View source for Kashubians

{{Short description|West Slavic ethnic group}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2019}}
{{Infobox ethnic group
| group            = Kashubians
| native_name      = ''Kaszëbi''
| flag             = [[File:Kashubian flag.svg|100px]] [[File:POL Kaszuby COA.svg|100px]]
| flag_caption     = Flag and coat of arms of Kashubia
| population       = in Poland between 500,000 (2002)<ref name="Grabowska2">{{cite web|url=http://www.ies.ee/iesp/grabowska.pdf|title=The Institute for European Studies, Ethnological institute of UW|access-date=16 August 2012|archive-date=20 March 2003|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030320014218/http://www.ies.ee/iesp/grabowska.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> and 567,000 (2005)<ref name="Kaschuben heute"/><ref name="polen-analysen"/> of which 179,685 (2021)<ref name="2021 census">{{cite web |url=https://stat.gov.pl/spisy-powszechne/nsp-2021/nsp-2021-wyniki-ostateczne/tablice-z-ostatecznymi-danymi-w-zakresie-przynaleznosci-narodowo-etnicznej-jezyka-uzywanego-w-domu-oraz-przynaleznosci-do-wyznania-religijnego,10,1.html |title=Tablice z ostatecznymi danymi w zakresie przynależności narodowo-etnicznej, języka używanego w domu oraz przynależności do wyznania religijnego |date=28 September 2023 |website= |publisher=[[Statistics Poland]] |access-date=8 October 2024 }}</ref> claim as ethnic-national identity
| regions          = {{flagcountry|Poland}}<br />{{flagcountry|Germany}} (diaspora)<br />{{flagcountry|United States}} (diaspora)<br />{{flagcountry|Canada}} (diaspora)
| languages        = [[Kashubian language|Kashubian]], [[Polish language|Polish]] ([[New mixed dialects]], [[Kociewie dialect]], [[Krajna dialect]], [[Bory Tucholskie dialect]]), historically [[East Pomeranian dialect|East Pomeranian]] & [[Low Prussian dialect|Low Prussian]]
| religions        = [[Roman Catholicism]], [[Protestantism]]
| image            = File:Kashubians in the Pomeranian Voivodeship according to the 2021 census.png
| image_caption    = <div style="text-align: left>Population of Kashubians in [[Pomeranian Voivodeship]], 2021</div>
| related          = Other [[West Slavs]]<br/>Especially other [[Lechites]]
}}

The '''Kashubians''' ({{langx|csb|Kaszëbi}}; {{langx|pl|Kaszubi}}; {{langx|de|Kaschuben}}),<ref>"{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Kashubes|volume=15|page=693}}</ref> also known as '''Cassubians''' or '''Kashubs''', are a [[Lechites|Lechitic]] ([[West Slavs|West Slavic]]) [[ethnic group]] native to the [[historical region]] of [[Pomerania]], including its eastern part called [[Pomerelia]], in north-central [[Poland]].<ref>Agata Grabowska, Pawel Ladykowski, ''The Change of the Kashubian Identity before Entering the EU'', 2002 [http://www.ies.ee/iesp/grabowska.pdf] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030320014218/http://www.ies.ee/iesp/grabowska.pdf|date=20 March 2003}}</ref> Their settlement area is referred to as [[Kashubia]]. They speak the [[Kashubian language]], which is classified as a separate language<ref>{{cite web |title=Język kaszubski - Mniejszości Narodowe i Etniczne |url=https://www.gov.pl/web/mniejszosci-narodowe-i-etniczne/jezyk-kaszubski |access-date=22 November 2020 |archive-date=11 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201011014612/https://www.gov.pl/web/mniejszosci-narodowe-i-etniczne/jezyk-kaszubski |url-status=live }}</ref> closely related to [[Polish language|Polish]].

The Kashubs are closely related to the [[Polish people|Poles]] and sometimes classified as their subgroup. Moreover, the vast majority of Kashubians declare themselves as Poles and many of them have a Polish-Kashubian identity. The Kashubs are grouped with the [[Slovincians]] as [[Pomeranians (Slavic tribe)|Pomeranians]]. Similarly, the [[Slovincian language|Slovincian]] (now extinct) and Kashubian languages are grouped as [[Pomeranian language]]s, with Slovincian (also known as [[Łeba]] Kashubian) either a distinct language closely related to Kashubian,<ref name="Gilbers2">Dicky Gilbers, John A. Nerbonne, J. Schaeken, ''Languages in Contact'', Rodopi, 2000, p. 329, {{ISBN|90-420-1322-2}}</ref> or a Kashubian dialect.<ref name="Bethin2">Christina Yurkiw Bethin, ''Slavic Prosody: Language Change and Phonological Theory'', pp. 160ff, Cambridge University Press, 1998, {{nowrap|{{ISBN|0-521-59148-1}}}}.</ref><ref name="Stankiewicz2">Edward Stankiewicz, ''The Accentual Patterns of the Slavic Languages'', Stanford University Press, 1993, p. 291, {{ISBN|0-8047-2029-0}}</ref>

==Modern Kashubia==
{{main|Kashubia}}
[[File:Kashubian language and nationality.png|250px|thumb|right|Kashubian language and nationality.]]
[[File:Kaszuby - grupy lokalne.png|250px|thumb|right|[[Kashubia]] with Kashubian local names on ethnic territory in the twentieth century.]]
Among larger cities, [[Gdynia]] (''Gdiniô'') contains the largest proportion of people declaring Kashubian origin. However, the biggest city of the Kashubia region is [[Gdańsk]] (''Gduńsk''), the capital of the [[Pomeranian Voivodeship]]. Between 80.3% and 93.9% of the people in towns such as [[Linia, Pomeranian Voivodeship|Linia]], [[Sierakowice, Pomeranian Voivodeship|Sierakowice]], [[Szemud]], [[Kartuzy]], [[Chmielno, Pomeranian Voivodeship|Chmielno]], [[Żukowo]], etc. are of Kashubian descent.<ref>Jan Mòrdawsczi: Geografia Kaszub/Geògrafia Kaszëb. dolmaczënk: Ida Czajinô, Róman Drzéżdżón, Marian Jelińsczi, Karól Rhode, Gdańsk Wydawn. Zrzeszenia Kaszubsko-Pomorskiego, Gduńsk 2008, p. 69</ref>

The traditional occupations of the Kashubs have been agriculture and fishing. These have been joined by the service and hospitality industries, as well as [[agrotourism]]. The main organization that maintains the Kashubian identity is the [[Kashubian-Pomeranian Association]]. The recently formed "Odroda" is also dedicated to the renewal of Kashubian culture.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wendish "Kashubs" in Pommerania |url=https://www.wendishheritage.org.au/articles/wendish-kashubs-in-pommerania/ |access-date=2023-03-06 |website=www.wendishheritage.org.au |archive-date=6 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306110614/https://www.wendishheritage.org.au/articles/wendish-kashubs-in-pommerania/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Kashubia |url=https://www.eurominority.eu/index.php/en/kashubia/ |access-date=2023-03-06 |website=Eurominority.eu |language=en-GB |archive-date=6 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306110616/https://www.eurominority.eu/index.php/en/kashubia/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The traditional capital has been disputed for a long time and includes [[Kartuzy]] (''Kartuzë'') among the seven contenders.<ref name="Pielowski-pradzieje">A.Pielowski (28 November 2012), [https://web.archive.org/web/20121128064650/http://www.kartuzy-pradzieje.pl/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=105&Itemid=216 Historia Kartuz: Pochodzenie Kaszubów] Kartuzy-Pradzieje.pl: ''Featured poem'' by Maryla Wolska: ''"Siedem miast od dawna / Kłóci się ze sobą, / Które to jest z nich / Wszech Kaszub głową: / Gdańsk – miasto liczne, / Kartuzy śliczne, / Święte Wejherowo, / Lębork, Bytowo, / Cna Kościerzyna / I Puck – perzyna."''</ref> The biggest cities claiming to be the capital are: Gdańsk (''Gduńsk''),<ref name="Kaszuby.info.pl">Kaszuby.info.pl, [http://www.kaszuby.info.pl/kartuzy/  Przewodnik: "Kartuzy".] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141108211420/http://www.kaszuby.info.pl/kartuzy/ |date=8 November 2014 }} Kaszubski Portal Internetowy.</ref> [[Wejherowo]] (''Wejrowò''),<ref>[http://nowa.magazynswiat.pl/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=686&Itemid=90 nowa.magazynswiat.pl/index] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110823105119/http://nowa.magazynswiat.pl/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=686&Itemid=90 |date=23 August 2011 }}</ref> and [[Bytów]] (''Bëtowò'').<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kaszuby.vsp.pl/index.php?str=cms_text&c=94|title=Kościerzyna kaszuby|author=Biuro RCS – Przemysław Rombel|access-date=17 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141108223006/http://www.kaszuby.vsp.pl/index.php?str=cms_text&c=94|archive-date=8 November 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gp24.pl/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080905/BYTOW/18700338|title=Bytów: Bytów stolicą Kaszub|date=5 September 2008|access-date=17 March 2015|archive-date=8 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141108221129/http://www.gp24.pl/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080905/BYTOW/18700338|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Population===
[[File:Dzewus w kaszebsczich ruchnach.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Kashubian regional dress]]
[[File:Kashubians_2005.png|thumb|Kashubians in Kashubia in year 2005]]

