Benno at the "Old Prussians"

According to their origin, language and culture, the Old Prussian tribes belonged to the Baltic peoples, and therefore they were related to the Lithuanians and Latvians. Generally, there is a controversy about the origin of the present European population in the scientific world: The previously predominant invasion theory is based on the findings of linguistic research. Conquerors are thought to have moved from the expanses of Eastern European steppes or from Transcaucasia westwards to improve the cultural level of the European original inhabitants. The spreading continuity theory considers archaeological finds and assumes that the predecessors of the present ethnic groups developed - like in most of the other parts of the world - on the spot through active cultural exchanges with their neighbours. According to the invasion theory the Balts originally settled in the region of the Dnepr-delta and have been resident in the Baltic region since about 2500 B.C.

The Old Prussians were tall and slim, with blue eyes and long hair. In later times they had their hair done in a bob. The men had long beards. They wore clothes made of white linen, but the nobility wore garments made of white cloth. Their wide trousers reached down to their ankles and their feet stuck in simple leather footlets. Animal skins protected them against coldness in the winter. The women wore long, lead-grey garments made of linen or finer fabric, which they had gained through barter. The upper part of their breasts and their arms remained uncovered in the summer. A large scarf protected them against rain and coldness in the winter. They draped their dresses neatly with buckles and clasps and kept their hair together with bended hairpins. Mainly women wore delicately made jewellery (rings, necklaces and clasps made of silver and brass). Their hard work and skills allowed them to live in modest affluence. They did farming (flax) and bred sheep, cattle and particularly horses. They were also hunters and because of the skins they even hunted bears, wolves, lynxes, martens and polecats. They kept bees and brewed beverages from the honey. The famous East Prussian honey liqueur "Bärenfang" (bear hunt) originates from the Old Prussians. They took a bath two to three times a week. The Old Prussians were very friendly to the needy.

A man was allowed to take up to three women for his wives, with one of them being the boss. A bride was gained by purchase. Marital faithfulness was crucial. Adulterers / adulteresses were burnt and their ashes were scattered.

Thieves were whipped and if they were caught again in the act they were torn apart by dogs.

When a sick person didn't recover within 2 months, their family and friends discussed if curing would be possible. If not so, they decided to administer euthanasia to the ill, which a priest then executed.

Dead people were cremated and buried in urns.

Old Prussian was a West Baltic language, distantly related to the East Baltic languages Lithuanian and Latvian and with a close relationship to Sanskrit. At the time of the Reformation the Old Prussian language was already in decline, because the German and the Masurian languages were more and more used in daily life. In 1625 only a few people spoke Old Prussian. However, a lot of today's names of people and places originate from Old Prussian.

At first, the Old Prussians were followers of a natural religion, adoring the sun, the moon and the stars, but also thunder and some animals. Later on a personified world of gods developed. Superior gods included the god of thunder, Perkunos, who was thought to be causing all natural phenomina and hence a good crop, the god of the earth, Potrimpos, and the god of death, Pikollos or Potollos, who helped people to become wealthy.

The Old Prussians preferred to settle in single farmsteads or scattered villages. There were no towns, just trading centres.

The Old Prussians' settlements were located in the woods and were safeguarded through palisade fences. In the middle of their houses was a big stone with a hollow in it, which served as a fireplace. The rooms were well about 2 m high.

The fortresses of their tribal chiefs were situated on hills with steep slopes or in sharp bends of rivers and surrounded by walls and ditches. The best-known fortress was the one of Duke Skomand, located on the south bank of Lake Skomant.

The Old Prussians knew only 2 seasons (summer and winter), but 12 months having names such as "month of winter", "month of sowing", "month of lime blossoms", "month of rutting", "month of falling leaves", "month of frost" and "month of drought".

In the course of the 19th century the residents of the landscape of Masuria were called Masurs. (Even in the 18th century they had occasionally been called so.)

