Pstrusińska, Jadwiga

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Miscellanea Eurasiatica Cracoviensia - Zrozumieć EurazjęKraków 2007On the Past and Present of the Sarmatian Idea in Poland11 Paper presented at the conference Poland-Iran - Creating a Dialog Attitude,Institute of Oriental Studies, Warsaw University, 5lh May 2005. 2 Situated within the contemporary Polish borders. Jadwiga PstrusińskaIt is perhaps not a very well known fact in Iran that Middle Europe, in­cluding our country Poland (Polish Polska, also Lechistari), was termed by an ancient author Ptolemy, in the II century AC, European Sarmatia, and Eastern Europe was termed Asian Sarmatia. Before him, Pomponius Mela, in about the year 44 AC, placed Sarmatia between the river Vistula2 and Germania. It was understood that these designations were somehow asso­ciated with the famous Old Iranian tribes called the Sarmatians. According to historians they lived in the region of the lower Volga between IV-II century BC, but already in the I century BC had started to moved west­wards, towards the Danube, a European river (e. g. Niedźwiedź 2001: 172- 3; Sulimirskil970: 157). We find diverse opinions as to how far Slavonic and Iranian tribes might have been somehow, even genetically, related. Some scholars take into account such a possibility (e. g. Sulimirski 1979), some exclude it totally (e. g. Borowski 2002: 23). It is very likely that in a not very distant future so-called population genetics will add the results of its research conducted on the microbiology level and will end these long polemics. Nevertheless at least some linguistic material supports the idea of some kind of contacts or relationship between Indo-Iranian and Slavonic lan­guages. Let’s note, for instance, such well known cognate as the Old Per­sian word baga- ‘god’ and the Polish word for ‘god’ even in its contempo­rary form 'bóg' (e. g. Reczekl985: 56). 324 Jadwiga PstrusińskaIt should be stressed that the phenomenon of the Sarmatian idea in Poland is polymorphic, multicoloured and possessing a diversity of inter­esting aspects. In writing such a short text we can only, unfortunately, mention some of its numerous phenomena, but an abundance of literature, books and papers, do exist, not only in Polish but in many others for those participants of this conference interested in the topic. We even have a dictionary of our Sarmatian ideas, published in Poland, in Cracow in 2001. In some of these publications the words “Sarmatian” and “Sarmatians” have been used between inverted comas to express doubts about their real Sarmatian meaning or origin (e. g. Borowski 2001b: 7). Lets say that the Polish term sarmatyzm, difficult to translate exactly into English or Persian with all its rich semantic range, is very often un­derstood as something connected with the Old Polish character, while the Polish word Sarmata means not only ‘a member of ancient Iranian tribes’ but also ‘a man of an Old-Polish character’ (e. g. Stanisławski 1964: 1037; Kopaliński 1988: 454; 1998: 1037). Generally the Polish word sarmatyzm, for which the nearest transla­tion, not perfect however, is perhaps ‘Sarmatian idea’, ‘Sarmatian ideas’. This refers not only to the history of the social and national consciousness of Polish noble men, having rank of nobility, in Latin natio Polonorum, but it refers also to the diverse components of Polish intellectual and mate­rial culture (e.g. Borowski 2001c: 175).In the Middle ages the term ‘Sarmatia’ was still in use to designate Middle Europe and ‘Sarmatians’ to designate Poles, or other Slavonic nations living nearby. Authors writing later still applied this toponym and this anthroponym to Poland and Poles. In the XVI century the toponym ‘Sarmatia’ almost replaced the designation ‘Poland’ as writes, for in­stance, Tadeusz Sulimirski (Sulimirskil970: 188). A Polish historian Ma­ciej, bom in Miechów, among other writers, in his work