The total number of Kashubians (Pomeranians) varies depending on one's definition. A common estimate is that over 500,000 people in Poland are of the Kashubian ethnicity, the estimates range from ca. 500,000<ref name="Grabowska2">{{cite web|url=http://www.ies.ee/iesp/grabowska.pdf|title=The Institute for European Studies, Ethnological institute of UW|access-date=16 August 2012|archive-date=20 March 2003|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030320014218/http://www.ies.ee/iesp/grabowska.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> to ca. 567,000.<ref name="Kaschuben heute">{{cite web|url=http://instytutkaszubski.republika.pl/pdfy/angielski.pdf|title=The Kashubs Today: Culture-Language-Identity|date=2007|pages=8–9|language=en|access-date=9 April 2015|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304134213/http://instytutkaszubski.republika.pl/pdfy/angielski.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="polen-analysen"/> In the Polish census of 2002, only 5,062 people declared Kashubian [[national identity]], although 52,655 declared [[Kashubian language|Kashubian]] as their everyday language.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kaszubi.pl/aktualnosci/aktualnosc/id/746 |title=Dzień Rodny Mòwë |language=pl |access-date=3 January 2016 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304042927/http://www.kaszubi.pl/aktualnosci/aktualnosc/id/746 |url-status=live }}</ref> Most Kashubs declare Polish [[national identity]] and Kashubian [[ethnicity]], and are considered both Polish ''and'' Kashubian. On the 2002 census there was no option to declare one national identity and a different ethnicity, or more than one ethnicity. On the 2011 census, the number of persons declaring "Kashubian" as their only ethnicity was 16,000, and 233,000 including those who declared Kashubian as first or second ethnicity (together with Polish).<ref name="gudaszewski">{{Cite book|url=https://stat.gov.pl/files/gfx/portalinformacyjny/pl/defaultaktualnosci/5670/22/1/1/struktura_narodowo-etniczna.pdf|title=Struktura narodowo-etniczna, językowa i wyznaniowa ludności Polski. Narodowy Spis Powszechny Ludności i Mieszkań 2011.|last=Gudaszewski|first=Grzegorz|publisher=Główny Urząd Statystyczny|date=November 2015|isbn=978-83-7027-597-6|location=Warsaw|pages=132–136|access-date=9 February 2018|archive-date=8 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190808010836/https://stat.gov.pl/files/gfx/portalinformacyjny/pl/defaultaktualnosci/5670/22/1/1/struktura_narodowo-etniczna.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="stat">''[http://www.stat.gov.pl/cps/rde/xbcr/gus/Przynaleznosc_narodowo-etniczna_w_2011_NSP.pdf Przynależność narodowo-etniczna ludności – wyniki spisu ludności i mieszkań 2011] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200515165423/https://stat.gov.pl/cps/rde/xbcr/gus/Przynaleznosc_narodowo-etniczna_w_2011_NSP.pdf |date=15 May 2020 }}''. GUS. Materiał na konferencję prasową w dniu 29. 01. 2013. p. 3. {{Retrieved|access-date=6 March 2013}}</ref> In that census, over 108,000 people declared everyday use of Kashubian language.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://kaszebsko.com/uploads/historia/Historiô%20Kaszëbów%20%2819%29III.pdf |title=Kaszubi w statystyce (cz. III), Tabela 3. (Table 3.) |page=7/10 |language=pl |access-date=3 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151231052041/http://kaszebsko.com/uploads/historia/Histori%C3%B4%20Kasz%C3%ABb%C3%B3w%20(19)III.pdf |archive-date=31 December 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The number of people who can speak at least some Kashubian is higher, around 366,000.<ref name="polen-analysen"/>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+People with Kashubian ancestry and at least some understanding of [[Kashubian language|Kashubian]] in [[Pomeranian Voivodeship|Pomerelia]] (2005)<ref name="polen-analysen">{{Cite journal|date=September 2011|title=Polen-Analysen. Die Kaschuben|url=http://www.laender-analysen.de/polen/pdf/PolenAnalysen95.pdf|journal=Länder-Analysen|language=de|volume=Polen NR. 95|pages=10–13|access-date=9 February 2018|archive-date=29 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220829061858/https://www.laender-analysen.de/polen/pdf/PolenAnalysen95.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Kaschuben heute"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://docplayer.pl/57273906-Instytut-kaszubski-acta-cassubiana-tom-xvii.html|title=Acta Cassubiana. Vol. XVII (map on p. 122)|date=2015|website=Instytut Kaszubski|access-date=9 February 2018|archive-date=10 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210002849/http://docplayer.pl/57273906-Instytut-kaszubski-acta-cassubiana-tom-xvii.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
!County / City
!Kashubian descent
!%
!Can speak at least some Kashubian
!%
!Total population
|-1008753±56768

|[[Puck County|Puck]]
|56,358
|80,2
| rowspan="3" |163,707
| rowspan="3" |53,3
|69,900
|-
|[[Wejherowo County|Wejherowo]]
|113,097
|66,1
|171,100
|-
|[[Kościerzyna County|Kościerzyna]]
|49,116
|74,5
|65,900
|-
|[[Kartuzy County|Kartuzy]]
|94,136
|93,8
|83,592
|83,3
|100,300
|-
|[[Bytów County|Bytów]]
|37,767
|49,2
|26,544
|34,6
|76,700
|-
|[[Chojnice County|Chojnice]]
|23,926
|26,3
| rowspan="3" |37,954
| rowspan="3" |18,8
|91,000
|-
|[[Lębork County|Lębork]]
|19,594
|29,7
|65,800
|-
|[[Gdańsk County|Gdańsk]]
|13,742
|30,6
|45,000
|-
|[[Gdynia|Gdynia City]]
|81,090
|31,8
|10,223
|4,0
|255,000
|-
|[[Gdańsk|Gdańsk City]]
|47,163
|10,3
| rowspan="2" |31,211
| rowspan="2" |6,2
|457,900
|-
|[[Sopot|Sopot City]]
|5,795
|13,7
|42,300
|-
|[[Słupsk County|Słupsk]]
|7,945
|8,4
| rowspan="2" |8,889
| rowspan="2" |4,5
|94,100
|-
|[[Słupsk|Słupsk City]]
|9,504
|9,3
|102,200
|-
|[[Człuchów County|Człuchów]]
|7,814
|13,3
|3,713
|6,3
|58,800
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''567,000'''
|'''33,4'''
|'''366,000'''
|'''21,6'''
|'''1,696,000'''
|}

As of 1890, linguist [[Stefan Ramułt]] estimated the number of Kashubs (including [[Slovincian language|Slovincians]]) in [[Pomerelia]] as 174,831.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://kaszebsko.com/uploads/historia/Histori%C3%B4%20Kasz%C3%ABb%C3%B3w%20%2819%29I.pdf|title=Temat 19: Kaszubi w statystyce (cz. I)|website=kaszebsko.com|access-date=9 February 2018|archive-date=14 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220214202721/http://kaszebsko.com/uploads/historia/Histori%C3%B4%20Kasz%C3%ABb%C3%B3w%20(19)I.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Statystyka ludności kaszubskiej|last=Ramułt|first=Stefan|year=1899|location=Cracow|language=pl}}</ref> He also estimated that at that time there were over 90,000 Kashubs in the United States, around 25,000 in Canada,15,000 in Brazil and 25,000 elsewhere in the world. In total 330,000.

In the census of 2021 in total 179,685 people in Poland claimed Kashubian as their ethnic-national identity. Of them only 12,846 claimed it without accompanying Polish identity.<ref name="2021 census"/>

==History==
Kashubians are a Western Slavic people living on the shores of the Baltic Sea. Kashubians have their own unique language, history, culture and traditions.

{{further|Pomerania during the Early Middle Ages|Pomerania during the High Middle Ages|Pomerania during the Late Middle Ages|Pomerania during the Early Modern Age|History of Pomerania (1806–1933)|History of Pomerania (1933–1945)|History of Pomerania (1945–present)}}

===Historical population===
[[File:Kaszubi Ramult.png|thumb|Kashubian population in year 1892]]
Until the end of the 12th century, the vast majority of inhabitants of Pomerania ([[Hither Pomerania|Hither]], [[Farther Pomerania|Farther]] and [[Pomerelia|Eastern]]) were [[West Slavic languages|Slavic-speakers]], but the province was quite sparsely populated, with large areas covered by forests and waste lands. During the 13th century, the German {{lang|de|[[Ostsiedlung]]}} began in this region. [[Duchy of Pomerania|Slavic dukes of Pomerania]] such as [[Barnim I, Duke of Pomerania|Barnim I]] (1220–1278) – despite calling themselves {{lang|la|dux Slavorum et Cassubie}} – contributed a lot to the change of ethnic structure by promoting German immigration and granting land to German nobles, monks and clergy. The Slavic ruling dynasty itself started intermarrying with German princesses and became culturally Germanized over time. [[Wends|Wendish]] commoners became alienated in their own land, their culture replaced by that of newcomers. All of this led to [[Cultural assimilation|Germanization]] of most of Slavic [[Pomeranians (Slavic tribe)|Pomeranians]] and the gradual [[Language death|death]] of their Slavic language, with the general direction of assimilation and [[language shift]] from west to east.[[File:West Prussia Language Map 1910.png|thumb|Mother Tongues of West Prussia, according to the 1910 Census; Kashubians are indicated in shades of blue, in northern West Prussia]][[Johannes Bugenhagen]] wrote that at the beginning of the 16th century the German-Slavic [[language border]] was near [[Koszalin]]. During the 17th century, the border between areas with mostly German-speaking and mostly Slavic-speaking populations ran more or less along the present-day border between [[West Pomeranian Voivodeship|West Pomeranian]] and [[Pomeranian Voivodeship|Pomeranian]] Voivodeships.

