The Poleshuks, also known as Polesians ( ua, поліщуки, polishchuky, be, палешукі, paleshuki, russian: полещуки, poleshchuki) are an ethnic group that lives in

Polesia Polesia, Polesie, or Polesye, uk, Полісся (Polissia), pl, Polesie, russian: Полесье (Polesye) is a natural and historical region that starts from the farthest edge of Central Europe and encompasses Eastern Europe, including East ...

(a.k.a. Polesie and Polissia). Their language (or dialect), Polesian, forms a

dialect continuum A dialect continuum or dialect chain is a series of Variety (linguistics), language varieties spoken across some geographical area such that neighboring varieties are Mutual intelligibility, mutually intelligible, but the differences accumulat ...

with the

Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...

, Belarusian and

Rusyn Rusyn may refer to: * Rusyns, Rusyn people, an East Slavic people ** Pannonian Rusyns, Pannonian Rusyn people, a branch of Rusyn people ** Lemkos, a branch of Rusyn (or Ukrainian) people ** Boykos, a branch of Rusyn (or Ukrainian) people * Rusyn l ...

languages. In addition, Polesian includes many local variations and dialects, or sub-dialects.

History

During and after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the Poleshuks developed a strong sense of identity and currently the ethnic group of Poleshuks is considered one of the distinct cultural and ethnic identities in the area, while most of the population of the Belarusian, Polish and Ukrainian parts of the region of

Polesie Polesia, Polesie, or Polesye, uk, Полісся (Polissia), pl, Polesie, russian: Полесье (Polesye) is a natural and historical region that starts from the farthest edge of Central Europe and encompasses Eastern Europe, including East ...

have assimilated with the respective nations. At the end of the 1980s, there was a minor campaign in Soviet Byelorussia for the creation of a standard written language for the dialect based on the dialects of Polesia launched by

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...

ian writer

Nikolai Shelyagovich Nikolai Shelyagovich (born 21 July 1956, village Ogdemer, Drahichyn District, Brest Region, BSSR) is an initiator and proponent of the idea of the establishment of Polesian autonomy in Soviet Byelorussia in the 1980s. However, he and his asso ...

and his associates as part of his activities for the recognition of Poleshuks as a separate ethnicity and for their autonomy. However, they received almost no support and the campaign eventually melted away.''Цадко О.'
Полесье и опыт национального конструирования (1988–1995)
Палітычная сфера. Гісторыя і нацыя, no.24 (1), 2016, pp. 78-93.

References

Ethnic groups in Belarus Slavic ethnic groups Ethnic groups in Ukraine Demographic history of Poland {{Ethno-stub

History

See also

References