Lasovians

Lasovians(Polish language:Lasowiacy;Lesser Poland dialect:Lesioki)^[1]are a subethnic group of thePolish nation,who reside inLesser Poland,at the confluence of theVistulaand theSanrivers,Subcarpathian Voivodeship,southeastern Poland. They are descended from various ethnic groups, which settled in the denseSandomierz Forestacross centuries, with a dominant Polish element. The Lasowiacy were formed as a separate subethnic group in the late 19th and early 20th century. They use their own dialect, which belongs toLesser Polish dialect clusterof thePolish language.Like most Poles, the Lasowiacy are Roman Catholics.

Area

The area inhabited by the Lasowiacy ranges fromSandomierzandNiskoin the north, toGłogów Małopolski,Leżajsk,andRopczyce.According to Polish ethnographer Franciszek Kotula, their territory is much wider, reaching toTarnogród,Janów LubelskiandBiłgoraj.^{[citation needed]}

Origins

The Lasowiacy were formed as a separate subethnic group in the 19th century.Sandomierz Forest,one of the largest forests in southern Poland, was for centuries sparsely inhabited. In the mid-14th century, KingKazimierz Wielkiestablished several towns located on the edge of the forest. In the 16th century, settlers fromMazoviabegan to arrive here, founding several villages (e.g. Mazury). Furthermore, in the 16th and 17th centuries, upon royal orders, the forest was settled by prisoners of war from several countries, such asSwedish Empire,Crimean Khanate,Turkish Empire,Muscovy,Rus',Grand Duchy of Lithuania Wallachia,as well as German mercenaries, who served in different armies.^{[citation needed]}

In the late 18th century, southernLesser Polandand neighboringRed Rutheniawere annexed by theHabsburg Empire,as the newly created province ofGalicia.Soon, first German-speaking settlers came to the Sandomierz Forest, during the action initiated by EmperorJoseph II.Furthermore, after the 1815Congress of Vienna,the border between Austria andRussian Empirewas established along theVistula.As a result, inhabitants of the forest were for 100 years separated from Sandomierzanie, another local subethnic group, named after the town ofSandomierz,which deepened their isolation.^{[citation needed]}

Language

The Lasowiacy dialect (Polish gwara lasowiacka or gwara lasowska) belongs to the Lesser Poland dialect of the Polish language. Since the forest was settled by the Mazovians, the Lasowiacy dialect has several features of theMasovian dialect,such asmazurzenie.Melchior Wańkowiczin his 1939 bookSztafetagives an interesting example of the Lasowiacy dialect. In 1938, he went to the Lasowiacy village of Pławo, where a brand new industrial town ofStalowa Wolawas being built. Wańkowicz talked to local residents, writing in the book: "The people in this village call themselves Lasowiacy, speaking a funny accent, which sounds like a mix ofGoral dialect,and the language ofKurpie".^[2]

Activities of the Lasowiacy

Since bulk of the Lasowiacy inhabited the extensive forest, they supported themselves by forestry, with such activities, as hunting, honey making, tar making and production of charcoal. There also were skilled artisans – carpenters, coopers, pot makers, wicker workers, and weavers. Since parts of the forest were cleared and turned into farmfields, several kinds of cereal and vegetables are cultivated here. Local soil, however, is not fertile, allowing for cultivation of potatoes, beetroots, rye and oat.^{[citation needed]}

Houses and clothes

The Lasowiacy used to live inlog cabins,with a number of them makinghamlets,located in the woods. Their clothes were made oflinen,with most popular colors white, black and red. Theopen-air museuminKolbuszowa(formerly known as Regional Museum of the Lasowiacy) features several original examples of the Lasowiacy culture. In 1956, Dancing Ensemble Lasowiacy was created inStalowa Wola.^{[citation needed]}

Notes

References

^Bystroń, Jan Stanisław (1892-1964) (1925).Ugrupowanie etniczne ludu polskiego = Les groupes ethnographiques polonais.Kraków: Orbis.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^Melchior Wańkowicz, Sztafeta. Prószyński i Spółka, Warszawa 2012, pages 320–322