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The Upper Biebrza Valley
SOURCES OF THE RIVER & CULTURE
Once we reach Biebrza, we do realize how exceptional the place is. We can feel the power of surrounding nature. Yet, the Biebrza Valley is not only a unique natural heritage, it is also history of the land, social, cultural and religious phenomena, which have taken place for ages. First of all, the Biebrza Valley would not be that unique place without the people living here. Being aware of that enables real understanding of the place we are visiting. Only then Biebrza may disclose its true wealth.
| A rural cottage in the Kamienna Nowa village | 
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We are at the upper course of the river, the map of the area is marked here with three communes’capital towns: Nowy Dwór, Lipsk, and Dąbrowa Białostocka. The area in the early Middle Ages marked a border for Jacwing lands, until XIV century, when finally the tribe was exterminated by the Teutonic Knights. At the beginning of XV century, the land became a destination for new settlers from Russia, Lithuania and the Mazowsze province, and finally they were incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. That was the beginning for a regular colonization of the vast Grodzienska Forest by passing the land into Russian and Lithuanian boyars’ hands, who settled their population here, creating agglomerations of so called osocznicy (foresters), keepers of wild forest bees, mowers, or fishermen. This was followed by appearance of first manors and villages, which then led to creation of small towns - local trade centers. Nowy Dwór Biały (currently called Nowy Dwór) was created this way at the end of XV century, in the middle of XVI century Dubrawa village (currently called Dąbrowa Białostocka), and in 1580 Stefan Batory’s decree set up the Lipsk town, located at previously existing settlement. Together with the settlement, the Roman-Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church were introduced, later transformed into Uniat Church. Another settlement took place as effect of damaging wars in XVII and XVIII centuries. At that time, number of Jews inhabiting the land significantly increased until World War II, a heritage they left is Lipsk’s Jewish cemetery – kirkut.
A milestone in the history was the Partitions of Poland, which caused segmentation of the land – Biebrza became a borderline between Kingdom of Poland and Russian Empire for many years. Uniat Church believers were forced to join the Orthodox Church, and only in 1905, when Tsar’s decree was introduced, they were granted with previous religious freedom. Most of the local villagers changed their religion to Roman-Catholic. Parish church in the Rygałówka village, previously an Orthodox church, rebuilt into a Catholic temple, but still saving its characteristic architecture, stands for a witness of those times.
After World War I local areas were completely enclosed into borders of the Republic. However end of World War II was followed by a partition of west Grodno region, part of it was left in Poland, being isolated from the region’s center – Grodno.
This brief historical outline aims at showing the way several ethnic groups, their religions, cultures, and languages meet. This, however was a phenomenon on a broader scale - it concerned whole eastern Poland, and although the process proceeded variously, it caused the same effect – creation of a multiethnic and multireligious society. Accord, respect, open-heartedness enabled to create integrating ties – mutual cultural heritage. Identity perceived as land affiliation created no barrier in communication, religion, or tradition change. Being “local” used to define a person living here. In the Upper Biebrza region as a result of both historical and social conditions this let arise a uniform cultural and national community, though of different religions.
Preserved religions and temples are witnesses of old times, i.e.: a church in Stara Kamienna dating back to 1610 - the oldest temple in Podlasie region, and an Orthodox church in Jaczno. However, best example for cultural dialogue is billingualism, still present here. Together with Polish language an Eastern Slavonic dialect – so-called simple language, is still used in the countryside, but it slowly dies out because of expanding civilization (the young find the language backward).
| Parish church in the Kamienna Stara village | 
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Cultures’ contact is a multilevel phenomenon – interaction, transfer of elements, its processing and joining. Is anything left of it? There is little left of the previous village landscape and its everyday-life. An example is an effect of XVI century economic reform in consequence of which houses in villages were built in a characteristic way – with gables perpendicular to road line.
| The Szuszalewo village | 
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Houses with wood planked external walls, characteristically decorated quoins and windows, sometimes thatched, are examples of past aesthetics. In some of the villages it is still possible to see historical, wooden or stone farm buildings, e.g.: barns so-called adryna, and granaries so-called świronki. Their walls sometimes are still covered with old tools used for, e.g. hay carrying (rezgini), or grain clearing (wiejałka). Towns still have XVI-th century streets and squares layout (Lipsk and Nowy Dwór – a town between 1578-1934).
