Peasant photography is an incredibly interesting cultural phenomenon. Until the photograph appeared in the space of the countryside, spoken word had been the major form of expression used by peasants to talk about themselves and the world. It is a type of photography created for the needs of peasants on their own initiative. Photos represent a selected moment in a passage rite of a family, portraying its members and acquaintances. They constitute an important element in shaping the image of the peasant. Therefore the initiative of the historian Joanna Sapieżyńska, who collected and prepared photographs of the inhabitants of her native village in the album “Witowo” is very valuable. The collected photographs of the inhabitants of Witowo show images of peasant life over 50 years. The photos available in the form of album play an important role in the reconstruction of village’s microhistory. They are a testimony to the changes and shaping of the identity of Podlasie Belarusians. Peasant photography from Witowo shows the richness of peasant Belarusian culture. It should be noted that there are noticeable differences between the photographs created in Podlasie and photos from other regions of Poland. Photographs collected by J. Sapieżyńska are of great value for historical, cultural and social reasons. They can be of great importance in popularizing Belarusian culture in Podlasie as an example of its strength and values, as well as in encouraging a return to the roots.
Peasant photography is an incredibly interesting cultural phenomenon. Until the photograph appeared in the space of the countryside, spoken word had been the major form of expression used by peasants to talk about themselves and the world. It is a type of photography created for the needs of peasants on their own initiative. Photos represent a selected moment in a passage rite of a family, portraying its members and acquaintances. They constitute an important element in shaping the image of the peasant. Therefore the initiative of the historian Joanna Sapieżyńska, who collected and prepared photographs of the inhabitants of her native village in the album “Witowo” is very valuable. The collected photographs of the inhabitants of Witowo show images of peasant life over 50 years. The photos available in the form of album play an important role in the reconstruction of village’s microhistory. They are a testimony to the changes and shaping of the identity of Podlasie Belarusians. Peasant photography from Witowo shows the richness of peasant Belarusian culture. It should be noted that there are noticeable differences between the photographs created in Podlasie and photos from other regions of Poland. Photographs collected by J. Sapieżyńska are of great value for historical, cultural and social reasons. They can be of great importance in popularizing Belarusian culture in Podlasie as an example of its strength and values, as well as in encouraging a return to the roots.
The photographs of Jakub Smolski constitute important documentation of the customs and habits of the Belarusian minority in Podlasie in the interwar period. Most of the photos were taken by Smolski in his home village of Łuka. The article presents the image of the peasant world of the Narew, Orthodox villages. A photographer from Łuka took pictures that showed the private world of the peasants. What was captured in the photographs proves the strength of the rites of passage, which were of great importance in the peasant community as they strengthened family and neighborhood ties. They expressed the stages of a person’s life in a specific order in a closed cycle of births, weddings and funerals. The collected photos are also an important testimony to the micro-history of the Belarusians of Podlasie. Photographs are of great value for historical, cultural and social reasons. They can be of great importance in popularizing Belarusian culture in Podlasie as an example of its strength and values, as well as in encouraging a return to its roots.
PL
Fotografie Jakuba Smolskiego stanowią ważną dokumentację obyczajowości i zwyczajów białoruskiej mniejszości na Podlasiu z okresu międzywojennego. Większość fotografii Smolski wykonał w rodzinnej Łuce. Artykuł przybliża obraz chłopskiego uniwersum nadnarwiańskich, prawosławnych wsi. Fotograf z Łuki wykonywał zdjęcia, które pokazywały prywatny świat chłopów. To, co zostało utrwalone na fotografiach, świadczy o sile obrzędów przejścia, które miały bardzo duże znaczenie w społeczności chłopskiej, ponieważ utrwalały więzi rodzinne i sąsiedzkie. Wyrażały etapy życia człowieka w określonym porządku w zamkniętym cyklu narodzin, ślubów i pogrzebów. Zebrane zdjęcia są także ważnym świadectwem mikrohistorii Białorusinów Podlasia. Fotografie mają wielką wartość ze względów historycznych, kulturowych i społecznych. Mogą mieć duże znaczenie w popularyzacji kultury białoruskiej na Podlasiu jako przykładu jej siły i wartości, a także w zachęcaniu do powrotu do korzeni.
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