REFERANCES:

http://polishmuseumwinona.org/history/the-kashubians/

http://www.inyourpocket.com/poland/kashubia/The-Kashubians_70079f

http://www.birdguide.pl/SpotsSpecies.php?s_specie_id=94

http://jurk.kaszubia.com/?page_id=678

http://www.wilno.org/culture/dance.html

na-kazuby.pl

Cultural Survival

The Kashubians have fought against a lot of adversity in their 1,500 years of Existence. Before the Polish gained Kaszuby in 1945 War World War Two the were ruled by many different nations and groups, never really got the opportunity to govern themselves and make decisions for themselves. Poland did not want the Kashubs around and in 1929 The Kashubian Regional Union fought for their group of people and were able to remain in the land that they called home. Kashubians may have lost many of their dances but their culture still lives on today, mainly in their art and the dances that they have adapted to in the places they have migrated to.

Courtesy of

Powiat Kościerski - Serce Kaszub

Dances of the Kashubians

The Kashubian dances were mainly line dances that would be close to those of German origin. The Kashubain's original dances were lost many years ago when they migrated to North America. Upon arriving the Kashubs picked up the Canadian Dances such as square dancing and the Waltz. Dancing is a huge part of the cultural identity of the group and is something they love more than anything else in the world.

Kashubian Dance

Kashubian Migrations

Over the course of the Kashubian's existance there a\has been a moderate amount of movement around the world. The Kashubs left the Eastern Slavic Region (modern day Russia) around 1,500 years ago and settled in what is now North Central Poland on the Baltic Sea. The turn from the 19th to the 20th Century brought hardships to the Kashub people. Some decided to leave to North America. Currently there are large Kashubian groups in Northern America and Southern Canada.

Courtesy of Krzysztoflew at Wikimedia.org

Kashubians and Their Neighbors

Kashubians have had many failed relationships with their neighbors in the 1,500 years they have called North Central Poland their home. This is mainly because the Kashubians have technically never had neighbors of their own. The Kashubians have never had the chance to call Kaszuby a nation of their own because they have always been under the rule of a greater power. Polish Citizens are not very fond of the Kashubian calling this area their home and don't really want them around. The Kashubian Regional Union, who i will talk about more in a later post were able to keep the Kashub Culture alive from the Polish oppression in the early 20th Century.

Compliments of http://www.savetier.eu/danzig-gdansk

Birds of The Kashubain Culture

Kashubians have many birds that they see regularly in their everyday lives. Currently there are a litltle over 200 species that reside in the are that is Kaszuby. Something that i noticed in this long list of species is that there are a lot of marine type birds that call this area their home. These species that I am talking about are loons, storks and swans just to name a few. Much of Kashubian art is of the species around them and adds to its beauty.

A photo of swans from Poland.gov.pl

Kashubian Cosmos

The Kashubians from my research mainly look at the world in the same way most modern civilized cultures would. All that I could take from this culture about they way they view the world is their deep appreciation of art and what certain colors mean to them. Green stands for the forests, Red represents blood and fire, Yellow symbolizes the sun, Black is for the earth and there are three shades of Blue representing the sky lakes and seas.

World of The Kashubians (How they Make a Living & Cultural Landscape)

The Kashubian Language is one that 51,000 people worldwide have claimed as their dominant language. Kashubians currently earn their livings in a few ways. Being an artistic group of people embroidery, folk art, ceramics and woodworking bring in a lot of money. Fishing is also a market the Kashubians dabble in and can bring in some good money. Although embroidery may not be the main breadwinner in the Kashubian Culture it is something they greatly pride themselves in. Kashub Embroidery is gorgeous even though you can only find it in the colors green, red, yellow, black and blue

Photo Courtesy of Kashubian Art Gallery  At icraftgifts.com

Kaszuby: Homeland of The Kashubians

The Kashubians reside in North Central area of Poland that is very diverse in landscape. Because Kaszuby is a thin strip of land that goes from the shores of the Baltic Sea in the North down South into Poland there are many different types of terrain that are covered. The Northern area of the territory is lined with sandy shores and flat land. As you travel down into Poland there are many lakes and forests and is referred to by some as, "The Sweden of Poland." A great example of this is Wdydze Landscape Park which covers 17,800 hectares, 11% of which is water.

Wdydze Landscape Park Courtesy of na-kazuby.pl

Kaszuby Coastline Courtesy of

Konrad Jagodziński on flickr.com

History of the Kashubain Culture

The Kashubian people are regarded more as an ethnic group rather than a nationality because they have always been governed by a greater power. The Kashubs come from an ancient Slavic people that migrated to Northern Poland 1,500 years ago but were not recorded until the 14th Century when one of their own was given the title of Duke by the Pomeranians. Since they migrated to Poland in the 6th Century they have been ruled by many groups such as, The Teutonic Knights, Sweden, Germany, Prussia and now Poland. Kashub culture was also molded by merchants that traveled to the area from The Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden and Germany. These Merchants brought mostly dances and music to the area and if it wasn't for that the Kashubs may be living in a entirely different manner today.

Photo Courtesy of Poland.gov

Introduction to the Kashubian Culture

The Kashubian people are an ethnic group settled in the North Central region of Poland that migrated from the Slavic region nearly 1,500 years ago. The Kashubs became mostly dependent on fishing and farming when they settled on the Baltic Sea which offered great fishing and extremely fertile soil. The Kashubians continue to live in this area of Poland that is now known as The Kaszuby Region and also have large populations in the United States, Canada and Germany.

Photo Courtesy of Krzysztof at Wikimedia.org

INDEX:
1) History of the Kashubian Culture
2)Kaszuby: Homeland of the Kashubians
3)World of the Kashubians (how they make a living, Cultural Landscaping)
4)Kashubian Cosmos (What they believe about the world)
5) Birds of the Kashubian Culture
6)Kashubains and their Neighbors
7) Kashubains Migrations
8) Dances of the Kashubians
9)Kashubian Cultural Survival
10)Referances (Annotated Bibliography)