Genealogy /
Where are the Lemkos now? Do they still exist in Poland? [32]
I'm not really an expert, but from my experience (talking to a few and reading a bit) it kind of runs into 4 groups (at least). Some decide they are Polish or Ukrainian, some are specifically £emko and others aren't aware of it much. I suppose others just keep their mouths shut to outsiders.
Part of the idea behind moving them in 1947 was to break the link with Ukrainian separatists. They were moved to areas which had been granted to Poland after WW2 when the borders moved. These areas were also populated (Polonised) by Poles who were moved from areas such as Ukraine, Lithuania etc.
Some scholars suggest that in such cases social groups often feel a need to express their identity strongly. So, amongst a population of angry Poles (angry about the war, angry about being moved from their homes), it wasn't always a wise idea to express yourself as a "Ukrainian" (even if some Lemko did not consider themselves such). One man I spoke to mentioned how he had been away from the area when Akcja Wisła took place. One day, after he'd returned, he started arguing with someone in a town in the south (near his home) and people were amused to hear he was Lemko. At one point some other men approached him, took him to the side and told him to shut up and stop drawing attention to himself as the Lemko who had managed to remain were trying to keep a low profile.
In the new areas, some just decided to "become" Polish (assimilate) and now their grandchildren may not even know about their own heritage. In others they became stronger in their ideas about being Lemko, sometimes deciding to align with Ukrainian identity (or Lemko Ukrainian).
I met singers and cultural/language activists trying to educate the young people about £emko culture, but in many places it seems to be dying as the older people don't always feel a need to pass it on.
One fascinating (but sad) conversation I heard in a village in the south, was when a Polish woman said they were trying to teach all the kids at the primary school Lemko language. The old farmer's wife snorted that it was a waste of time because they'd never speak it when they left the village... and they would. "Teach them German or English, something of use to them!" The old farmer piped up that £emko culture didn't exist anymore, had stopped existing in 1947 and one day people would read in books that there used to be people called £emko...
I must point out, these are just my own experiences and things I've heard from chatting with/ interviewing people. If anyone on PF feels I am misrepresenting anyone, my apologies, and please feel free to correct me on any point.