In year 1612, cartographer [[Eilhard Lubinus]] – while working on his map of Pomerania – travelled from the direction of [[Polanów|Pollnow]] towards [[Trzebielino|Treblin]] on his way to [[Gdańsk]]. While staying in the manor house of Stanislaus Stenzel von Puttkamer in Treblin, he noted in his diary: "we have entered Slavic-inhabited lands, which has surprised us a lot." Later, while returning from [[Gdańsk]] to [[Szczecin|Stettin]], Lubinus slept over in [[Wielka Wieś, Pomeranian Voivodeship|Wielka Wieś]] near [[Słupsk|Stolp]], and noted: "in the whole village, we cannot find even one German-speaker" (which caused communication problems). Lubinus also travelled from [[Chocimino]] through [[Świerzno, Pomeranian Voivodeship|Świerzno]] to Trzebielino, he entered Slavic-inhabited land. During another trip, near [[Wierzchocino]], he was not able to find even one German-speaking person.{{cn|date=August 2025}}

Over a century later, in 1772–1778, the area was visited by [[Johann Bernoulli]]. He noted that villages owned by [[Otto Christoph von Podewils]] – such as [[Dochowo|Dochow]], [[Szczypkowice|Zipkow]] and [[Warblino|Warbelin]] – were inhabited entirely by Slavic-speakers. He also noted that local priests and nobles were making great efforts to weed out Slavic language and turn their subjects into Germans.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Mordawski|first=Jan|date=2010|title=Stosunki etniczne w zachodniej części województwa pomorskiego|url=http://bazhum.muzhp.pl/media//files/Acta_Cassubiana/Acta_Cassubiana-r2010-t12/Acta_Cassubiana-r2010-t12-s93-122/Acta_Cassubiana-r2010-t12-s93-122.pdf|journal=Acta Cassubiana|language=pl|volume=12|pages=93–96|access-date=30 November 2019|archive-date=3 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190703072801/http://bazhum.muzhp.pl/media//files/Acta_Cassubiana/Acta_Cassubiana-r2010-t12/Acta_Cassubiana-r2010-t12-s93-122/Acta_Cassubiana-r2010-t12-s93-122.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Brüggemann in 1779 wrote that the area to the east of [[Łupawa (river)|Lupow]] river was inhabited by "pure-blood Wends", while to the west of this river some rural areas were inhabited by already [[Germanisation|half-Germanised]] "Wendischdeutsche".<ref>{{Cite journal |date=1911 |title=Z podróży na Pomorze |url=http://www.ziemia.pttk.pl/Ziemia/Ziemia_NR_35_1911.pdf |journal=Ziemia |volume=35 |issue=II |pages=573 |via=www.ziemia.pttk.pl/Ziemia/ |access-date=22 August 2022 |archive-date=22 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220822174528/http://www.ziemia.pttk.pl/Ziemia/Ziemia_NR_35_1911.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

Perhaps the earliest census figures on [[Ethnic group|ethnic]] or [[National identity|national]] structure of West Prussia<ref name="Hassel 1823">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=31DMAJgQV28C&pg=PA42|title=Statistischer Umriß der sämmtlichen europäischen und der vornehmsten außereuropäischen Staaten, in Hinsicht ihrer Entwickelung, Größe, Volksmenge, Finanz- und Militärverfassung, tabellarisch dargestellt; Erster Heft: Welcher die beiden großen Mächte Österreich und Preußen und den Deutschen Staatenbund darstellt|last1=Hassel|first1=Georg|publisher=Verlag des Geographischen Instituts Weimar|year=1823}}</ref>{{rp|42}} and [[Farther Pomerania]] are from 1817 to 1823.<ref name="Hassel 1823" />{{rp|31}}
{| class="wikitable"
|+Ethnic structure ({{lang|de|Nationalverschiedenheit}}) of [[West Prussia]] in 1817–1819<ref name="Hassel 1823" />{{rp|42}}
!Ethnic group
!Population (number)
!Population (percent)
|-
|[[Polish people|Poles]] ({{lang|de|Polen}}), incl. Kashubs (number not specified)
|327,300
|52%
|-
|Germans ({{lang|de|Deutsche}}), incl. [[Vistula delta Mennonites|Mennonites]] ({{lang|de|Mennoniten}})
|277,350 + 12,650 Mennonites
|44% + 2% (Mennonites)
|-
|Jews ({{lang|de|Juden}})
|12,700
|2%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''630,077'''
|'''100%'''
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+Ethnic structure ({{lang|de|Nationalverschiedenheit}}) of the [[Province of Pomerania (1815–1945)|Province of Pomerania]] in 1817–1819<ref name="Hassel 1823" />{{rp|31}}
!Ethnic group
!Population (number)
!Population (percent)
|-
|Germans ({{lang|de|Deutsche}})
|633,000
|90.3%
|-
|Slavic [[Wends]] and Kashubians ({{lang|de|Wenden und Kassuben}})
|65,000
|9.3%
|-
|Jews ({{lang|de|Juden}})
|2,976
|0.4%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''700,766'''
|'''100%'''
|}

[[Karl Andree]], {{lang|de|Polen: in geographischer, geschichtlicher und culturhistorischer Hinsicht}} (Leipzig 1831), gives the total population of West Prussia as 700,000 – including 50% Poles (350,000), 47% Germans (330,000) and 3% Jews (20,000). Kashubians are included with Poles, while [[Mennonites]] with Germans.<ref name="Karl Andree">{{cite book |first1=Karl|last1=Andree|title=Polen: in geographischer, geschichtlicher und culturhistorischer Hinsicht|publisher=Verlag von Ludwig Schumann|year=1831|page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_xgUEAAAAYAAJ/page/n221 212]|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_xgUEAAAAYAAJ}}</ref>

Modern estimates of Kashubian population in West Prussia in the early 19th century, by county, are given by Leszek Belzyt and Jan Mordawski:
{| class="wikitable"
|+Kashubians in counties of Eastern Kashubia in 1831 according to modern scholars:
!County (Kreis)
!Total population
!Kashubians and Poles
!Percent
|-
|Wejherowo-Puck (Weyersfrey-Putzig)
|35,250
|28,905
|82.0%<ref name="Mordawski 2017">{{Cite book|url=http://static.scholaris.pl/resource_imp/113/113621/PLIKI_1/pdf_14_XII_atlas_z_hiperlaczami.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200621155443/http://static.scholaris.pl/resource_imp/113/113621/PLIKI_1/pdf_14_XII_atlas_z_hiperlaczami.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=21 June 2020|title=Atlas dziejów Pomorza i jego mieszkańców – Kaszubów|last=Mordawski|first=Jan|publisher=Zrzeszenie Kaszubsko-Pomorskie|year=2017|isbn=978-83-62137-38-1|location=Gdańsk|pages=35–36|language=pl}}</ref>
|-
|Kartuzy (Karthaus)
|29,144
|24,772
|85.0%<ref name="Mordawski 2017" />
|-
|Kościerzyna (Berent)
|23,120
|16,646
|72.0%<ref name="Mordawski 2017" />
|-
|Chojnice (Konitz) without Tuchola
|23,000
|15,525
|67.5%<ref name="Mordawski 2017" />
|-
|Gdańsk Highlands (Danziger Höhe)
|27,000
|9,450
|35.0%<ref name="Mordawski 2017" />
|-
|Człuchów (Schlochau)
|32,611
|8,100
|25.0%<ref name="Belzyt 2017">{{Cite journal|last=Belzyt|first=Leszek|date=2017|title=Kaszubi w świetle pruskich danych spisowych w latach 1827–1911|url=http://bazhum.muzhp.pl/media//files/Acta_Cassubiana/Acta_Cassubiana-r2017-t19/Acta_Cassubiana-r2017-t19-s194-235/Acta_Cassubiana-r2017-t19-s194-235.pdf|journal=Acta Cassubiana|volume=19|pages=227|via=BazHum MuzHP|access-date=30 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190703072756/http://bazhum.muzhp.pl/media//files/Acta_Cassubiana/Acta_Cassubiana-r2017-t19/Acta_Cassubiana-r2017-t19-s194-235/Acta_Cassubiana-r2017-t19-s194-235.pdf|archive-date=3 July 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
! Total in Eastern Kashubia:
!170,125
!103,400
!60.8%
|}
According to [[Georg Hassel]], there were 65,000 Slavic-speakers in the whole [[Province of Pomerania (1815–1945)|Provinz Pommern]] in 1817–1819. Modern estimates for just eastern parts of [[Province of Pomerania (1815–1945)|Pommern]] (Western Kashubia) in early 1800s range between 40,000 (Leszek Belzyt) and 25,000 (Jan Mordawski, Zygmunt Szultka). The number declined to between 35,000 and 23,000 (Zygmunt Szultka, Leszek Belzyt) in years 1827–1831. In 1850-1860s there were an estimated 23,000 to 17,000 Slavic-speakers left in Pommern, down to 15,000 in 1892 according to [[Stefan Ramułt]]. The number was declining due to [[Germanisation]]. The bulk of Slavic population in 19th century Pommern was concentrated in its easternmost counties: especially [[Bytów]] (Bütow), [[Lębork]] (Lauenburg) and [[Słupsk]] (Stolp). According to Zygmunt Szultka at the beginning of the 19th century in Provinz Pommern Kashubians were still around 55% of the total population (14,200 people) in county Lauenburg-Bütow (Lębork-Bytów) and over 25% of the total population (10,450 people) in county Stolp (Słupsk).<ref>Zygmunt Szultka, "Liczba Kaszubów na kaszubskim obszarze językowym Pomorza Zachodniego w XIX wieku"</ref>

