Lithuanian minority in Poland

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Lithuanian minority in Poland consists of 5,639 people living chiefly in the Podlasie Voivodeship in the north-eastern part of Poland (according to the Polish census of 2002). The Lithuanian embassy in Poland notes that there are about 15,000 people in Poland of Lithuanian ancestry.

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[edit] History

Lithuanians are an indigenous people of the territories of north-eastern Podlachian Voivodeship in Poland, living there since the extinction of the Yotvingians around the 13th century. Poland first[citation needed] acquired its Lithuanian minority after the Union of Lublin in 1569, which transferred the administration of the historical Podlachian Voivodeship from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania to the Polish Crown (both entities now forming a larger, federated state, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth). During the next two centuries, the Lithuanian minority, faced with the dominant Polish culture in the region, was subject to mostly voluntary Polonization. After the partitions of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the late 18th century, the Polish dominance in the region was replaced by that of the Russian Empire, until the end of the First World War resulted in the restoration of independent Polish and Lithuanian states.

During the interwar period of the 20th century (1920-1939) Lithuanian-Polish relations were characterised by mutual enmity. Starting with the conflict over the city of Vilnius, and the Polish-Lithuanian War shortly after the First World War, both governments - in the era nationalism was sweeping through Europe - treated their respective minorities harshly. [1] [2] Lithuanian nationalists resented demands by Poles for greater cultural autonomy (similar to that granted to the Jewish minority), holding that most of Lithuania's Poles were really polonized Lithuanians who merely needed to be re-Lithuanianized. Resentments were exacerbated when Lithuanian Poles expressed a desire to "re-unite" the country with Poland. As a result, the nationalizing Lithuanian state took measures to confiscate Polish owned land. It also restricted Polish religious services, schools, Polish publications, Polish voting rights. Poles were often referred to in the press in this period as the "lice of the nation". [3]. When Poles annexed Sejny town and its surroundings back in 1919, repressions towards local Lithuanian population started, including Lithuanian language ban in public, Lithuanian organizations (with 1300 members), schools (with approx. 300 pupils) and press closure, confiscation of property and even burning of Lithuanian books.[4] Beginning 1920, after the staged mutiny of Lucjan Żeligowski Lithuanian cultural activities in Polish controlled territories were limited; closure of newspapers and arrest of editors occurred.[5] One editor - Mykolas Biržiška - was accused of treason in 1922 and received the death penalty; only direct intervention by the League of Nations spared him this fate.[6] He was one of 32 Lithuanian and Belarussian cultural activists formally expelled from Vilnius on September 20, 1922 and given to Lithuanian army.[5] Next wave of Polonisation of Lithuanian minority took place in 1927, when 48 Lithuanian schools were closed and 11 Lithuanian activist were deported. [1] In 1931 there were about 80,000 Lithuanians in Poland, majority of them (66,300) in Wilno Voivodship.[7] Following Piłsudski's death in 1935, Lithuanian minority in Poland again became an object of Polonisation policies, more intensive this time.[citation needed] 266 Lithuanian schools were closed since 1936 and almost all organizations were banned.[citation needed] Further Polonisation was ensued as the government encouraged settlement of Polish army veterans in disputed regions. [8] About 400 Lithuanian reading rooms and libraries were closed in Poland in 1936-1938. [2] In Sejny and Suwalki districts prohibition to speak Lithuanian in the public lasted until 1950 (on phone until in the fall of communism in 1990) and teaching of Lithuanian was introduced in 1950s.[9]

Second World War put an end to independent Polish and Lithuanian states. After the war both former states fell under the sphere of influence of Soviet Union. Poland was shifted westwards, thus giving up most of the disputed territories previously containing significant Lithuanian minority in the Second Polish Republic, those territories were mostly incorporated into Lithuanian SSR, itself one of the Soviet republic. At the same time many Poles from the Kresy were forced to chose repatriation west to Recovered Territories,[10] and Polish minority in Lithuania (or Lithuanian SSR) was also significantly downsized.[citation needed] Under the eye of the Soviet Union, the various ethnic groups in the Eastern Bloc were to cooperate peacefully, and that policy[dubious – discuss][citation needed], coupled with the population migrations limiting the size of both minorities in respective regions, resulted in lessening of tensions between Poles and Lithuanians.

[edit] Modern times

Modern Lithuanian minority in Poland is composed of 5,639 people according to the Polish census of 2002, with most of them (5,097) living in the Podlachian Voivodeship (Suwałki Region), particularly in the Puńsk Commune (gmina) where they form a majority (74.4% of population). According to Lithuanian embassy there are about 15,000 people of Lithuanian ancestry in Poland. [11]

There are Lithuanian publications (over 80 books have been published, and there are several magazines, of which the largest is "Aušra",[1] co-sponsored by Polish Ministry of Internal Affairs). Lithuanian organizations are involved in organizing cultural life of the minority (with libraries, choirs, theatres, etc.). There are also Lithuanian-language programmes on local Radio Białystok and Telewizja Białystok.[11]

There are Lithuanian-exclusive schools in Puńsk, both on primary and secondary level, schools with Lithuanian-language as a teaching language in Sejny, and schools with Lithuanian as a foreign language in the wider region are common.[11] There are 17 Lithuanian schools, attended by over 700 students.[12][11] The most important of those schools is the liceum (Liceum 11.Marca w Puńsku); there are also three gymnasiums (Gimnazjum „Žiburys” w Sejnach, II Gimnazjum w Sejnach, I Gimnazjum w Sejnach).[11]

