanes (vėtrungės), fishing boats (kurėnai), and architectural elements of fishermen’s houses (gable ornaments and wind boards).

After Lithuania regained its independence, using original drawings, E. Jonušas built the first traditional fishing boat — a kurėnas — in the postwar era. "This is my tribute to those who were born, raised, and became one with this land," he said.

E. Jonušas was an honorary citizen of Neringa City, a Knight of the Order of Gediminas, and a laureate of the M. L. Rėza Prize. He passed away in 2014 and was laid to rest in Nida’s ethnographic cemetery. In 2016, the E. Jonušas Workshop was transformed into the non-profit organization "E. Jonušas House."