written in Latin in the year 1517 and entitled Tractatus de duabus Samatiis Asiana et Eu- ropiana, treats Polish Jagiellonian monarchy and Moscow as European Sarmatia. This designation made in Europe and in Poland a real career, despite the fact that the full genesis of the Polish Sarmatian idea is not totally clear. Moreover it was never fully studied without prejudices. We certainly need more research on this matter. Still in XVII century these designations ‘Sarmatia’ and ‘Sarmatians’ used to be synonyms of Poland and Poles (e.g. Niedźwiedź 2001: 172-3; Zierhoffer 1998: 313) but the XVI to the XVIII century is usually treated as the main period of the rise On the Past and Present of the Sarmatian Idea in Poland 325of Sarmatian ideas in Poland and its full bloom (e.g. Borowski 2001c: 175-177).As far as the political aspect is concerned this Polish Sarmatian idea was always associated with freedom, a traditional Sarmatian love of free­dom. There was even a well known Latin term in use aurea libertas ‘golden freedom’ (Borowski 2001c: 178). Incidentally in one of the con­temporary languages traditionally included into the group of Iranian lan­guages, namely Ossetic, we find saermae laeg what means ‘free man’(e.g. Littleton 1998: 746). It was also thought that Polish Sarmatians, as the successors of the ancient Sarmatians, were very brave. These Polish Sar­matians believed also that they are rightly proud. We had something like the Sarmatian knightly ethos and a Sarmatian ethos of good citizenship in Poland. What should be stressed, among other things, is the famous Polish hospitality, also treated as a Sarmatian feature, as well as our Old-Polish religious tolerance. On the other hand this Sarmatian religious tolerance was somehow strongly bound with the Catholic faith (e.g. Borowski 2001: 178-90; Urban 2001: 46-7). It is believed that in the XVI century the Sar­matian myth and Sarmatian idea played a very positive, uniting role in our multiethnic and multireligious society.But let’s frankly add that with the Old - Polish Sarmatian characteris­tics not only positive but also some negative features could be pointed out such as, for instance, megalomania, anachronism, some kind of conserva­tism and a few others (e.g. Niedźwiedź 2001: 175). Some researchers mention Sarmatian xenophobia and fanaticism (e.g. Kopaliński 1998: 1037) but others, on the contrary, stress Sarmatian openness for people having alien views and their acceptance. One can find such views that it is thanks to the Sarmatian style of thinking and Sarmatian ideals that we never had, even after this very Sarmatian period in Polish history and cul­ture, already after the partition of Poland, the persecution of people of other religious beliefs. Such expressions even as ‘asylum for heretics’ (Polish 'azyl dla heretyków') or ‘state without stakes’(Polish 'państwo bez stosów") were in use to designate Poland (Tazbir 1976: 18-19). Thus per­secution of peoples of other religious beliefs was perceived as wrong by the Polish Sarmatians.One of our historians, Tadeusz Chrzanowski, writes that generally, within the circle of Sarmatian ideas, there was a disinclination, an aversion towards terror and attempts to understand the way of thinking of other people, also a feeling of common humanity towards others, something 326 Jadwiga Pstrusińskafunctioning simultaneously with local patriotism (Chrzanowski 1988: 43- 7,316, 320).The Sarmatian idea has also been introduced in our material culture. Our famous Polish king, Jan Sobieski the lHrd' living in XVII century , called ‘King-Sarmatian’ (Polish ‘król-Sarmata’) was famous in this matter. But the first Polish king who started to introduced Sarmatian, it fact Ori­ental in those times, elements into our national costumes, arms and gener­ally into our Polish taste and style was already King Stefan Batory (1575- 86) his predecessor. The idea of adopting Oriental ideas was