Old wooden crosses are standing by local roads, some of them express sacrifice. People placed the crosses to request God to save them from diseases, or they wrapped them in cloths and buried to thank God for healing.
| An old barn in the Nowy Dwór village | 
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Lipsk is known as local cultural center. The town is proud for its preserved tradition of Easter “written” eggs painting (pisanki) by numerous folk artists. In the past, during Holy Week, hard-boiled eggs were decorated by covering the shells with warm beeswax using a thin piece of wood or a pinhead. This was a method to make traditional patterns and decorations, defined locally as sabacze łapki, dzieraszka, bacianiuczki, or słoneczko. Putting a wax pattern on an egg was followed by egg dyeing in natural dyes obtained from onion husk, young rye, or alder bark, and the eggs having been dyed were warmed up to wipe the wax away. Then, the patterns hidden under wax were uncovered. Eggs were part of blessed food basket, they were Easter presents and gifts for so-called wałakonnik - traditional visitors at Easter time. Nowadays, pisanki are dyed with chemical paints, and hard-boiled eggs are being replaced by eggs empty inside. However weaving technique, dating back to XIX century has not changed. Its most precious product is double wrap fabric of natural wool yarn, wove with loom using two wefts and two wraps. This is the most difficult weaving method, hence it is still held in great esteem, and previously used as element of bride’s dowry. Wedding customs also encompassed a tradition of baking a wedding cake – korowaj, which is still cherished by local housewives. It consists of wheatflour, eggs, butter, sugar, and yeast. Korowaj was decorated with baked dough-made tail – a virginity symbol, as well as with geese and ears which mean happiness and prosperity in a new family, it was present at each wedding feast.
| Pisanki from Lipsk (made by Genowefa Sztukowska) |
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Past of the land is characterized by ethnic, religious, and language diversity. The diversity was a foundation for borderland culture creation, and a joint element of the phenomenon was the river, which influenced and integrated surrounding lands. It also was an important factor to shape settlement as well as greatly impacted people’s life and development. In times of Jacwing looting expeditions it performed a defensive role. During colonization and development, being an inseparable part of economy and environment, it influenced the countryside and the town architecture, people’s everyday life rhythm, their interests and rules for coexistence with the others.
| A cross in the Biebrza Valley |
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The river occupied a special place in local culture. Beginnings of Biebrza in tradition were related to its name. Originally, Biebrza was called Bobra and still nowadays the old name is used by local villagers. The name derives from numerous population of beaver (bóbr – in Polish), which practically vanished in the middle of XIX century, but currently it regains its former significance in the river valley. Particular courses of the river are named in local language differently. These are e.g. meadows as wielikaja łuka and małaja łuka around Szuszalewo, places in the river e.g. suwiły near the Rogożynek village, or kiliańskie bagno near the Jałowo village. This nomenclature was an effect, not only, of natural needs to identify surroundings, but it also was an element of nonmaterial culture, symbols and beliefs spheres. That is why, the river is a great source of knowledge on people who formerly lived here. Those people took all the advantages the river could offer. For many years it was a transport way and mean of trade development – wood was transported down the river, while salt and grain were brought in opposite direction. What remained from river economy until these days is a water mill in Bobra Wielka.
| Fishing nets woven in grey willow |
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The river for ages have performed a role of a reservoir of nutrition and at the same time a work place for fishermen called rybałowcy here. They used a wide range of nets, from very simple ones, like ganta, wiersza, chabotnia, kłomla, to sophisticated constructions placed at riverbanks, called jazy (weir). This can also be found in local folklore.
