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 language varieties spoken across some geographical area such that neighboring varieties are mutually intelligible, but the differences accumulate over distance so that widely separated varie ...
with the
Ukrainian,
Belarusian
Belarusian may refer to:
* Something of, or related to Belarus
* Belarusians, people from Belarus, or of Belarusian descent
* A citizen of Belarus, see Demographics of Belarus
* Belarusian language
* Belarusian culture
* Belarusian cuisine
* Byelor ...
and
Rusyn languages. In addition, Polesian includes many local variations and dialects, or sub-dialects.
History
During and after
World War II, 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 Eas ...
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
Belarusian writer
Nikolai Shelyagovich 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.
See also
*
Polekhs
*
Podlashuks
*
Tutejszy Local (Polish: ''Tutejszy'', ; be, Тутэйшы, translit=Tutejšy; uk, Тутешній, translit=Tuteshniy; lt, Tuteišiai; lv, Tuteiši; russian: Tуземный, translit=Tuzemnyj) was a self-identification of Eastern European rural popul ...
References
Ethnic groups in Belarus
Slavic ethnic groups
Ethnic groups in Ukraine
Demographic history of Poland
{{Ethno-stub