Język Polski
English
‘My Goal Was Only to Become Useful for Compatriots’:
Concern for the Preservation of the Cultural Heritage of the Zawkrze Land in the Light of Władysław Dębski’s Pieśni Ludu dawnej Ziemi Zawskrzeńskiej [Songs of the People of the Former Zawkrze Land]
Abstract
This article discusses the preservation of the cultural heritage of the Zawkrze Land and presents the history of the origin and structure of the hitherto unpublished manuscript entitled Pieśni Ludu dawnej Ziemi Zawskrzeńskiej [Songs of the People of the Former Zawkrze Land] written by Władysław Dębski in 1879-1886. The text was recognised by some researchers (e.g. by Bogumiła Umińska and Leszek Arent) as missing. The article also presents the figure and work of Władysław Piotr Dębski (1829-1899), a landowner, an heir and the owner of Krzywonoś, Dębsk and the adjacent properties in the district of Mława, in Szydłowo parish. In addition to his activities on the farm, he also wrote correspondence and articles on the customs of Northern Mazovia and, above all, promoted the folk culture and traditions of the historical Zawkrze region, covering the former districts of Mława, Szreńsk and Niedzbórz. Dębski joined the group of nineteenth-century researchers, ethnographers and enthusiasts of Polish culture, encouraged, among others, by Jan Aleksander Karłowicz, to document the history of small local homelands. Dębski’s publication is an important testimony of the era and a rich source for further research on the history of Mazovia. To this day, although included in archival lists, Dębski’s manuscripts have not been widely known or subjected to serious analysis. They contain much material describing the role of local communities in transmitting traditions and raising generations of young Poles at a time when it was possible to fight for freedom with a pen and by shaping national consciousness. The article is a contribution to further research on the texts of these folk songs.
Keywords:
ethnography, Mazovia, songs, folk songs, tradition, Władysław Dębski, Zawkrze, Zawkrze LandDetails
References
Statistics
Authors
Citation rules
Licence
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
