The Society of Young Kashubians ( csb, Towarzëstwò Młodokaszëbów, pl, Towarzystwo Młodokaszubów) was an association founded in 1912 in Gdańsk (

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

). Its leader was Dr.

Aleksander Majkowski Aleksander Majkowski ( csb, Aleksander Majkòwsczi; 17 July 1876 – 10 February 1938) was a Polish- Kashubian writer, poet, journalist, editor, activist, and physician. He was the most important figure in the Kashubian movement before World ...

, already a well-known Kashubian writer and author of

The Life and Adventures of Remus ''Life and Adventures of Remus - the Kashubian Mirror'' (Kashubian title ''Żëce i przigodë Remusa - Zvjercadło kaszubskji'') is a novel written in the Kashubian language by Dr. Aleksander Majkowski Aleksander Majkowski ( csb, Aleksander Maj ...

. Other influential members of the association were the attorney Jan Karnowski and two Roman Catholic priests, Leon Heyke and Józef Wrycza.

Objectives of the Society

The Society of Young Kashubians worked to awaken ethnic self-awareness among the Kashubian people, to promote understanding of Kashubian culture and to connect Kashubians with the

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

scientific movement. Young Kashubians published their literary works in the "Gryf" (''The Griffon'') magazine. Their motto was ''What is Kashubian is Polish at the same time,'' an echo of

Hieronim Derdowski Hieronim Derdowski (March 9, 1852, Wiele, Pomeranian Voivodeship, German Empire – August 13, 1902, Winona, Minnesota, America) ( Kashubian ''Hieronim Derdowsczi'' or ''Jarosz Derdowsczi''), Kashubian-Polish intellectual and activist, was bor ...

's famous line: ''No Kaszubia without Poland, no Poland without Kaszubia''. In the words of the scholar Jozef Borzyszkowski: The motto ''What is Kashubian is Polish at the same time'' expressed the Society's belief that despite variations within the Kashubian language, Kashubians as a whole made up an indispensable part of the Polish nation, as confirmed by common history, culture and religion. Such a belief conflicted with the position expressed by

Florian Ceynowa Florian Ceynowa ( Kashubian ''Florión Cenôwa'') (May 4, 1817 – March 26, 1881) was a doctor, political activist, writer, and linguist. He undertook efforts to identify Kashubian language, culture and traditions. He and Alexander Hilferding wer ...

and others that Kashubia was better associated with the pan-Slavic movement than with Poland. However, Ceynowa's reservations about Polonization eventually became a concern to some members of the Society, including Dr. Majkowski himself.

History and influence

The Young Kashubians based their writing primarily on Kashubian

mythology Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narra ...

and tradition. They criticized the increasing superstition and drunkenness among Kashubians, which is shown ''inter alia'' in Majkowski's satirical

epic poem An epic poem, or simply an epic, is a lengthy narrative poem typically about the extraordinary deeds of extraordinary characters who, in dealings with gods or other superhuman forces, gave shape to the mortal universe for their descendants. ...

''Jak w Koscérznie kòscelnégò òbrelë abò piãc kawalerów a jednô jedinô brutka'' ("How they chose the Sacristan at Koscierzyna, or Five bridegrooms and only one bride," 1899) and in Jan Karnowski's volume of poetry, ''Nowotne spiewë i wiersze'' ("New Songs and Poems," 1910). The Young Kashubians met with fierce opposition. Germanizers within the Kashubian community naturally opposed the Young Kashubians, as did the Polish-language journals ''Pielgrzym'' and ''Gazeta Grudziądzka''. Accusations and recriminations were hurled, and eventually brought to court. The onset of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

saw an end to the Society's efforts.Jozef Borszyskowski, "A History of the Kashubs until the End of Communism," in Cezary Obracht-Prondzyński and

Tomasz Wicherkiewicz Tomasz Wicherkiewicz (born 1967) is a Polish linguist who is Professor of Linguistics Linguistics is the science, scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, ...

(eds), ''The Kashubs: Past and Present'' (Bern: Peter Lang, 2011), p. 46. Despite its short life and its comparatively scanty literary output, the Society of Young Kashubians proved that a Kashubian literary movement could succeed, and served as inspiration to all succeeding Kashubian literary groups.

References

{{Authority control Kashubians Kashubian culture Kashubian literature