=== Reichstag elections (1867–1912) ===
{{See also|Elections in Germany#German elections 1871 to 1945|Reichstag (German Empire)}}

In all [[Electoral district|constituencies]] with significant Catholic Kashubian population ([[Wejherowo|Neustadt in Westpr.]]-[[Puck, Poland|Putzig]]-[[Kartuzy County|Karthaus]]; [[Kościerzyna|Berent]]-[[Starogard Gdański|Preußisch Stargard]]-[[Tczew|Dirschau]]; and [[Chojnice County|Konitz]]-[[Tuchola|Tuchel]]), all Reichstag elections in 1867–1912 were won by the Polish Party ([[Polish Party]], later {{ill|Polenpartei|de|vertical-align=sup}}).

==Origin==
[[File:Szymbark. Cottage Kashubian.JPG|thumb|right|A [[timber frame]]d Kashubian cottage in [[Szymbark, Pomeranian Voivodeship|Szymbark]]]]
Kashubs descend from the [[Pomeranians (Slavic tribe)|Slavic Pomeranian tribes]], who had settled between the [[Oder River|Oder]] and [[Vistula]] Rivers after the [[Migration Period]], and were at various times Polish and Danish vassals. While most Slavic Pomeranians were assimilated during the [[Ostsiedlung|medieval German settlement of Pomerania (Ostsiedlung)]], especially in Eastern [[Pomerania]] ([[Pomerelia]]) some kept and developed their customs and became known as Kashubians.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kashubians {{!}} Simply Slavic Heritage Festival {{!}} Youngstown, Ohio |url=https://www.simplyslavic.org/slavic-map/page/kashubians |access-date=2025-11-06 |website=www.simplyslavic.org}}</ref>

The tenth century far-traveled Arab writer [[Al-Masudi]] – who had great interest in non-Muslim peoples, including the various Slavs of Eastern Europe – mentions a people which he calls ''Kuhsabin'', who were probably Kashubians. The oldest known unambiguous mention of "Kashubia" dates from 19 March 1238&nbsp;– Pope [[Gregory IX]] wrote about [[Bogislaw I]] as ''dux Cassubie''&nbsp;– the Duke of Kashubia. The old one dates from the 13th century (a seal of [[Barnim I]] from the [[House of Pomerania]], [[Duke of Pomerania-Stettin]]). The Dukes of Pomerania hence used "Duke of (the) Kashubia(ns)" in their titles, passing it to the [[Swedish Crown]] who succeeded in [[Swedish Pomerania]] when the [[Pomerania during the Early Modern Age|House of Pomerania became extinct]].

===Administrative history of Kashubia===
The westernmost ([[Slovincians|Slovincian]]) parts of Kashubia, located in the medieval [[Lands of Schlawe and Stolp]] and [[Lauenburg and Bütow Land]], were integrated into the [[Duchy of Pomerania]] in 1317 and 1455, respectively, and remained with its successors ([[Province of Pomerania (1653–1815)|Brandenburgian Pomerania]] and [[Province of Pomerania (1815–1945)|Prussian Pomerania]]) [[Potsdam Agreement|until 1945]], when the area [[Oder-Neisse line|became Polish]]. The bulk of Kashubia since the 12th century was within the medieval [[Pomerelia]]n duchies, [[Teutonic takeover of Danzig|since 1308]] in the [[Monastic state of the Teutonic Knights]], [[Second Peace of Thorn|since 1466]] within [[Royal Prussia]], an autonomous territory of the [[Polish Crown]], [[Partitions of Poland|since 1772]] within [[West Prussia]], a [[Prussia]]n province, [[Treaty of Versailes|since 1920]] within the [[Polish Corridor]] of the [[Second Polish Republic]], [[Invasion of Poland|since 1939]] within the [[Reichsgau Danzig-West Prussia]] of [[Nazi Germany]], and [[Potsdam Agreement|since 1945]] within the [[People's Republic of Poland]], and after within the [[Third Polish Republic]].{{cn|date=August 2025}}

===Linguistic and cultural influences===
[[File:01934 Alte Kaschubin in Festtracht, nach einem Gemälde aus Selesen; Der Revekol und seine Umgebung in vor- und frühgeschichtlicher Zeit von Walter Witt.png|thumb|right|200px|An elderly woman in festive costume from the village of [[Żelazo, Pomeranian Voivodeship|Żelazo]]]]
German [[Ostsiedlung]] in Kashubia was initiated by the [[List of Pomeranian duchies and dukes|Pomeranian dukes]]<ref name=Bookmann>Hartmut Boockmann, ''Ostpreussen und Westpreussen'', Siedler 2002, p. 161,{{ISBN|3-88680-212-4}}</ref> and focused on the towns, whereas much of the countryside remained Kashubian.<ref name=Herbers>Klaus Herbers, Nikolas Jaspert, ''Grenzräume und Grenzüberschreitungen im Vergleich: Der Osten und der Westen des mittelalterlichen Lateineuropa'', 2007, pp. 76ff, {{ISBN|3-05-004155-2}}</ref> An exception was the German settled [[Vistula]] delta<ref name=Herbers/> ([[Vistula Germans]]), the coastal regions,<ref name=Bookmann/> and the [[Vistula valley]].<ref name=Bookmann/> Following the centuries of interaction between local German and Kashubian population, [[Aleksander Hilferding]] (1862) and {{ill|Alfons Parczewski|pl}} (1896) confirmed a progressive language shift in the Kashubian population from their Slavonic vernacular to the local West-Germanic dialect ([[Low German]] [[Ostpommersch]], Low German [[Low Prussian]], or [[High German]]).<ref name="Gilbers2"/>

On the other hand, Pomerelia since the Middle Ages was assigned to the [[Kuyavia]]n [[Diocese of Leslau]] and thus retained Polish as the church language. Only the [[Slovincians]] in 1534 adopted Lutheranism after the [[Protestant Reformation]] had reached the [[Duchy of Pomerania]],<ref name="Buchholz pp.205-220">Werner Buchholz, Pommern, Siedler, 1999, pp.205–212, {{ISBN|3-88680-272-8}}</ref><ref>Richard du Moulin Eckart, ''Geschichte der deutschen Universitäten'', Georg Olms Verlag, 1976, pp.111,112, {{ISBN|3-487-06078-7}}</ref><ref name="Realenzyklopädie, p.43ff">Gerhard Krause, Horst Robert Balz, [[Gerhard Müller (Lutheran theologian)|Gerhard Müller]], ''[[Theologische Realenzyklopädie]]'', De Gruyter, 1997, pp.43ff, {{ISBN|3-11-015435-8}}</ref> while the [[Kashubes]] in [[Pomerelia]] remained Roman Catholic. The [[Prussia]]n parliament (''[[Landtag]]'') in [[Königsberg]] changed the official church language from Polish to German in 1843 but this decision was soon repealed.<ref>Aleksander Hilferding: Resztki Słowian na południowym wybrzeżu Morza Bałtyckiego, tłum. Nina Perczyńska, oprac. Jerzy Treder, Gdańsk 1989, p.46</ref>

In the 19th century the Kashubian activist [[Florian Ceynowa]] undertook efforts to identify the Kashubian language, and its culture and traditions. Although his efforts did not appeal to locals at the time, Kaszubian activists in the present day have claimed that Ceynowa awakened Kashubian self-identity, thereby opposing both Germanisation and Prussian authority, and Polish nobility and clergy.<ref name=Lerski>Jerzy Jan Lerski, Piotr Wróbel, Richard J. Kozicki, Historical Dictionary of Poland, 966–1945, Greenwood Publishing Group, 1996, p. 62, {{ISBN|0-313-26007-9}}</ref> He believed in a separate Kashubian identity and strove for a Russian-led [[Pan-Slavism|pan-Slavic federacy]],<ref name=Lerski/> He considered Poles "born brothers".<ref name="ReferenceA">''Historia Polski 1795–1918'' Andrzej Chwalba, p. 439</ref> Ceynowa was a radical who attempted to take the Prussian garrison in Preussisch Stargard ([[Starogard Gdański]]) during 1846 (see [[Greater Poland uprising (1846)|Greater Poland uprising]]),<ref>''The Lands of Partitioned Poland, 1795–1918 (History of East Central Europe)'' Piotr S. Wandycz page 135</ref> but the operation failed when his 100 combatants, armed only with scythes, decided to abandon the site before the attack was carried out.<ref>Ireneus Lakowski, ''Das behinderten-bildungswesen im Preussischen Osten: Ost-west-gefälle, Germanisierung und das Wirken des Pädagogen'', LIT Verlag Berlin-Hamburg-Münster, 2001, pp.25ff, {{ISBN|3-8258-5261-X}}</ref> Although some later Kashubian activists tried to push for a separate identity, they further based their ideas on a misrepresented reading of the journalist and activist [[Hieronim Derdowski]]: "There is no Cassubia without [[Polish diaspora|Polonia]], and no Poland without Cassubia" (''Nie ma Kaszeb bez Polonii a bez Kaszeb Polsci''").<ref name="ReferenceA"/> Further stanzas of Derdowski's tribute also point to the fact that Kaszubs were Poles and could not survive without. The [[Society of Young Kashubians]] ([[Towarzystwo Młodokaszubskie]]) has decided to follow in this way, and while they sought to create a strong Kashubian identity, at the same time they regarded the Kashubians as "One branch, of many, of the great Polish nation".<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

