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Ethnicities and Religions of the 1538 Settlers from Poland pre 1900 to New Zealand – 2025 Study – Paul Klemick

1815-1918 https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Poland_Gazetteers

piechartmaker.co                                                                                          Silesia 1.2% & Russia 1%

nz.pinterest.com/pin/43269747669085546/

Kociewie – Pomorze Gdańskie – Pomerania  – West Prussia                                     639                                                 Catholic 92.1%

Kaszuby – Pomorze Gdańskie – Pomerania – West Prussia                                       284                                                Catholic 22.9%

Wielkopolskie – Greater Poland – Posen – Prussia                                                    127                                                     Jewish 18.8%

Zachnodnia-Pomorskie – West Pomerania – Prussia                                                 126                                                 Lutheran 100%

Kujawsko-Pomorskie – Kujawy & Chełmno – West Prussia                                         88                                                   Catholic 60%

Powiśle & Zuławy – East Pomerania – West Prussia                                                   73                                                  Catholic 35.6%

Warmińsko-Mazurskie & Masovia – East Prussia                                                       52                               Catholic 11.5% Jewish 19.2%

Lubuskie – Lubusz – Silesia – Prussia                                                                        16                                                     Catholic 37%

Dolnosłaskie – Lower Silesia – Prussia                                                                        9                                                  Lutheran 100% 

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Dialects of Polish by Marian Kucała (in EJP: 413).
Source: http://www.dialektologia.uw.edu.pl/index.php?l1=podstawy-dialektologii&l2=ugrupowaniadialektow-mwr (access: 11.03.2023)

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Warminsko-Mazurskie 3.3% –  Births on Ship 1% – Lithuania 0.5% – Dolnośląskie 0.5% – Żuławy 0.3% – Opole 0.1% – Lubuskie 0.1% (Margin of Error 5%)

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piechartmaker.co                                Lutheran are likely to make up a greater part of the unknown percentage.

The Catholic population of the early Polish settlers could speak a combination of their native Polish language and German.  Under the Prussian and Russian sectors, during the partitioning of Poland from 1772-1918, the native Polish language was forbidden and German and Russian was forced upon them. However, the ethnic languages were still spoken in the new colonies overseas until they too faded in time with their new language. J. W. Pobog-Jaworowski in his publication, History of The Polish Settlers in New Zealand, indicated that around 1900 the Polish language started to die out with the original immigrants. Under the Austrian partition, the Poles had more autonomy and many spoke the Małopolska dialect, which helped survive the language.

After the First World War, the old Prussian and Russian sectors had to speak the Małopolska dialect, which was taught as the national language of Poland with some resistance. 

World War II began with what we know today as the Intelligenzaktion, of which literally thousands from Kaszubia and Kociewie were murdered. The threat of deportation was never far. Today one can see the many shrines throughout the forests of Kaszuby and Kociewie dedicated to those who lost their lives. The regions of Poland have also been effected by forced migration of Poles from the east after World War II and forced eviction of Germans back to Germany by Russians and Poles. When the Red Army went through Poland, Kaszubians and Germans could not be distinguished resulting in many more deaths.

However, after all this disruption one may still find family connections in Poland.  I had the pleasure of meeting a member of the Szwocha family who could recall stories of family members migrating overseas, and also to New Zealand. His family moved to the village of Janin in 1882 after the rest of the family had immigrated. Today their is a strong revival of the various ethnic dialects in Poland such as Kaszubian and Kociewian in the north. The Kaszubian descendants in Canada can still speak excellent Kaszubian, due to each generation still passing on the language.

According to the 2021 Polish Census, the Catholic population of Poland is around 71.3%.

Total of Settlers is 1538 of which 870 baptisms 56.5% have been located to date.

By Karte: NordNordWest, Lizenz: Creative Commons by-sa-3.0 de, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=35282408

Kociewians are a Polish ethnocultural Group with a strong Slavic influence with its own dialect of Polish.  Over 40% of the total immigrants from Poland to New Zealand before 1900 arrived from the region of Kociewie. Of those, 54 were born in the village of Kokoszkowy, which makes up 3.5% of the total settlers and 8.4% of the total settlers from Kociewie. It may be fair to say that a good proportion of descendants from those early Polish settlers in New Zealand are of Kociewian descent who settled in every corner of New Zealand.  Of the Kociewians who arrived in New Zealand, 92% were Catholic and identified themselves as Polish.

Kociewians – en.wikipedia.org

Kaszubians are more complex when it comes to identity.  Kaszubians are a separate ethnocultural region In northern Poland with a strong Slavic and German influence. West Pomerania, under the House of Griffins, adopted Lutheranism in the 16th Century and became Dukes of the Reich.  Until the mid-19th century sermons in numerous Protestant churches were preached in the Kashubian language and was the first known publication of Kaszubian. People from this region claim to to be either Kaszubian, Polish or German.  The population from Kaszuby to New Zealand makes up about 20% of the total settlers of which Catholics make up about 23% of those from Kaszuby and identified themselves as Polish. In a study taken in Kaszuby in 1999, around one third of the population shared Kaszubian connections. 

Kaszuby and Kociewie make up around 60% of the total of settlers from Poland to New Zealand pre 1900. Catholics make up 70% and Lutherans make up the remaining 30%.

Kaszubians – en.wikipedia.org

piechartmaker.co   Waikato 2%, Hawke’s Bay 1.7%, Northland 0.7%, Gisborne 0.6%, Marlborough 0.4%, Bay of Plenty 0.07%

 

References

https://kashub.com/canada.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Poland

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(Paul Klemick 2025)