Kurpie
Kurpie (kurpjɛ) (German historical landscape name: the Kurpengau ) is the name for both an ethnic region and its population (also Kurpien ) in Poland . The Kurpie is known for its distinctive traditions: costumes, folk dances, festivals and typical architecture.
geography
The Kurpie lies in the North Polish Plain (as an eastern continuation of the North German Lowland ) and extends into the present-day Masovian , Podlaskie and, to a lesser extent, Warmia-Masurian Voivodeships . The Kurpie area cannot be precisely delimited geographically. The eastern boundary is generally described as the course of the Pisa river, the western boundary roughly with that of the Orzyc (Orschütz) , both right tributaries of the Narew . This region was once almost completely forested. The so-called Green Wilderness (Puszcza Zielona) and the White Wilderness (Puszcza Biała) , often referred to as the Kurpie Forest (Puszcza Kurpiowska) , are closely spaced forest areas in the region of these former, mostly swampy primeval forests.
The only major city in this area is Ostrołęka . Kurpie traditions are still alive here and in other towns, including Myszyniec, Czarnia, Dylewo, Jednorożec, Kadzidło, Lipniki, Łyse and Zbójna.
The name Kurpie
The inhabitants of this region were originally referred to as "people from the wild" (Puszczaki) . The Puszczaki made shoes from raffia . These shoes, known as kurpś , gave their names to the entire population and the region.
Some localities in Poland still have the name Kurpie in their names: Kurpie Dworskie and Kurpie Szlacheckie.
Settlement and economic foundations
The first settlers encountered densely forested areas with sandy or boggy subsoil. The inhabitants lived from fishing, picked mushrooms, fruits and nuts and used the natural resources of the forests. The men made all kinds of products out of wood, the women developed great skills in weaving linen cloths and clothes. Beekeeping and the production of pitch and iron provided the most important trade goods for the people who settled here.
The Kurpie forests were practically untouched until the mid-19th century. After that, larger forest areas were cleared to gain arable land. However, the soil turned out to be very barren, so that farming led a shadowy existence. At this time cattle breeding developed into a livelihood.
The Kurpie began to work the amber found in the region early on for decorative purposes. Amber was systematically promoted in the region and used as a medium of exchange by the 17th century at the latest. The mining of amber, which has also been operated in the Duckel Mining since around 1850, reached its peak at the beginning of the 19th century, but ended a short time later because the mines were no longer productive enough. Some of the largest pieces of amber found in Poland date from this period. In the Łomża District Museum , the special technology of the then amber extraction from the sands of the Vistula glacial is presented.
Selected historical data
The Kurpie region has been part of Poland since the 10th century.
- 14th century - colonization by order of Janusz I of Warsaw; The first settlements in the extensive forest areas (Kurpie Forest) also fall during this period.
- 1563 - plague and conflagration.
- 1656 - The Kurpie defended themselves unsuccessfully against the Swedish army.
- 1673 - Lipniki village was founded. The total population of the Kurpie was around 1,000.
- 1683 - The villages of Kadzidło, Wach, Zawady and Obierwia are mentioned in a document.
- around 1700 - During the Great Northern War , Swedish, Russian and Saxon armies marched through the Kurpie.
- 1708 - Battle against the army of King Charles XII near Kopański Most . of Sweden , who got into trouble here.
- 1735 - The Kurpie support King Stanislaus I. Leszczyński and fought against Russian and Saxon troops during the so-called Dzikowska Confederation, a military alliance formed during the War of the Polish Succession . Stach Konwa, a Kurpie folk hero, was killed in the Battle of Jednaczewo.
- 1794 - General Antoni Madaliński formed an infantry unit in the Kościuszko uprising .
- 1795 - The area, inhabited by more than 50,000 people at that time, came under Prussian administration.
- 1806 - The Kurpie 6th Infantry Regiment of the Duchy of Warsaw fought against Austria.
- 1807 - Battle between the French and the Russians near Ostrołęka.
- 1815 - The Kurpie region reverts to the Kingdom of Poland ( Congress Poland ).
- 1831 - The Kurpie takes part in the November uprising in Poland with a partisan force set up by Józef Zaliwski .
- 1863 - Participation in the January uprising .
- 1880–1910 - Because the country could no longer feed the growing population, numerous Kurpie residents emigrated to America.
- Second World War - Resistance to National Socialism.
Kurpie traditions
As a result of their centuries of isolation, the Kurpie, who were neither serfs nor aristocrats in their ranks, but were directly subordinate to the king, developed a very independent culture.
- The Kurpie house
A cross or a pennant is always mounted on the roof ridge of the thatched wooden houses of the Kurpie. The floors of the sparsely furnished houses were made of wood. Each window consisted of six individually glazed sections. The shutters were painted, as were the doors. In 1927 Adam Chetnik founded an open-air museum in Nowogród , in which Kurpie houses and traditional utensils from the Kurpie can be viewed.
