Krajniacy – Slownik Geograficzny Translations
Hello,
Below is my translation of the Słownik Geograficzny Krolestwa Polskiego entry for the Krajniacy. This is an entry about a specific ethnic group that resides in the area surrounding Krajna Forest, near Złotowo. Any errors in the translations are completely my own.
Krajniacy,
A population residing in the vast land of Krajna in Wielkopolskie, present day West Prussia and Kreis Poznań, some cities are: Złotowo, Sępolno, Koronowo, Wyrzysk, Łobżenica, up to Bydgoszcz. For the most part they sit on fertile fields.
They are stocky and stubborn, because they tend to have a grosz (penny) in their pocket. Here we encounter loss in other farming village districts to the peasants of 80 and gradually 100 morgs of land. Horses tend to be grown and pastured often in moderation, because of the peculiar care of them by the Krajniaks (people of Krajna). During mud and thaw, the horse will wade through the slippery roads it could rear up and kick in front of the church, as long as it is not resting on Sunday. People hold against the Krajniaks, their love of abundant foods and their tendency to entertain boisterously. Here, family from about a miła (7.5 km) away come to visit at reduced costs, and yet they receive the visitor with nothing to spare. Sometimes after a few years of their stay the less sincere sides will contract the hassle for the funeral feast of the Krajniak, because generosity demands clear evidence of appetite and that the tenant farmer or collar is not pouring. When they appear to be home, they appear wealthy, even elegant. And where it is a matter of appearance that this proves that no penny is spared. Hence weddings and funerals are celebrated there like most celebrations, because after all the deceased left behind so much. They say, “to not go underground hastily”.
The Polish language has the Krajniaks respect; there are few foreign words. However, they have a peculiar pronunciation. The old time “a” has a long “u” sound like a true native “o” (German Ohr), and further to the north sometimes they adopt a Latin “au” sound, for example downo, dauwno = dawno. And following a (g) and (k), an (i) will palatalize the proceeding letters’ on pronunciation. Thus, instead of saying the long dłudzi, they would say dzibci (ob. Kujot, Pomorze polskie w Warcie str.314). So they are called, by Szembery, the Polish settlers in the Hungarian Liptowski county. Comparable to Horale. Kś F.
Słownik Geograficzny Krolestwa Poliskiego – Warsaw [1895, vol. 04, pp.584-585]. Retrieved from http://www.mimuw.edu.pl/polszczyzna/SGKP/SG04.djvu?djvuopts&page=584
Best Regards,
Al