[[File:Zespół kaszubski „Kartuzy” z Kartuz na V Ogólnopolskim Festiwalu Folklorystycznym - Płock - 000215n.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Performance of the "Kartuzy" Kashubian music ensemble in folk costumes in 1971]]

The leader of the movement was [[Aleksander Majkowski]], a doctor educated in [[Chełmno]] with the [[Society of Educational Help]] in Chełmno. In 1912 he founded the Society of Young Kashubians and started the newspaper ''{{ill|Gryf (newspaper)|lt=Gryf|pl|Gryf (czasopismo kaszubskie)}}''. Kashubs voted for Polish lists in elections, which strengthened the representation of Poles in the Pomerania region.<ref name="ReferenceA"/><ref>''Gdańskie Zeszyty Humanistyczne: Seria pomorzoznawcza'', p. 17, Wyższa Szkoła Pedagogiczna (Gdańsk). Wydział Humanistyczny, Instytut Bałtycki, Instytut Bałtycki (Poland) – 1967</ref><ref>''Położenie mniejszości niemieckiej w Polsce 1918–1938'', p. 183, Stanisław Potocki, 1969</ref><ref>Rocznik gdański organ Towarzystwa Przyjaciół Nauki i Sztuki w Gdańsku – p. 100, 1983</ref><ref>''Do niepodległości 1918, 1944/45, 1989: wizje, drogi, spełnienie'' p. 43, Wojciech Wrzesiński – 1998</ref>
Between 1855 and 1900, about 100,000 Kashubs emigrated to the United States, Canada, Brazil, New Zealand, and Australia in the so-called [[Kashubian diaspora]], largely for economic reasons.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://bambenek.org/kashubia/the-kashubian-emigration/|title=The Kashubian Emigration – Bambenek.org|website=bambenek.org|language=en-US|access-date=26 July 2017|archive-date=11 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170811103459/http://bambenek.org/kashubia/the-kashubian-emigration/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1899 the scholar [[Stefan Ramułt|Stefan Ramult]] named [[Winona, Minnesota]] the "Kashubian Capital of America" on account of the Kashubian community's size within the city and its activity.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://bambenek.org/winona-2/kashubian-capital-of-america/|title=Kashubian Capital of America – Bambenek.org|website=bambenek.org|language=en-US|access-date=24 July 2017|archive-date=9 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170809043153/http://bambenek.org/winona-2/kashubian-capital-of-america/|url-status=live}}</ref> Due to their Catholic faith, the Kashubians became subject to Prussia's [[Kulturkampf]] between 1871 and 1878.<ref name=Borzyszkowski>Jozef Borzyszkowski in Hans-Henning Hahn, Peter Kunze, Nationale Minderheiten und staatliche Minderheitenpolitik in Deutschland im 19. Jahrhundert, Akademie Verlag, 1999, p. 96, {{ISBN|3-05-003343-6}}</ref> The Kashubians faced Germanification efforts, including those by evangelical Lutheran clergy. These efforts were successful in Lauenburg ([[Lębork]]) and Leba ([[Łeba]]), where the local population used the Gothic alphabet.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> While resenting the disrespect shown by some Prussian officials and [[Junker (Prussia)|Junkers]], Kashubians lived in peaceful coexistence with the local German population until World War II, although during the interbellum, the Kashubian ties to Poland were either overemphasized or neglected by Polish and German authors, respectively, in arguments regarding the [[Polish Corridor]].<ref name=Borzyszkowski/>

During the Second World War, Kashubs were considered by the [[Nazis]] as being either of "German stock" or "extraction", or "inclined toward Germanness" and "capable of Germanisation", and thus classified third category of [[Deutsche Volksliste]] (German ethnic classification list) if ties to the Polish nation could be dissolved.<ref>Diemut Majer, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, ''"Non-Germans" Under the Third Reich: The Nazi Judicial and Administrative System in Germany and Occupied Eastern Europe with Special Regard to Occupied Poland, 1939–1945, Von Diemut Majer, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum'', JHU Press, 2003, p. 240, {{ISBN|0-8018-6493-3}}</ref> However, Kashubians who were suspected to support the Polish cause,<ref name=Borzyszkowski/> particularly those with higher education,<ref name=Borzyszkowski/> were arrested and executed, the main place of executions being [[Massacres in Piaśnica|Piaśnica]] (Gross Plassnitz),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.senat.gov.pl/k5/dok/diar/70/7004.htm|title=Senat Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej / Nie znaleziono szukanej strony...|access-date=17 March 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402111033/http://www.senat.gov.pl/k5/dok/diar/70/7004.htm|archive-date=2 April 2015}}</ref> where 12,000 were executed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.naszekaszuby.pl/modules/news/article.php?storyid=997|title=Wiadomości – Aktualności – Musieliśmy się ukrywać : Nasze Kaszuby|access-date=17 March 2015|archive-date=2 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402153912/http://www.naszekaszuby.pl/modules/news/article.php?storyid=997|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>"Erika z Rumii" Piotr Szubarczyk, IPN Bulletin 5(40) May 2004</ref> The German administrator of the area [[Albert Forster]] considered Kashubians of "low value" and did not support any attempts to create Kashubian nationality.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kki.net.pl/~museum/rozdz2,6.htm |title=Strona w trakcie tworzenia |access-date=6 May 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090122132637/http://www.kki.net.pl/~museum/rozdz2%2C6.htm |archive-date=22 January 2009 }}</ref> Some Kashubians organized anti-Nazi resistance groups, ''[[Gryf Kaszubski]]'' (later ''Gryf Pomorski''), and the exiled ''[[Zwiazek Pomorski]]'' in Great Britain.<ref name=Borzyszkowski/>

When integrated into Poland, those envisioning Kashubian autonomy faced a Communist regime striving for ethnic homogeneity and presenting Kashubian culture as merely folklore.<ref name=Borzyszkowski/> Kashubians were sent to Silesian mines, where they met [[Silesians]] facing similar problems.<ref name=Borzyszkowski/> [[Lech Bądkowski]] from the Kashubian opposition became the first spokesperson of [[Solidarity (Polish trade union)|Solidarność]].<ref name=Borzyszkowski/>

As a result of political mistrust and coercion to declare Polish identity many Kashubians turned away from Poland and chose [[Emigration from Poland to Germany after World War II|opting for Germany]].<ref>{{cite book | last=Kulczycki | first=J.J. | title=Belonging to the Nation: Inclusion and Exclusion in the Polish-German Borderlands, 1939–1951 | publisher=Harvard University Press | year=2016 | isbn=978-0-674-96953-7 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p4CgCwAAQBAJ | access-date=2023-08-11 | pages=245 | archive-date=3 December 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231203131533/https://books.google.com/books?id=p4CgCwAAQBAJ | url-status=live }}</ref>

==Language==
{{main|Kashubian language}}

[[File:Kuźnica, Kashubian-language signpost.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Bilingual Polish and Kashubian street signage in the town of [[Kuźnica, Pomeranian Voivodeship|Kuźnica]]]]
In the 2021 Population Census,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Statistics Poland / National Census / National Population and Housing Census 2021 / Final results of the National Population and Housing Census 2021 |url=https://stat.gov.pl/en/national-census/national-population-and-housing-census-2021/final-results-of-the-national-population-and-housing-census-2021/ |access-date=2024-08-24 |website=stat.gov.pl}}</ref> about 87,600 people declared Kashubian as their language used at home, a decrease from 108,100 in the 2011 Census.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://stat.gov.pl/cps/rde/xbcr/gus/LUD_ludnosc_stan_str_dem_spo_NSP2011.pdf |title=Ludność. Stan i struktura demograficzno-społeczna Narodowy Spis Powszechny Ludności i Mieszkań 2011 |publisher=Główny Urząd Statystyczny |year=2013 |isbn=978-83-7027-521-1 |location=Warsaw |language=pl, en |archive-url=http://stat.gov.pl/cps/rde/xbcr/gus/LUD_ludnosc_stan_str_dem_spo_NSP2011.pdf |archive-date=18 November 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The classification of Kashubian as a language or dialect has been controversial.<ref name="Barbour2">Stephen Barbour, Cathie Carmichael, ''Language and Nationalism in Europe'', Oxford University Press, 2000, p. 199, {{ISBN|0-19-823671-9}}</ref> From a [[Historical linguistics|diachronic]] point of view of historical linguistics, Kashubian, like [[Slovincian language|Slovincian]], [[Polabian language|Polabian]] and [[Polish language|Polish]], is a [[Lechitic languages|Lechitic]] [[West Slavic languages|West Slavic language]], while from a [[Synchronic analysis|synchronic]] point of view it is a group of Polish dialects.<ref name="Barbour2"/> Given the past nationalist interests of Germans and Poles in Kashubia, [[Stephen Barbour|Barbour]] and Carmichel state: "As is always the case with the division of a [[dialect continuum]] into separate languages, there is scope here for manipulation."<ref name="Barbour2"/>

