Kurpie
The Zarnochs and Gwaras both lived in the region home to the Kurpie culture/ethnicity. The Kurpie have their own specific traditional costumes, customs, dance, architecture, and livelihoods. They are well known for their hospitality. Kurpie is thought to be an offshoot of the Masovian culture.
The Kurpie region covers the Masovian lowlands (Mazowsze), and parts of Podlasi, and to a smaller extent Warmia and Mazury regions. The largest towns are Myszyniec and Ostrołęka, with major villages being Czarnia, Dylewo, Jednorożec, Kadzidło, Lipinki, Łyse and Zbójna. The area is covered by two forests, the Green Wilderness (Puszcza Zielona) in the North and the White Wilderness (Puszcza Biała) in the South, together they are called the Kurpian/Kurpiowska Forest (Puszcza Kurpiowska). The region is bounded by 3 rivers, the Pisa (east), Narew (south), and Orzyc (west). The northern border originally stretched to the old border of East Prussia. The forests are mainly comprised of Spruce, Pine and Alder trees, but Linden trees are also common in the area. Today only 33% of the region is covered in forest, much of the original forest having been converted to farmland in the 19th century. The oldest sections of the forests are protected. The soil in the area is sandy and muddy, not great for farming.
Originally, the inhabitants of this region were called puszczaki (people of the wilderness), the name Kurpie is derived from the word kurpś which refers to shoes made of fibers from the Linden tree particular to this region (example to the left). Outsiders used the name of the shoe to refer the puszczaki. Kurpś do not last very long when worn, but you can still buy them today in the area (as souvenirs, similar to the wooden clogs of the Netherlands). Folk dancers might wear them at special exhibitions or competitions.
There are several museums dedicated to Kurpie heritage: Museum of Kurpie Culture in Ostrołęka, The Adam Chętnik Open Air Museum of the Kurpie Region in Nowogród, and The Kurpie Region Farmstead in Kadzidło. The last two are Open Air Museums. There are also culture groups that aim at educating people about the Kurpie culture, offering classes on traditional music, cooking, Kurpie dialect, etc. One such group is the Skzoła Tradycji Kurpiowskiej. Archaeological evidence suggests that people had been living in the forests earlier than the 10th century (founding of Poland), but seems like the Kurpie culture only emerged in the 15th century. The population in the area is very small, even today. In the 17th century only 1000 people were thought to have been living in the Kurpiowska Wilderness. As a result, the peoples living there were very isolated from other areas of Poland, and this led them to develop distinct and unique customs. This isolation also meant that rather than being serfs or nobles, they were allowed to make their own laws and reported only to the king. Kurpie has its own recognized dialect, though very similar to standard Polish, since the difference mainly lies in pronunciation (rather than spelling). The pronunciation of "w" to "zi" (zilk instead of wilk), nasal vowels differ also (e.g. będę instead of bendo). Further changes are the palatalized consonants: "psi" or "bzi" (e.g. piwo instead of psiwo). Some word exist only in the Kurpish dialect, for examples: matyjaśnie (Kurpish) means smutno (sad) or dziewcak means dziewczyna (girl).
Kurpie Houses The traditional Kurpie home was made from wood with a straw roof. Often a flag or cross would be mounted on the roof. The interiors were very sparse, and the windows always had 6 panes of glass. Doors and shutters were usually painted blue with a floral designs (but of course they could be painted other colors). The Adam Chętnik Open Air Museum showcases Kurpie homes. To the right is an example of one of the houses from the Farmstead in Kadzidło.
Livelihoods
Before farming became common place in the 19th century, Kurpians were iron-ore miners, bee-keepers (a very prestigious occupation), and pitch producers. Beekeeping was a highly regulated profession for the Kurpie. Documents as early as the 15th century mention the delicious honey produced in this region. In 1559 the Beekeeper's Law went into effect which spelled out the regulations of the profession and their relationship and responsibilities to the Crown. They exported their honey and beeswax into Western Europe. Amber was also a
highly prized commodity from the region. Men were also renown for their woodworking (left), and women for their weaving and cloth, said to be the most beautiful in all Poland. Women were also known for their colorful and intricate paper cutouts (wycinanki) which often depict animals, geometric designs, and flowers (example on the right).
Folk Costumes
Costumes differed between the Green and White Wildernesses, for men it mainly concerned their type of hat, and for women the color of their skirt. (Red in the Green Wilderness and Green in the White Wilderness). Otherwise the costumes were fairly similar.
