Language Research

BELARUSIANS

(Called Belarusans in Poland) form a strong minority in Poland (estimates vary to between 250-300,000) and they are not always well treated by the authorities. To an outside observer everything might look fine. Belarusans have their organizations such as the “Center of Citizen Education: Poland - Belarus,” and their events, such as an annual rock festival in Grodek. In other words, Belarusans can be Belarusans in Poland. However, in recent years, since the electoral victory of the Catholic right-wing coalition, “Jednosc” (Unity) in 1994, Belarusans in Poland have experienced the effects of quite overt anti-Belarusan policies. Mieczyslaw Wnuk, an essayist from Jerzy Giedroy's respected Paris-based journal “Kultura” (Culture) wrote: “The victorious Catholic right-wing makes it no secret that they want no Orthodox officials (and no ineffectual ones either) in the Bialystok region.” And since the words “Orthodox” and “Belarusan” are synonymous in the minds of Bialystok authorities, both groups are discriminated against equally.

Some striking facts illustrate the growing discrimination against Belarusans. After the AWS (Solidarity Election Action) parliamentary victory in 1997, money for renovation of the Orthodox monastery in Suprasl (which had been kept in a special budget reserve) was taken away. In 1998, the Belarusan Society was refused funding for all its projects. The Belarusan Social-Cultural Society will not receive any money next year, although the Ministry of Finance has apparently already transferred the funds to the Ministry of Culture. Moreover Bialystok's 250th anniversary was celebrated without any reference to Belarusans' and/or Orthodox followers' contribution to the city's development.

Belarusans and followers of the Orthodox Church have always formed a vital part of eastern Poland's society. Not only after 1945 but also long before. The amount of money involved in subsidizing Belarusan/Orthodox projects is not that large, and, to cite Wnuk again, “it will save neither the region nor Poland, but may seriously harm Poland's image.”

The LEMKO, a distinct ethnic group from the southeast corner of Poland, along with the Kashubians, Roma, Germans and other Polish minorities, have now begun to focus on preserving their unique culture and asserting their political rights. However, they seem to be caught in a continuing identity crisis, as a result of which they are unable to unify themselves into one community and create a strong political organization that could effectively represent their interests. A recent census of minorities in Poland stated that there are between 50,000 and 150,000 Lemkos in the country.

The northern slopes of the Carpathian Mountains in Poland (near the Ukrainian border) have been the Lemko's home for centuries and this area is known to the locals as Lemkovyna, or Lemkowszczyzna in Polish. The Lemko belonged to the eastern branch of Christianity, used the Cyrillic alphabet and spoke an East Slavic language - yet they were neither Polish nor Ukrainian.

The Lemko are sometimes considered to be Ruthenian or Rusyn, a term that indicates a pro-Russian orientation. Their attractive onion-domed wooden churches are still scattered throughout the remote and sparsely populated areas of the Beskid Sadecki, Beskid Niski and the Bieszczady mountains. Due to the inaccessibility of this region, the Lemko lived here relatively undisturbed by outside influences for many years.

The Lemko are officially considered to be part of the Ukrainian nation. This is problematic for the Orthodox Lemko who prefer a Rusyn orientation.

The Polish Helsinki Committee has noted in recent years that the Lemko have had difficulty in obtaining instruction in their native language as the Polish government felt that this need was already provided for via Ukrainian language provisions. It should be noted however, that there are now several schools teaching the Lemko language. There has never been a complete denial of the existence of the pro-Rusyn Lemko, but there is a lack of understanding of their cultural and linguistic needs as well as their cultural identity.

The current situation among the Lemko, both within Poland and abroad, reveals a confusing mass of identities. Individuals may feel they are Polish, Ukrainian or Rusyn. They may attend the Orthodox or the Ukrainian Catholic Church. Due to assimilation and emigration, many may or may not feel that it is important to return to their homeland in order to be truly Lemko.

This confusion and the resultant lack of cohesion make it difficult for the Lemko to form a unified cultural identity. Therefore it is problematic for activist groups to adequately represent the entire society and protect their rights. While the tenacious existence of the Lemko ensures their survival, it is not yet known what form their future identity might take.

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Updated (June 2002)

After the census in 1988 there is another one taking place in Poland in May 2002. The fact that the questions concerning ethnicity and language of domestic use were included to the census has arisen negative reactions among several organizations representing ethnic minorities.

The answers, according to the Polish Minister of Interior, should be used to create an updated database on minorities in order to serve as the basis for future policies. It is estimated that approximately 2 percent of the Polish population belong to one of the national minorities living in the country, such as Germans, Belorussians, Ukrainians or Tatars.

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Updated (October 2002)

POLAND MINORITIES DISLIKED QUESTION ABOUT ETHNICITY IN THE CENSUS

Although the Interior Minister Krzysztof Janik appealed to the representatives of ethnic minorities not to be afraid to declare their ethnic origin (“narodowosc”) in the general census, taking place from May 21 to June 8, 2002; they saw the situation differently.

The government assured minorities that census' results would be used for a special database, to work out an appropriate position for negotiations with the European Union regarding the protection of ethnic minorities. It would also serve as a basis for talks between the government and local self-governments in order to conduct a consistent policy toward the minorities.

However, recently expressed fears of minority organization activists in Poland show that the question about ethnicity in the census may only cause problems for those declaring different ethnic origin than the Polish one. According to Myron Kertyczak of the Union of Ukrainians in Poland, Polish Ukrainians prefer not to disclose their ethnic identity because they are afraid of consequences in the offices or at schools.

Senator Henryk Kroll, who represents the German minority in Poland's upper chamber, pointed to an example of inequality in the census itself. When a Pole declares the Polish ethnicity, he does not have to answer further questions. When one declares different ethnicity, he has to answer additional questions, for example, about the language he uses at home, etc.

Jan Syczewski, the chairman of the Belarusian Social-Cultural Association, cast doubts on the reliability of data obtained by the census. They have conducted a poll in a school where all students were of Belarussian origin. The results of the poll showed that only one-fourth of the students declared their Belarusian roots...

The Association of Roma in Poland and the Union of Polish Tatars also spoke against the question about ethnicity in the general census. “People are afraid. There are still many anxieties and prejudices, primarily among older people. They still remember their postwar experiences. So the census may not provide actual data,” Selim Chazbijewicz noted (Union of Polish Tatars).

Source: Minelres Archive, http://lists.delfi.lv/pipermail/minelres/, RFE/RL Poland, Belarus, and Ukraine Report Vol. 4, No. 9, 5 March 2002

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Updated (January 2008)

A CAMPAIGN TO SUPPORT MULTINATIONAL POLAND

From the beginning of 2008 a new campaign has been running in several cities across Poland under the EU project “Equal opportunities for all”. Billboards with slogans, such as “I am a Ukrainian. I am a Pole”, feature photographs of various professionals working in Poland who are of different nationalities. They all are, however, Polish citizens.

Among others, there is a billboard showing a middle-aged couple, a lawyer and a tourist agent, saying: “We are Armenians. We are Poles.” There are also billboards introducing Germans, Romanis, Karaims, Jews and Ukrainians living in Poland.

The campaigners say their primary aim is to show the Polish people that there are actually different ethnic and national minorities living in the country who are a vital part of their society.

The campaign is held under the honorary patronage of Poland's First Lady Maria Kaczynska.

Source: Polskie Radio, News, January 9, 2008 http://www.polskieradio.pl/zagranica/news/artykul73216_Im_a_Ukrainian__Im_a_Pole_.html

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