A "standard" Kashubian language does not exist despite attempts to create one, rather a variety of dialects are spoken that differ significantly from each other.<ref name="Barbour2"/> The vocabulary is influenced by both German and Polish.<ref name="Barbour2"/>

There are other traditional Slavic ethnic groups inhabiting [[Pomerania]], including the [[Kociewiacy]], [[Borowiacy]] and [[Krajna|Krajniacy]]. These dialects tend to fall between Kashubian and the Polish dialects of [[Greater Poland]] and [[Mazovia]], with Krajniak dialect indeed heavily influenced by Kashubian, while Borowiak and Kociewiak dialects much more closer to Greater Polish and Mazovian. No obvious Kashubian [[Stratum (linguistics)|substrate]] or any other influence is visible in Kociewiak dialect.<ref>[http://www.gwarypolskie.uw.edu.pl/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=429&Itemid=35 Kociewie: Dialect of the region (in Polish)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131115002851/http://www.gwarypolskie.uw.edu.pl/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=429&Itemid=35 |date=15 November 2013 }}</ref> This indicates that they are not only descendants of [[Pomeranians (Slavic tribe)|Pomeranians]], but also of settlers who arrived in Pomerania from Greater Poland and [[Masovia]] during the [[Middle Ages]], from the 10th century onwards.

[[File:Holy Land 2016 P0642 Pater Noster Church Lord's Prayer Kashubian.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The [[Lord's Prayer]] in Kashubian at the [[Church of the Pater Noster|Pater Noster Church]], [[Mount of Olives]], in [[Jerusalem]].]]

In the 16th and 17th century [[Michael Brüggemann]] (also known as Pontanus or Michał Mostnik), [[Szimón Krofey|Simon Krofey]] (Szimon Krofej) and [[J.M. Sporgius]] introduced Kashubian into the Lutheran Church.<ref name=Hauptmann/> Krofey, pastor in [[Bytów|Bütow]] (Bytow), published a religious song book in 1586, written in Polish but also containing some Kashubian words.<ref name=Hauptmann/> Brüggemann, pastor in [[Schmolsin]], published a Polish translation of some works of [[Martin Luther]] ([[catechism]]) and biblical texts, also containing Kashubian elements.<ref name=Hauptmann/> Other biblical texts were published in 1700 by Sporgius, pastor in Schmolsin.<ref name=Hauptmann/> His ''[[Schmolsiner Perikopen]]'', most of which is written in the same Polish-Kashubian style as Krofey's and Brüggemann's books, also contain small passages ("6th Sunday after Epiphany") written in pure Kashubian.<ref name="Hauptmann">Peter Hauptmann, Günther Schulz, Kirche im Osten: Studien zur osteuropäischen Kirchengeschichte und Kirchenkunde, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2000, pp.44ff, {{ISBN|3-525-56393-0}} [https://books.google.com/books?id=qHL3-GAJE-YC&dq=slowinzen&pg=PA45] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326164813/https://books.google.com/books?id=qHL3-GAJE-YC&dq=slowinzen&pg=PA45|date=26 March 2023}}</ref> Scientific interest in the Kashubian language was sparked by [[Krzysztof Celestyn Mrongowiusz|Christoph Mrongovius]] (publications in 1823, 1828), [[Florian Ceynowa]] and the Russian linguist [[Aleksander Hilferding]] (1859, 1862), later followed by [[Leon Biskupski]] (1883, 1891), [[Gotthelf Bronisch]] (1896, 1898), [[Jooseppi Julius Mikkola]] (1897), [[Kazimierz Nitsch]] (1903). Important works are [[S. Ramult|S. Ramult's]], ''Słownik jezyka pomorskiego, czyli kaszubskiego'', 1893, and [[Friedrich Lorentz]], ''Slovinzische Grammatik'', 1903, ''Slovinzische Texte'', 1905, and ''Slovinzisches Wörterbuch'', 1908. [[Zdzisław Stieber]] was involved in producing linguistic atlases of Kashubian (1964–78).

The first activist of the Kashubian national movement was [[Florian Ceynowa]]. Among his accomplishments, he documented the [[Kashubian alphabet]] and grammar by 1879 and published a collection of ethnographic-historic stories of the life of the Kashubians (''[[Skórb kaszébsko-slovjnckjé mòvé]]'', 1866–1868). Another early writer in Kashubian was [[Hieronim Derdowski]]. The Young Kashubian movement followed, led by author [[Aleksander Majkowski]], who wrote for the paper ''[[Zrzësz Kaszëbskô]]'' as part of the "Zrzëszincë" group. The group would contribute significantly to the development of the Kashubian literary language. Another important writer in Kashubian was [[Bernard Sychta]] (1907–1982).

=== Cultural traditions ===
[[File:Kashubian embroidery of Zukowo school.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Kashubian [[embroidery]] of [[Żukowo]] school]]
Similarly to the traditions in other parts of Central and [[Eastern Europe]], [[pussy willow]]s have been adopted as an alternative to the palm leaves used in [[Palm Sunday]] celebrations, which were not obtainable in [[Kashubia]]. They were blessed by priests on Palm Sunday, following which parishioners whipped each other with the pussy willow branches, saying ''Wierzba bije, jô nie bijã. Za tidzéń wiôldżi dzéń, za nocë trzë i trzë są Jastrë'' ('The willow strikes, it's not me who strikes, in a week, on the great day, in three and three nights, there is the Easter').

The pussy willows, blessed by priests, were treated as sacred charms that could prevent lightning strikes, protect animals, and encourage honey production. They were believed to bring health and good fortune to people as well, and it was traditional for one pussy willow bud to be swallowed on Palm Sunday to promote good health.

According to the old tradition, on [[Easter Monday]] the Kashub boys chase girls whipping gently their legs with [[Juniperus communis|juniper]] twigs. This is to bring good fortune in love to the chased girls. This was usually accompanied by a boy's chant ''[[Dyngus, dyngus]] – pò dwa jaja, Nie chcã chleba, leno jaja'' ('Dyngus, dyngus, for two eggs; I don't want bread but eggs'). Sometimes a girl would be whipped when still in her bed. Girls would give boys painted eggs.<ref>Malicki L.: Rok obrzędowy na Kaszubach, Wojewódzki Ośrodek Kultury, Gdańsk 1986, p. 35-39</ref>

Pottery, one of the ancient Kashubians crafts, has survived to the present day. Famous is [[Kashubian embroidery]] and Kashubian embroidering [[Zukowo]] school is important [[intangible cultural heritage]].

Pope [[John Paul II]] visited in June 1987 and appealed to the Kashubians to preserve their traditional values including their language.<ref>Gustavsson S: Polish, Kashubian and Sorbian, in: The Baltic Sea Region: Cultures, Politics, Societies, pp. 264–266,2002;Uppsala University Library</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Gustavsson |first=Sven |url=http://uu.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:606396/FULLTEXT02 |title=The Baltic Sea Region: Cultures, Politics, Societies |publisher=Baltic University Press |year=2002 |editor-last=Maciejewski |editor-first=Witold |chapter=Polish, Kashubian and Sorbian |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304090227/http://uu.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:606396/FULLTEXT02 |archive-date=4 March 2016}}</ref>

===Today===
[[File:Witamiwilno.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Polish-Canadians wearing traditional Kashubian costumes in [[Wilno, Ontario]], the oldest Polish settlement in Canada.]]
In 2005, Kashubian was for the first time made an official subject on the Polish [[matura]] exam (roughly equivalent to the English A-Level and French Baccalaureat).<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Poszytek|first=Paweł Poszytek|date=2005|title=Language education in Poland: National and regional language, foreign languages and languages of national and ethnic minorities|url=https://rm.coe.int/language-education-policy-profile-poland-country-report/16807b3b4a|journal=Poland Ministry of National Education|access-date=26 March 2019|archive-date=27 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327090416/https://rm.coe.int/language-education-policy-profile-poland-country-report/16807b3b4a|url-status=live}}</ref> This development was seen as an important step in the official recognition and establishment of the language. Today, in some towns and villages in northern Poland, Kashubian is the second language spoken after [[Polish language|Polish]],<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-languages-are-spoken-in-poland.html|title=What Languages are Spoken in Poland?|work=WorldAtlas|access-date=27 September 2017|language=en|archive-date=28 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170928060013/http://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-languages-are-spoken-in-poland.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and it is taught in some regional schools.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.omniglot.com/writing/kashubian.htm|title=Kashubian language, alphabet and pronunciation|website=www.omniglot.com|access-date=27 September 2017|archive-date=28 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170928060049/https://www.omniglot.com/writing/kashubian.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

Since 2005 Kashubian enjoys legal protection in Poland as an official [[regional language]]. It is the only tongue in Poland with this status. It was granted by an act of the [[Polish Parliament]] on 6 January 2005. Old [[Kashubian culture]] has partially survived in architecture and folk crafts such as [[pottery]], plaiting, [[embroidery]], amber-working, sculpturing and glasspainting.{{cn|date=August 2025}}

In the 2011 census, 233,000 people in Poland declared their identity as Kashubian, 216,000 declaring it together with Polish and 16,000 as their only national-ethnic identity.<ref name="stat"/> [[Kaszëbskô Jednota]] is an association of people who have the latter view.