of course not limited only to these three area mentioned. One can find the so-called Sarmatian style in painting, architecture, churches inclusive, the arranging of interiors in Polish noble houses etc. (e.g. Chrzanowski 1988: 43-7). During the Sarmatian times distinctive Sarmatian costumes were popular and were wom in Poland. They had clearly Oriental elements, for instance silk sashes, a special kind of belt or rather girdle, imported from Turkey, Persia or India. And it is only one small detail here of the Sarmatian taste for beauty (e.g. Ostrowski 2001: 137-9; Taszycka 1990: 7-15). Later on we had even our indigenous manufactures producing such splendid sashes, called in Polish language persjarnie, designation related to the Polish word perski meaning ‘Persian’. Thus Oriental influences in mate­rial culture, Persian inclusive, were without doubt perceived positively.As we see this Polish Sarmatian period was very open to syncretism, to foreign ideas which have enriched it substantially. In fact in the XVIII century we experienced a kind of symbiosis with some elements of Ori­ental culture (e.g. Chrzanowski 1988: 43-7; Kieniewicz 1999:102). The Sarmatian idea in Poland was not only a linguistic but also a cultural, spiritual, social and political fact.But the reflexes of Sarmatian ideas and the term ‘Sarmatian’, both as an adjective and a substantive, were present also in the XX century and are still present in contemporary Poland. It is possible to prepare a long list of their use. Let’s cite some examples in chronological order, from among those which I have collected by chance, without a lot of effort. One can find among the many examples present within the last ten years:A paper written by Jan Błoński - ‘The Sarmatian idea in Gom- browicz’s writing’ (Polish ’Sarmatyzm u Gombrowicza’) (Błoński 1976: 137-153).An exhibition in the Poznań National Museum entitled ‘Vanitas. A coffin portrait against the background of the Sarmatian funeral customs’ On the Past and Present of the Sarmatian Idea in Poland 327(Polish * Vanitas. Portret trumienny na tle sarmackich obyczajów pogrze- bowych’{ np. Torbicka 2004).A lecture given in National Museum in Cracow entitled ‘Sarmatians - the genesis of Polish costume’ (Polish 'Sarmaci - geneza ubioru pol­skiego’). Data found in the Museum’s leaflet (1998).We read in an article that the Sarmatian myth is present in the books written by Henryk Sienkiewicz, our national writer (Bujnicki 1999). As we know we have many of them in film version as well and it is treated as belonging to our national cinema.In a newspaper we find an article'Among us Sarmatians’ (Polish ‘Między nami Sarmatami’ (Strońska 1999).We find in an article on Polish historical gardens the term ‘Sarmatian garden’ and it is perceived as a positively indigenous one (Woźnicka 2000).Another article, about good manners, rather satiric in style, entitled ‘Oh, our beloved Sarmatia’ (Polish ‘Sarmacjo, nasza ukochana") can be found in the local press in Cracow. And a statement within it: “Oh, our beloved Sarmatia! You persist as a bedrock”. (Polish "Ech, Sarmacjo, nasza ukochana! Trwasz jak opoka.’’) (“Brat Chama” 2000).A newspaper, Dziennik Polski, printed in 2000 reminds us that in 1919 a company was established in Krakow called ‘The Society for Sea Navi­gation - Sarmatia’ (Polish ‘ Towarzystwo Żeglugi Morskiej — Sarmacja’) (Stec 2000).In 2001 a Dictionary of Polish Sarmatism — ideas, conceptions, sym­bols (Polish Słownik sarmatyzmu polskiego - idee, pojęcia, symbole), edited by Andrzej Borowski, was published in Cracow.A contemporary Polish television film serial Kiepscy was described “as the most successful transfer of the Sarmatian archetype into advanced Polish modernity” (Polish "najbardziej udane przeniesienie w późną polską nowoczesność archetypu sarmackiego’’) (Michalski 2001).During a conference devoted to the Professor Jan Błoński and XXth century literature one of