Silesian Gorals

Silesian Gorals
Górale śląscy
Regions with significant populations
Poland and Czech Republic: Cieszyn Silesia
Languages
Jablunkov dialect, Cieszyn Silesian dialect, Polish, Czech
Religion
Roman Catholic, Lutheran (Wisła)
Related ethnic groups
Gorals, Silesians

Silesian Gorals within Cieszyn Silesia: Brenna (1), Wisła (2), Jablunkov (3), Moravká (4)

Silesian Gorals (Polish: Górale śląscy, Czech: Slezští Goralé, Cieszyn Silesian: Gorole; literally "highlanders") are a Polish ethnographic group (subgroup of both Gorals and Silesians) living in Silesian Beskids and Moravian-Silesian Beskids within historical region of Cieszyn Silesia. They are one of the four major ethnographic groups of Cieszyn Silesia.^[1]

Vlach colonization of Silesian Beskids began in the late 15th century roughly at the time when Brenna was first mentioned in 1490. It peaked in two following centuries. The group now shares a lot of cultural traits with other Gorals of Western Carpathians stemming from a common way of living from shepherding in mountainous pastures, but they are also characterised by various different cultural and spiritual elements like dialect, believes, customs, costume etc.

Wincenty Pol in his survey of Gorals in the middle of the 19th century subdivided silesian Gorals into 4 groups:^[2]

Breniacy – in Brenna.
Wiślanie – in Wisła.
Jabłonkowianie (Jablunkov Gorals) – exemplary Silesian Gorals living in mountainous villages around Jablunkov (Polish: Jabłonków)^{[lower-alpha 1]} including Koniaków, Jaworzynka, Istebna,^{[lower-alpha 2]} Bukovec (Bukowiec), Mosty, Písek (Piosek), Dolní and Horní Lomná (Łomna Dolna i Górna).^{[lower-alpha 3]}
Morawianie (Moravians) – Gorals in the villages: Krásná, Morávka and Pražmo. Their dialect was transitional between the Polish and Czech language (see also: Moravians and Lach dialects).

Gorolski Święto is an annual international cultural and folklore festival held in Jablunkov with a primary goal to present folklore of the local Gorals.

Gallery

Henryk Jastrzembski: Gorals in Istebna (1846)
Henryk Jastrzembski: Gorals in Brenna (1848)
Henryk Jastrzemski: A Goral in Wisła (1848)
Gorol men's choir from Jablunkov during a parade of PZKO (2007)
Traditional Gorol wooden house (drzewiónka) in Silesian Beskids

Notes

↑ Important to note is that the town was inhabited by a different ethnographic group, called Jacki
↑ Koniaków, Jaworzynka and Istebna are now a part of Poland.
↑ Villages now part of the Czech Republic.

References

↑ Dembiniok, Marian (2010). O Góralach, Wałachach, Lachach i Jackach na Śląsku Cieszyńskim. REGIO. p. 3. ISBN 978-80-904230-4-6.
↑ Pol, Wincenty (1851). Rzut oka na północne stoki Karpat. Kraków: Czcionkami drukarni Czasu. p. 120.

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