According to the 2021 census, 179 685 people declared Kashubian identity but only 11 961 (6,7% of total) people declared it as their only identity. A vast majority of 166 839 (92,9% of total) declared it together with Polish identity.<ref>[https://stat.gov.pl/spisy-powszechne/nsp-2021/nsp-2021-wyniki-ostateczne/tablice-z-ostatecznymi-danymi-w-zakresie-przynaleznosci-narodowo-etnicznej-jezyka-uzywanego-w-domu-oraz-przynaleznosci-do-wyznania-religijnego,10,1.html Tablice z ostatecznymi danymi w zakresie przynależności narodowo-etnicznej, języka używanego w domu oraz przynależności do wyznania religijnego]</ref>

== Kashubian cuisine ==

Kashubian cuisine contains many elements from the wider European culinary tradition. Local specialities include:
* ''[[Czarnina]]'' ({{Lang|csb|Czarwina}}) – a type of [[soup]] made of goose [[blood as food|blood]]
* ''[[Brzadowô zupa]]'' – a kind of sweet [[soup]] with e.g. apples
* ''[[Kaszëbsczi kùch marchewny]]'' (Kashubian carrot cake)
* ''[[Plińce]]''
* ''[[Prażnica]]''

== Genetics ==
[[File:Kaszëbi Sopòtë 2025 (ubt).jpg|thumb|right|300px|Ethnic Kashubians performing folk songs in [[Sopot]]]]
According to a study published in 2015, by far the most common [[Human Y-chromosome DNA haplogroup|Y-DNA haplogroup]] among the Kashubs (n=204) who live in [[Kashubia]], is [[haplogroup R1a]], which is carried by 61.8% of Kashubian males. It is followed in frequency by [[Haplogroup I1|I1]] (13.2%), [[Haplogroup R1b|R1b]] (9.3%), [[Haplogroup I-M438|I2]] (4.4%), [[Haplogroup E-M215 (Y-DNA)|E1b1b]] (3.4%), J (2.5%), G (2%) and [[Haplogroup N (Y-DNA)|N1]] (1.5%). Other haplogroups are 2%.<ref name="Kushniarevich2">{{Cite journal |author=Kushniarevich |author2=Utevska|display-authors=etal|year=2015|title=Genetic Heritage of the Balto-Slavic Speaking Populations: A Synthesis of Autosomal, Mitochondrial and Y-Chromosomal Data|journal=[[PLOS ONE]]|volume=10|issue=9|pages=Table K in S1 File. Frequencies of the NRY haplogroups in Balto–Slavic populations|doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0135820|pmc=4558026|pmid=26332464|bibcode=2015PLoSO..1035820K|doi-access=free}}</ref> Another study from 2010 (n=64) discovered similar proportions of most haplogroups (R1a - 68.8%, I1 – 12.5%, R1b - 7.8%, I2 – 3.1%, E1b1b - 3.1%), but found also [[Haplogroup Q-M242|Q1a]] in 3.1% of Kashubians. This study reported no significant differences between Kashubians from Poland and other Poles as far as Y chromosome polymorphism is regarded.<ref name="Woźniak">{{Cite journal|author=Woźniak |author2=Malyarchuk |author3=Vanecek|display-authors=etal|year=2010|title=Similarities and distinctions in Y chromosome gene pool of Western Slavs|journal=[[American Journal of Physical Anthropology]]|volume=142|issue=4|pages=540–548|doi=10.1002/ajpa.21253|pmid=20091807}}</ref> When it comes to [[Human mitochondrial DNA haplogroup|mitochondrial DNA haplogroups]], according to a January 2013 study, the most common major mtDNA lineages among the Kashubians, each carried by at least 2.5% of their population, include J1 (12.3%), H1 (11.8%), H* (8.9%), T* (5.9%), T2 (5.4%), U5a (5.4%), U5b (5.4%), U4a (3.9%), H10 (3.9%), H11 (3.0%), H4 (3.0%), K (3.0%), V (3.0%), H2a (2.5%) and W (2.5%). Altogether they account for almost 8/10 of the total Kashubian mtDNA diversity.<ref name="Mielnik-Sikorska">{{Cite journal|author=Mielnik-Sikorska |author2=Grzybowski|display-authors=etal|year=2013|title=The History of Slavs Inferred from Complete Mitochondrial Genome Sequences|journal=[[PLOS ONE]]|volume=8|issue=1|at=Table 1. Frequencies of the major mtDNA haplogroups in Poles, Ukrainians and Czechs|doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0054360|pmid=23342138|pmc=3544712|bibcode=2013PLoSO...854360M|doi-access=free}}</ref>

In a 2013 study, Y-DNA haplogroups among the [[Dialects of Polish#Greater Polish dialect group|Polish population]] indigenous to [[Kociewie]] (n=158) were reported as follows:

56.3% [[Haplogroup R1a|R1a]], 17.7% [[Haplogroup R1b|R1b]], 8.2% [[Haplogroup I1|I1]], 7.6% [[Haplogroup I2 (Y-DNA)|I2]], 3.8% [[Haplogroup E-M215 (Y-DNA)|E1b1b]], 1.9% [[Haplogroup N (Y-DNA)|N1]], 1.9% [[Haplogroup J (Y-DNA)|J]] and 2% of other haplogroups.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Rebala|display-authors=etal|first=K.|date=April 2013|title=Contemporary paternal genetic landscape of Polish and German populations: from early medieval Slavic expansion to post-World War II resettlements|pmc=3598329|journal=European Journal of Human Genetics|volume=v.21(4); 2013 Apr|issue=4|pages=415–422|pmid=22968131|doi=10.1038/ejhg.2012.190}}</ref>

{{See also|Pomerelia|Kociewie}}

== Diaspora ==
{{See also|Polish Canadians#Group-settlers|Paul Breza#Kashubian American activism}}
Immigrant Kashubians kept a distinct identity among [[Polish Canadian]]s and [[Polish American]]s.{{cn|date=August 2025}}

In 1858 Polish-Kashubians emigrated to [[Upper Canada]] and created the settlement of [[Wilno, Ontario|Wilno]], in [[Renfrew County, Ontario]], which still exists. Today Canadian Polish-Kashubians return to Northern Poland in small groups to learn about their heritage.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Blank |first1=Joshua C. |title=Creating Kashubia: History, Memory and Identity in Canada's First Polish Community |date=2016 |publisher=McGill-Queen's University Press |location=Montreal & Kingston |isbn=9780773547209 |url=https://www.mqup.ca/creating-kashubia-products-9780773547209.php |access-date=12 December 2019 |archive-date=12 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191212034412/https://www.mqup.ca/creating-kashubia-products-9780773547209.php |url-status=live }}</ref>

Kashubian immigrants founded [[St Josaphat's in Chicago|St. Josaphat]] parish in Chicago's [[Lincoln Park, Chicago|Lincoln Park]] community in the late 19th century, as well as the parish of Immaculate Heart of Mary in [[Irving Park, Chicago|Irving Park]], the vicinity of which was dubbed as "[[Little Cassubia]]". In the 1870s a fishing village was established in [[Jones Island, Milwaukee|Jones Island]] in [[Milwaukee]], Wisconsin, by Kashubian [[immigrants]]. The settlers however did not hold deeds to the land, and the government of Milwaukee evicted them as squatters in the 1940s, with the area soon after turned into industrial park. The last trace of this Milwaukee fishing village that had been settled by Kashubians on [[Jones Island, Milwaukee|Jones Island]] is in the name of the smallest park in the city, ''[[Kaszube's Park]]''.<ref>[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4207/is_19950402/ai_n10191546/ A small patch of green where land and water meet]{{dead link|date=May 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

[[File:Lakes klodno biale rekowo.jpg|thumb|center|700px|[[Kashubian Landscape Park]], View from [[Tamowa Mountain]], near [[Kartuzy]] and Lakes [[Lake Kłodno|Kłodno]], [[Białe Jezioro, Gmina Kartuzy|Białe]], and [[Lake Rekowo|Rekowo]].]]

