The Kashubians of Poland

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
timeline

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