- Costumes
Although the costumes of the Kurpie are similar, those of the north differ from those of the south in some details. The women in the north wore red skirts with white linen blouses with borders and a green waistcoat over them. Amber jewelry was always part of the costume. In the south, on the other hand, women wore green skirts and their costumes were decorated with elaborate embroidery and needlework. The men in the north of the region wore long brown jackets that were buttoned to the vests and red sashes, plus white linen shirts and white trousers that were attached to the typical Kurpie shoes. For men, too, there is a striking difference between the costumes in the north and those in the south: in the north the man wore a dark brown top hat as a headgear, while in the south a small black cap.
The costumes varied somewhat. Men wore both white and gray trousers, women varied the color of their blouses, which were red or white.
- Folk dance
The Kurpie, like other regions in Poland, has its own special dances. One of these dances is called "horse" (Konik) because the men imitate horse and rider.
- Palm Sunday in the Kurpie
Around Easter time, the Kurpie make tall "palm trees" from small trees, which they decorate with flowers and other ornaments. This custom was intended to protect the house from evil spirits.
- Easter
The women were known for wonderfully decorated Easter eggs and for their pastries in the shape of an Easter lamb.
- Paper cutouts
Kurpie women have always been famous for their paper cuttings (Wycinanki) . The works depicted animals, geometric figures, flowers and much more.
- Śmigus-dyngus
Śmigus-dyngus (also Lany poniedziałek ) is an Easter custom in which people sprinkle each other with water. This shows the person splashed with water that you have sympathy for them.
- Processions
Religious processions still take place today, in which the participants wear their traditional costumes. The clergyman blesses the land during the procession.
- Festival of the honey harvest
This festival, which follows on from the ancient tradition of beekeeping - the first settlers were already involved in the breeding of forest bees - takes place on the last Sunday in August in Myszyniec-Zawodzie.
- Thanksgiving
In August, people put grain and flowers in the church to be blessed.
- Winter festival
On December 6th, a celebration is still taking place today to celebrate the happy year in which no cattle fell victim to the wolves.
- Christmas
A wafer with a religious event stamped on it is shared among family members and cattle. The women put hay under the table and the children sing Christmas carols through the streets as thanks for the sweets they have received.
- The New Year celebrations
Cookies are baked that either have the shape of animals or form a circle with a bird peeking out. These cookies were hung next to each other on the ceiling.
- Kadzidlańskie wedding
The traditional Kurpie Kadzidlańskie wedding is known all over Poland. This festival includes dances, songs, solemn chants and ancient wedding ceremonies.
- music
The music of the Kurpie is quite different from that of neighboring ethnic groups and areas. The Polish priest Władyslaw Skierkowski published more than a thousand Kurpie songs in his book Puszcza Kurpiowska w pieśni . The first movement of Symphony No. 3 (Symphony of Sad Songs) by Henryk Mikołaj Górecki is inspired by the music of the Kurpie.
- Amber processing
Working with amber is a traditional Kurpie craft. The fact that the raw material amber occurs in the region itself and is still occasionally extracted from the ground today may have contributed to the development of this branch of industry. Wedding chains made of amber and chandelier-like ceiling hangings ( called kierec ) were particularly popular . Until the 1960s, amber was given the desired shape with planing tools made of stone and wooden drill bits. Tools and products of this ancient craft are exhibited in the Łomża District Museum, among others .
The Kurpie today
The Kurpie in our day differs significantly from the traditional Kurpie with its forests and once humble agriculture. After the Second World War, modern times began for this region with the development of comprehensive schooling and training, improved methods of agriculture, immigration, advances in trade and a modern infrastructure.
gallery
Windmill and house in Nowogród
Beehive in Nowogród
Kurpie House, 1913, photographed by Adam Chętnik
Six-part window of a Kurpie house
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See also
literature
- Henryk Sienkiewicz: The Flood , 1886. Thematizes the Second Northern War (17th century) and vividly describes the life of the Kurpie people (Chapters 55 and 111).
- Henryk Sienkiewicz: The Crusaders , 1900. Thematizes in chapters XX and XXI the life in the Kurpie.
Web links
- Geography, history and culture of the Kurpie - English
- History of Mazovia (including Kurpie) - English
- The Kurpie - country and people (with map) - English
- The Kurpie; quite comprehensive presentation - Polish
- The Kurpie - German-language brief description
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://www.sbc.org.pl/dlibra/plain-content?id=4762
- ↑ Janusz Hochleitner: Amber extraction in the Varmia and Masuria region in the 16-19th centuries. In Bursztynisko 31, Gdansk 2008.
- ↑ Werner Schulz: The Baltic amber in Quaternary sediments, an overview of the occurrences, the largest finds and the amber museums. Archiv für Geschiebekunde 2 (7), Hamburg 1999, pp. 459–476.
- ↑ B. Kosmowska-Ceranowicz: The tertiary and quaternary amber deposits in Poland. In: Amber - Tears of the Gods. Bochum 1996.
- ↑ W. Gierlowski: The mining and processing of amber in Poland (1945-1995). In: Amber - Tears of the Gods. Bochum 1996.