Men's Costume
Kurpie men in the north (Green) wore long brown or red coats tied around the waist with a red, navy or black sash. For special occasions a multicolored belt would be worn. The pockets of the coat are finished with black ribbon usually. In winter they wore knee-length fur coats made from sheep's wool to keep warm. They wore white homespun linen shirts tied at the top with a red ribbon called a faforkiem and white or grey trousers which were fastened at the bottom with
straps from their shoes. The traditional shoe was later replaced with more durable black leather boots. Men from the north wore dark brown top hats usually with a feather and men from the south wore small black caps. Beekeepers' traditional folk costumes also set them apart for other men.
Women's Costume
Kurpie women in the north wore white or red homespun blouses with a green vest over. The vest came down to the waist and had two tabs on the sides that came down lower, usually to the tops of the leg. In the south the women's blouses might have elaborate embroidery. Their skirt is traditionally red and a white apron, called a kitlów, is worn over it. The apron either comes to the knees or to the edge of the skirt. The skirt often has elaborate folds at the back, but is flat along the front. If stripes were added to the skirt it was always in contrasting colors, so green stripes on a red
skirt and red on a green. In the colder months a highly embroidered jacket would be worn, but the sleeves always stopped about half way down so that the
embroidery on the shirt sleeves could still be seen. In everyday life women wore a scarf around their head, tied either under the chin or behind the head. For holidays, they wore special hats which were black and rectangular with rounded corners called czolka (pronounced cholka). It was trimmed with black velvet and decorated with sequins, beads, and other haberdashery. On the side was placed a garland of flowers and down the back hung colorful ribbons. Usually when wearing this hat women would braid their hair in pigtails. The czolka is a hat reserved for unmarried women. The above picture on the right was taken in 1913 and shows the fancier hat that maidens wore. Of course the age and marital status of a woman could also affect what types of clothing she wore (e.g. the way a scarf is tied). Women also wore a lot of amber jewelry, as amber was a highly sought after commodity. To the left is a picture of a Polish couple on their wedding day between 1920 and 1930. The woman is still wearing her traditional Kurpie costume. Instead of his traditional Kurpie costume, the man has opted for a more modern wedding suit.
Special Foods
Already mentioned was the fact honey from this region was especially sought after. Traditional dishes include: czernina (a duck-blood based soup with dried fruits, vegetables, potato pierogi, and meat) which was often served to a man if he was courting a woman and her parents felt he was not good enough, parzybroda (a creamy cabbage and potato soup), żur kurpiowski (a sour bread soup), bigos (hunter's stew, made with a variety of meats including wild game), smażonka (a meat-onion casserole), rejbak (a breaded & fried potato and pork pie), kiszka ziemniaczana (boiled potato sausage), sauerkraut with linseed oil and mushrooms, psiwo kozicowe (Juniper beer - it's nonalcoholic), and meals were often accompanied by bread with liver pâté or with lard and pickled cucumber. Fafernuchy (a honey and carrot cake) is a typical dessert.
Music & Dance
The music from Kurpie is very different from its neighbors. A priest named Władysław Skierkowski, in his book Puszcza Kurpiowska w pieśni, recorded over 1000 traditional Kurpie songs. The first part of Henryk Górecki's Symphony Nº3 (Symphony of Sorrowful Songs) is based on traditional Kurpie music. Paweł Łukaszewski and the Podlasie Philharmonic showcased 5 Kurpie funeral songs (you'll need to skip to about 2:51 for the singing to begin) in this video. A little more upbeat is this video where you can also see some folk dancing. Hopefully this gives you an idea of what Kurpie folk music sounds like. Some instruments unique to Poland include: the suka (a stringed instrument similar to a violin but with a very wide neck), and 5 different types of bagpipes including the koza (literally meaning "goat") which has 3 drones unlike other bagpipes, the kozioł biały (one of the more popular varieties of bagpipes, it has a drone with a projecting horn), and the kozioł czarny (which is often only played at wedding, it is a smaller version of the kozioł biały). The accordion is also a very popular instrument in Poland. Most folk bands have a violinist, an accordion player, and a tambourine player.
One of the more famous Kurpie dances is called konik which means "horse." Beginning with this dance, men imitate a horse and rider. They then break apart into a line which then proceeds to mimic the characteristics of a row of ducks. Numerous flirtatious and vibrant dances follow including the fafur (named for the long ribbons on the girls' hats) and "the Old Wife," but all are climaxed by the rousing powolniak dance which fills the stage with swirling dancers. The powolniak and fafur are dances originating in the Green Wilderness.
