K for Kashubia

Somebody has asked me what the creature on my T-shirt is.

It is a griffin, mythical animal - half-eagle, half-lion. It is also the crest of Kashubians, an ethnic (Slavic) minority group, who live in the Pomeranian region of Poland. 

Kashubians have their own language, a flag (black and yellow), and an anthem.
I have no family connection to Kashubians, but I lived in Kashubia all my Polish life. In that way, Kashubian music and traditions are part of me.

One of the cutting boards I have decorated, with Kashubian motifs, of course

 

 

And my hand-painted T-shirt (one of a few) with a Kashubian pattern. People tend to think it is an overprint.

However, in Poland, I never had and never wore a Kashubian folk outfit. If somebody had told me then that I would wear one in Texas, I would have taken it as a good joke.

 

At the State Fair of Texas in Dallas

 

Well, we both did wear Kashubian folk costumes when we were part of a Polish-American folk dance ensemble. 

 

At the Dallas International Festival

 

We enjoyed that and, at the same time, were quite proud of our outfits too. 

 

Me in Kashubia, years ago.

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"My Polish Alphabet" is about things, places, and people that come to my mind when I think about Poland.