The German that was spoken in Masuria was the East Prussian dialect - an Eastern Low German with strong Middle German influences.

Until the end of World War II parts of the rural population spoke Masurian, although they had decided to live in a German state. According to the Treaty of Versailles, the Masurs carried out a plebiscite on 11 July 1920 in which they had to decide whether to remain with East Prussia or to join the newly created Polish state. The vote took place under international control. The German army left Masuria, and English and Italian troops occupied the area from 14 February to 16 August 1920. 99.3 per cent of the Masurian population voted to remain with East Prussia. The Masurians' Protestant faith may have contributed to this result because Poland is known to be Catholic. Moreover, Poland took a war against Soviet Russia. Two years after the end of World War I the Masurs were not willing to be integrated into a belligerent state which was, in addition to that, in an unfavourable economic situation. The Polish army had to retreat at the time of the plebiscite, and a Soviet offensive was carried out as far as the border to East Prussia giving the impression that the days of an independent Poland were counted once again and the erection of a Bolshevik regime was imminent. Moreover, the circumstances in the area of Soldau, that part of Masuria which had already been affiliated to Poland without vote on 10 January 1920, served as a warning example: the supply situation got increasingly worse to the point of a strike of the farm workers, and the Polish compulsory military service was established. Being German citizens the Masurs expected better possibilities for development regarding education, career and culture.

Masurian is a West Slavic dialect, containing Old Prussian words and strongly influenced by the German language. It is related to the Old Masovian language. Masurian was spoken by 130,000 people around the year 1900 and by 40,000 people around 1940. About 20,000 people spoke both Masurian and German. The Masurian dialect didn't participate in the sound change that formed the Polish language in the modern era: it has prevented the frequency of sibilants and doesn't have any nasal sounds. The Polish regard Masurian as a strange, funny dialect.

The rural population didn't substitute High German but Low German for Masurian.

The Masurs owned a great wealth of folk songs and were enthusiastic about music. They cultivated some old traditions, but traditional costums were gone. The "Johannisnacht" (shortest night in June) was the highlight of the white nights of the north. People enjoyed making burning barrels of tar swim across the lake. Other customs included hanging bunches of stinging nettle on the doors so that ghosts would sting their hands, and putting sharpened skythes on doorsteps. Legend had it that a water sprite was wreaking in moors and in the depths of lakes who was called Dobnick or Topich. He was said to have a most hairy upper part of the body, fin-like hands and a lower part of the body that looked like the body of a dark green fish with a long tail flipper. He was also said to be as short as a five-year old boy and to wear a little red cap over his ear. As soon as a human being would touch the little red cap, which Dobnick had put on a bush, they would lose their resistance and be pulled into the depth by Dobnick who had to drink the blood of young people to prolong his life. He used to spurn old people.

The Masurs were flexible and open to new things. They were polite and friendly to each other and extremely talkative: a Masur used to talk more on one day than any other East Prussian did throughout their lives. They were cheerful people with a good sense of humour and reduced their excessive consumption of brandy as from the second half of the 19th century.

House in the village of Sgonn

Typical of their settlements were ribbon-built villages (along main roads) with log cabins. Those houses often had pillar-supported porches. The houses, stables and sheds were arranged around a square yard. In the area of today's municipality of Jedwabno (including Neuhof and Burdungen) there are still 70 historical Masurian Houses.

After World War II the official Polish attitude regarding Masurs was like this: Strictly speaking, Masurs are Poles who successfully withstood the Prussian attempts to Germanize them. They were considered to be old-established people. Those Masurs who hadn't fled the country had to undergo a verification procedure if they wanted to stay and not be resettled according to the rulings of the Potsdam Treaty. If the applicants were able to speak Masurian and hadn't been close to the German National Socialists they were confirmed to be Polish and allowed to stay. Later those strict regulations were a bit relaxed and it would do if they hadn't actively collaborated with the Nazis.>

Polish Citizens

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