There are several Lithuanian cultural organizations in Poland.[2] The oldest one is the Stowarzyszenie Litwinów w Polsce (Association of Lithuanians in Poland), founded in 1992. Others include Wspólnota Litwinów w Polsce (Lithuanian Community in Poland, 1993), Stowarzyszenie Młodzieży Litewskiej w Polsce (Associations of Lithuanian Youth in Poland), Towarzystwo Kultury Etnicznej Litwinów (Association of Ethnic Culture of Lithuanians, 1997), Towarzystwo Nauczycieli Litewskich (Associations of Lithuanian Teachers). There are several buildings dedicated to Lithuanian minority, including the Lithuanian House and an ethnographic museum in Sejny.[11] Various Lithuanian cultural activities include the Lithuanian Meeting (Zlot) in Pszczelnik, and the Lithuanian Musical Festival Sąskrydis.[12] In 2006 the Lithuanian minority received 1.344.912 zlotys (~450,000$) from Polish government in 2006 (22 out of 27 requests were approved).[13]

However local Lithuanian World Community representatives claim there are problems with Lithuanian culture preservation in Sejny region.[14] They argue that Lithuanian heritage is ignored, as currently in Sejny there is not even one street name that would signify presence of prominent Lithuanians. They also note that for more than two years there is no accommodation regarding cemetery where Lithuanian soldiers are buried.[14] Another recent issue is the underfunding of the two Lithuanian gymnasiums in Sejny, which receives only 75% of promised funding.[15][16]

In politics, Lithiuanians control the self-government in Gmina Puńsk, they also have elected several representatives to the Sejny County.[12]

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b Żołędowski, Białorusini i Litwini..., p. 114
  2. ^ a b Makowski, Litwini..., pp.244-303
  3. ^ Fearon, James D.; Laitin, David D. (2006). Lithuania (pdf) (English) 4. Stanford University. Retrieved on 2007-06-18.
  4. ^ Lesčius, Vytautas (2004). Lietuvos kariuomenė nepriklausomybės kovose 1918-1920. Vilnius: Vilnius University, Generolo Jono Žemaičio Lietuvos karo akademija, p.278. ISBN 9955423234. 
  5. ^ a b Čepėnas, Pranas (1986). Naujųjų laikų Lietuvos istorija. Chicago: Dr. Griniaus fondas, p.655,656. 
  6. ^ Professor Mykolas Biržiška. Lituanus. Retrieved on 2007-09-10.
  7. ^ (Polish) "Drugi Powszechny Spis Ludności z dnia 9 XII 1931 r." (1939). Statystyka Polski D (34). 
  8. ^ Fearon, James D.; Laitin, David D. (2006). Lithuania (pdf) (English) 4. Stanford University. Retrieved on 2007-06-18. “From 1936 till 1939, 266 Lithuanian schools were closed in the whole territory of the former Vilnius Territory. Activities of almost all Lithuanian cultural organizations were banned there. In the areas controlled by Poland, resentments grew as a new settlement of Polish army veterans with economic ties to Poland brought greater Polonization.”
  9. ^ Glanville Price. Encyclopedia of the Languages of Europe. 1998, p.305 ISBN 0631220399
  10. ^ Stravinskienė, Vitalija (2004). "Poles In Lithuania From The Second Half Of 1944 Until 1946: Choosing Between Staying Or Emigrating To Poland (English Summary)". Lietuvos istorijos metraštis 2. 
  11. ^ a b c d e f (Polish) Społeczność litewska w Polsce (Lithuanian community in Poland) on the official site of Lithuanian embassy in Poland
  12. ^ a b c (Polish) Mniejszości narodowe i etniczne w Polsce on the pages of Polish Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration. Retrieved on 9 September 2007.
  13. ^ (Polish) Protokół z IX posiedzenia Podzespołu ds. Edukacji Mniejszości Narodowych - Puńsk, 13 marca 2006 r.
  14. ^ a b (Lithuanian) Lankininkaitė, Rūta. "Seinų lietuviai jaučiasi skriaudžiami", 2007-03-11. Retrieved on 2007-09-09. (Lithuanian) "Lenkijos lietuvių bendruomenės vadovai sako, jog Seinų krašte viskas, kas susiję su lietuvių kultūros paveldo išsaugojimu, sunkiai skinasi kelią." 
  15. ^ (Lithuanian) "Lietuviška mokykla Seinuose nesulaukia lėšų (Lithuanian school in Sejny do not receive funds)", 2007-02-8. Retrieved on 2007-09-16. (Lithuanian) 
  16. ^ (Polish) Zestawienie nieuwzględnionych uwag organizacji mniejszości narodowych i etnicznych oraz społeczności posługującej się językiem regionalnym

[edit] Bibliography

  • Ogonowski, Jerzy (2000). Uprawnienia językowe mniejszości narodowych w Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej 1918-1939 (in Polish). Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Sejmowe. ISBN 8370594042. 
  • Żołędowski, Cezary (2003). Białorusini i Litwini w Polsce, Polacy na Białorusi i Litwie (in Polish). Warszawa: ASPRA-JR. ISBN 8388766767. 
  • Skarbek, Jan (1996). Białoruś, Czechosłowacja, Litwa, Polska, Ukraina. Mniejszości w świetle spisów statystycznych XIX-XX w. (in Polish). Lublin: Instytut Europy Środkowo-Wschodniej. ISBN 8385854169. 
  • Various authors; editors: Sławomir Łodziński and Lucjan Adamczuk (2006). Mniejszości narodowe w Polsce w świetle Narodowego Spisu Powszechnego z 2002 roku (in Polish). Warszawa: Scholar. ISBN 8373831436. 
  • Makowski, Bronisław (1986). Litwini w Polsce 1920-1939 (in Polish). Warszawa: PWN. ISBN 8301068051. .
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