Fish were caught throughout the whole year. Fish were called depending on the fishing season, e.g. roach caught during orchard blooming time, was called sadołka, and during marsh marigold bloomingtime it was called łapuchołka. Before World War II fish were bought mainly by Jews. After the war it became a part of local kitchen and it was processed in many ways. In the Rogożynek village fish were fried or roasted in bread ovens. In one of the houses they are still added to cabbage, beet or sorrel soup. Very often they were put into pots and salted or taken right of water, without scales scrapping, fried on a bonfire, as e.g. in Jałowo village. In the Nowy Lipsk village it was very popular to smoke pikes, in the Koniuszki village pikes’ heads were used to cook soups from. Boiled heads were carefully peeled of meat, because the tradition says, they kept “God Torment” inside, i.e. several bones resembling shapes of: nails, hammer, pincer’s, ladder, crown, and spear. Prepared and dried parts of a head were kept home, on a shelf, under a religious painting and they were shown to children to explain them Christ Torment.
For children the river was a playground. They used to swim in small wooden boats – balejki and to catch fish and crawfish in special nets. Children prepared for their winter fun already in autumn. They used to sink a pole into the ground at a wet meadow, and when the water froze in winter, a small sledge was installed with a rod to the pole, and the children were sliding around it. The game was called kruciołka. Children in the Rogożynek village played unusually, they used to make Christmas tree decoration with previously dried fish’s air-bladders, which were painted to resemble human head and trunk.
| Window decorations in the Koniuszki village |
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Biebrza meadows were people’s work place. For ages peat was mined here, and used for house heating in wintertime. It was cut into brick-shaped blocks with a spade – szpychówka and they were placed into small piles, once they were dry enough, they were placed into bigger piles and then transported during haymowing time. Dry meadows were mowed twice a year, and the hay was placed into a construction called bróg, which was built up on a rectangle or square plan with four posts linked together by, moveable up and down, thatched roof (sheet metal now). They were often placed in farmyard. At wet meadows haystacks (stóg) were applied. It was made up of adzionek, i.e. floor with its surface made with poles or bushes, into which a 6-7 meters long post was dug in, around which hay was stacked. While grass was mowed only once a year “between Peters” i.e. between Peter and Paul holy days in Catholic and Orthodox calendars. During such hard manual labour they drank water out of specially dug holes in meadow ground, and the hay was transported in winter, when frozen ice made it possible. Nowadays, haymowing wet meadows is abandoned.
Feminine jobs related to the river were reduced to washing clothes and drying it on meadows. At the riverbank, first tasks related to flax processing were done, i.e. soaking and drying.
That is how Biebrza have existed in its everyday life. The river shaped reality and conditioned many human actions and conducts. However, human dwelling his life in symbiosis with nature, affected its landscape and proceeding phenomena as well. Nevertheless, most unusual is the place the river occupies in local culture, the culture of local borderland, which combines Slavonic and Baltic elements. Previously diversified ethnically and religiously societies, located in the area, equally showed their need to find in their culture a place for nature – river, the river in exchange brought additional elements constituting its beauty. Perceived as its inseparable part, it has carried its symbolism. It was part of human's spiritual life, something hidden inside, which influenced human's emotions and the way people perceive the world. Local people are still being brought up to respect nature. This is often reflected in folk poetry.
And when we arrive here at Biebrza, let's imagine how it used to be in the past. We can see women steeping flax, children playing in balejka, men watering cattle and the river still flowing. We are watching an amazing spectacle. And we are asking ourselves a question. Is it enough for us to be just a viewer?
text: Marcin Lićwinko
translation: Cezary Naliwajek
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
KOSZTYŁA Z. (red.), 1980. Lipsk nad Biebrzą. Monografia historyczna do 1914r., Białystok.
POKROPEK M., 1979. Zróżnicowanie kulturowe na pograniczu etniczno-językowym i jego odbicie w świadomości mieszkańców na przykładzie pogranicza polsko-białorusko-litewskiego w północno-wschodniej Polsce. W: Etnografia Polski, t. XXIII, z. 2 Warszawa.
POŁUJAŃSKI A., 1859. Wędrówki po guberni augustowskiej w celu naukowym odbyte. Warszawa.
ANTONIEWICZ J. (red.), 1967. Studia i materiały do dziejów Pojezierza Augustowskiego. Białystok.
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