==Notable Kashubs==
* [[Evan Wenskay]] (1992-) Musician, paté provocateur.
* [[Lech Bądkowski]] (1920–1984) writer, journalist, translator, political, cultural, and social activist
* [https://www.mqup.ca/creating-kashubia-products-9780773547209.php Joshua C. Blank] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191212034412/https://www.mqup.ca/creating-kashubia-products-9780773547209.php |date=12 December 2019 }} (1984- ) historian, award-winning author, teacher, Swastek prize winner
* [[Józef Borzyszkowski]] (1946– ) historian, politician, founder of the Kashubian Institute
* {{ill|Edward Breza|pl}} (1932–2017) award winner etymologist, and professor
* [[Paul Breza]] (1937–2025) American priest, Kashubian-American activist
* [[Jerzy Łysk]] (1950– ) Kashubian poet, composer, singer and cultural animator, manager of cultural institutions. 
* [[Jan Romuald Byzewski]] (1842–1905) Kashubian-born American priest and social activist
* [[Florian Ceynowa]] (1817–1881) political activist, writer, linguist, and revolutionary
* {{ill|Arnold Chrapkowski|pl}} (1968– ) Father General of the Order of Saint Paul the First Hermit
* [[Hieronim Derdowski]] (1852–1902) Kashubian-born American writer, newspaper editor, and political activist
* {{ill|Konstantyn Dominik|pl}} (1870–1942) auxiliary bishop of Chełmno (now [[Pelplin]])
* [[Jan Gierszewski]] (1882–1951), co-founder of the secret WW2 military organization [[Kashubian Griffin]], Code name "Major Rys"<ref>Poland Magazine, January, 1969</ref>
* [[Günter Grass]] (1927–2015) [[Nobel Prize in Literature|Nobel Prize]]-winning German author of Kashubian descent
* [[Hilary Jastak]] (1914–2000) a [[Polish people|Polish]] priest prelate, [[Doctor of Theology]], Chaplain of [[Solidarity (Polish trade union)|Solidarity]] movement, Major of [[Polish Armed Forces]], Lieutenant Commander of [[Polish Navy]].
* [[Marian Jeliński]] (1949– ) Veterinarian, author, Kashubian activist
* [[Wojciech Kasperski]] (1981– ) film director, [[screenwriter]]
* [[Zenon Kitowski]] (1962– ) clarinet player
* [[Józef Kos]] (1900–2007) World War I veteran
* [[Gerard Labuda]] (1916–2010) historian
* [[Mark Lilla]] (1956–) American writer, intellectual historian
* [[Aleksander Majkowski]] (1876–1938) author, publicist, play writer, cultural activist
* {{ill|Marian Majkowski|pl}} (1926–2012) author, architect
* [[Paul Mattick]] (1904–1981) German-American Marxist writer of Kashubian descent
* [[Mestwin II]] (1220–1294) ruler of united Eastern Pomerania
* [[Jerzy Samp]] (1951–2015) writer, publicist, historian, and social activist
* [[Wawrzyniec Samp]] (1939– ) sculptor and graphic artist
* [[Franziska Schanzkowska]] (1896–1984); a.k.a. Anna Anderson, impostor who claimed to be, Anastasia Romanova, daughter of [[Nicholas II of Russia|Tsar Nicholas II]]
* [[Danuta Stenka]] (1962– ) actress
* [[Swantopolk II]] (1195–1266) powerful ruler of Eastern Pomerania
* [[Brunon Synak]] (1943–2013) professor of sociology and a Kashubian activist 
* [[Jerzy Treder]] (1942–2015), philologist and linguist, known as an expert in [[Kashubian studies]]
* [[Jan Trepczyk]] (1907–1989) poet, songwriter, lexicographer and creator of the Polish-Kashubian dictionary
* [[Donald Tusk]] (1957– ) historian, politician, leader of [[Civic Platform]], Prime Minister of Poland and President of the European Council
* [[Ludwig Yorck von Wartenburg]] (1759–1830) [[Prussia]]n [[Field Marshal]] of the [[Napoleon]]ic era
* [[Erich von Manstein]] (Fritz Erich Georg Eduard von Lewinski) (1887–1973), [[Germans|German]] [[Field marshal (Germany)|Field Marshal]]
* [[Friedrich Bogislav von Tauentzien]] 1710 in [[Tawęcino]] (German:Tauenzien), † 21. März 1791 in Wrocław (Breslau)/ Prussian General
* [[Erich von dem Bach-Zelewski]] (1899–1972) Nazi war criminal and pioneer of [[bandit fighting|genocidal anti-partisan tactics]] 
* [[Emil von Zelewski]] (1854–1891), [[Prussia]]n officer
* [[Paul Yakabuski]] (1922–1987), First Kashubian [[Member of Provincial Parliament (Ontario)|MPP]] elected in Canada in 1963

==In literature==
Important for [[Kashubian literature]] was ''Xążeczka dlo Kaszebov'' by Doctor [[Florian Ceynowa]] (1817–1881). [[Hieronim Derdowski]] (1852–1902) was another significant author who wrote in Kashubian, as was Doctor [[Aleksander Majkowski]] (1876–1938) from [[Kościerzyna]], who wrote the Kashubian national epic [[The Life and Adventures of Remus]]. [[Jan Trepczyk]] was a poet who wrote in Kashubian, as was [[Stanisław Pestka]]. Kashubian literature has been translated into [[Czech language|Czech]], [[Polish language|Polish]], [[English language|English]], [[German language|German]], [[Belarusian language|Belarusian]], [[Slovene language|Slovene]] and [[Finnish language|Finnish]]. A considerable body of [[Christianity|Christian]] literature has been translated into Kashubian, including the [[New Testament]] and [[Book of Genesis]].

==See also==
* [[Kashubian alphabet]]
* [[Kashubian diaspora]]
* [[Kashubian language]]
* [[Kashubian studies]]
* [[Kashubian Americans]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
{{See also|List of Slavic studies journals}}
*  {{cite book |last1=Blank |first1=Joshua C. |title=Creating Kashubia: History, Memory and Identity in Canada's First Polish Community |date=2016 |publisher=McGill-Queen's University Press |location=Montreal & Kingston |isbn=9780773547209 |url=https://www.mqup.ca/creating-kashubia-products-9780773547209.php |access-date=12 December 2019 |archive-date=12 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191212034412/https://www.mqup.ca/creating-kashubia-products-9780773547209.php |url-status=live }}
* {{cite journal
 | last = Synak
 | first = Brunon
 |date= December 1997
 | title = The Kashubes during the post-communist transformation in Poland
 | journal = [[Nationalities Papers]]
 | volume = 25
 | issue = 4
 | pages = 715–728
 | doi = 10.1080/00905999708408536
 | s2cid = 154827253
 }}
*{{cite journal
 |author=Polish Cultural Institute
 | title = The Kashubian Polish Community of Southeastern Minnesota (MN) (Images of America)
 |date=July 2001
}}
* Borzyszkowski J.: The Kashubs, Pomerania and Gdańsk; [transl. by [[Tomasz Wicherkiewicz]]] Gdańsk : Instytut Kaszubski : Uniwersytet Gdański ; Elbląg : Elbląska Uczelnia Humanistyczno-Ekonomiczna, 2005, {{ISBN|83-89079-35-6}}
* Obracht-Prondzyński C.: The Kashubs today : culture, language, identity; [transl. by [[Tomasz Wicherkiewicz]]	Gdańsk : Instytut Kaszubski, 2007, {{ISBN|978-83-89079-78-7}}
* Szulist W.: Kaszubi w Ameryce : Szkice i materiały, MPiMK-P Wejherowo 2005 (English summary).
*[http://instytutkaszubski.republika.pl/pdfy/angielski.pdf "The Kashubs Today"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304134213/http://instytutkaszubski.republika.pl/pdfy/angielski.pdf |date=4 March 2016 }} {{ISBN|978-83-89079-78-7}}

== External links ==
{{commons category|Kashubians}}
{{wikiquote|Kashubians}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130512204841/http://www6.gencat.net/llengcat/noves/hm04primavera-estiu/docs/moskal.pdf Kashubs 2002]
* {{in lang|pl}} https://web.archive.org/web/20040926021346/http://www.zk-p.pl/
* {{in lang|en|pl}} http://kaszebsko.com/who-we-are-and-what-are-our-objectives.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210220142327/https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js |date=20 February 2021 }}
* {{in lang|en}} http://www.kashub.com/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210220142326/http://www.kashub.com/ |date=20 February 2021 }}
* {{in lang|en|de}} '''(Kashubian)''' {{in lang|pl}}  https://web.archive.org/web/20080920042828/http://www.kaszubia.com/
* {{in lang|pl|de|en}} https://web.archive.org/web/20030218064812/http://republika.pl/modraglina/kaszlink.html
* https://web.archive.org/web/20061005201334/http://www.cassubia-slavica.com/
* {{in lang|en}} '''(Kashubian)'''  https://web.archive.org/web/20081106214654/http://www.inyourpocket.com/poland/city/kashubia.html
* {{in lang|en}} [http://www.thedailyobserver.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1551339 Canada's Kashubian community celebrates heritage at Wilno]{{dead link|date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
* {{in lang|en}} [http://www.wilno.org/ The Wilno Heritage Society] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130825022524/http://www.wilno.org/ |date=25 August 2013 }}
* {{in lang|en}} [http://polishmuseumwinona.org/ The Polish Cultural Institute and Museum of Winona, Minnesota] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120420142056/http://polishmuseumwinona.org/ |date=20 April 2012 }}
* {{in lang|en}} [http://www.forgottenbooks.com/readbook_text/The_Polish_Corridor_and_the_Consequences_1000309969/51 Cashubes] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150108131400/http://www.forgottenbooks.com/readbook_text/The_Polish_Corridor_and_the_Consequences_1000309969/51 |date=8 January 2015 }}
* [https://culture.pl/en/article/kaszebsko-mowa-freeing-the-kashubian-language Kaszëbskô Mowa: Freeing the Kashubian Language] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190621035532/https://culture.pl/en/article/kaszebsko-mowa-freeing-the-kashubian-language |date=21 June 2019 }}

{{Pomeranian history|dem}}
{{Slavic ethnic groups}}
{{Slavic ethnic groups (VII-XII century)}}
{{Ethnic groups in Poland}}
{{Gdańsk}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Kashubians| ]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Poland]]
[[Category:History of Pomerania]]
[[Category:Lechites]]