papers given was entitled ‘A Sarmatian in a be­sieged fortress’ (Polish 'Sarmata w oblężonej twierdzy') (The conference programme, 2001).In another article we find such a sentence “The problem of Sarmatism seemed to me still valid for diverse reasons” (Polish "Problem sar­matyzmu wydal mi się z różnych powodów nadal aktualny") (Pieszczachowicz 2001).328 Jadwiga PstrusińskaIn a catalogue, printed by the Ossolineum publishing house in 2004, there is one book advertised, edited by Dorota Heck, entitled Cos­mopolitism and Sarmatism. An anthology of the post-war Polish essay (Polish Kosmopolityzm i sarmatyzm. Antologia powojennego eseju pol­skiego).During a conference in Cracow “Polish Studies in Reconstruction: Lit­erary Studies - a Knowledge of Language and Culture - Education” (Polish „Polonistyka w przebudowie: literaturoznawstwo — wiedza o języku i kulturze - edukacja”) a paper entitled ‘Sarmatian and Enlighten­ment literature, art, a vision of the world in educational curricula’ (Polish "Sarmacka i oświeceniowa literatura, sztuka, wizja świata w programach edukacyjnych') was placed within the programme (The conference pro­gramme, 2004).In 2004 an exhibition in the Poznań National Museum ‘Nobel heritage or damned legacy. The Sarmatian tradition in art and culture’ (Polish ‘Szlachetne dziedzictwo czy przeklęty spadek. Tradycje sarmackie w sztuce i kulturze') was opened on the 11th December and lasted till 28 February 2005. We read in a newspaper article that the exhibition tries to find out “how the Sarmatian seed germinates through consecutive epochs” (Polish “jak ziarno sarmackie kiełkowało w kolejnych epokach”). It was also stated that Sarmatism was the ideology of Polish noble men but as a mental category it survives till the present day (Torbicka 2004).And these are only a couple of examples which can be found in con­temporary Poland. Thus the Sarmatian idea, whatever one ascribes it to, is still present and alive in our society, our culture, and our style of thinking.BibliographyBłoński J., Sarmatyzm u Gombrowicza, Stefanowska Z. (ed.), Tradycje szlachec­kie w kulturze polskiej, Warszawa 1976.Borowski A. (ed.), Słownik sarmatyzmu polskiego - idee, pojęcia symbole, Kra­ków 2001.Borowski A., Wstęp, [in:] Borowski A. (ed.), Słownik sarmatyzmu polskiego - idee, pojęcia symbole, Cracow 2001b.Borowski A., Sarmatyzm, [in:] Borowski A. (ed.), Słownik sarmatyzmu polskiego - idee, pojęcia symbole, Kraków 200 lc.Borowski A., Sarmaci w Europie - Europa w Sarmacji, „Alma Mater”, November 2001.„Brat Chama”, Sarmacjo, nasza ukochana!, „Dziennik Polski”, 24 July 2000. Bujnicki T., Sarmacki mit Sienkiewicza, „Dziennik Polski”, 12 February 1999.On the Past and Present of the Sarmatian Idea in Poland 329Chrzanowski T., Wędrówki po Sarmacji europejskiej, Kraków 1998.Kieniewicz J., Spotkania Wschodu, Gdańsk 1999.Kopaliński W., Słownik wyrazów obcych i zwrotów obcojęzycznych, Warszawa 1998.Kopaliński W., Słownik mitów i tradycji kultury, Warszawa 1998.Littleton, C. S., Were Some of the Xinjiang Mummies „Epi-Scythians"? An Excur­sus in Trans-Eurasian Folklore and Mythology, [in:] Mair V.H. (ed.), The Bronze Age and Early Iron Age Peoples of Eastern Central Asia, Washington 1998.Michalski C., Kiepscy, czyli archetyp, „Gazeta Czwartkowa”, 8 March 2001.Niedźwiedź J., Sarmacja i Sarmaci, [in:] Borowski A. 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(red.), Słownik sarmatyzmu pol­skiego - idee, pojęcia symbole, Kraków 2001.Woźnicka O., Rzeźbiarski ogród sarmacki, „Dziennik Polski”, 6 September 2000.Zierhoffer K., Zierhoffer Z., Obce nazwy geograficzne w polszczyżnie, [in:] Rze- telska-Feleszko E. (ed.), Polskie nazwy własne. Encyklopedia, Warszawa- Kraków 1998.

On the past and present of the sarmatian idea in Poland

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On the past and present of the sarmatian idea in Poland

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