March 8th, 2020
author: Katarzyna Nowocin-Kowalczyk (Catherine)
As part of the FATE OF POLES festival, the Polish American Performing Arts Club presented a documentary film directed by Eugeniusz Starky, 'Jamestown', which was shown on March 8 at the John Paul II Polish Center for Polish Diaspora in Yorba Linda, Ca.
The film tells the story of the establishment of the first permanent English colony in what is now Virginia in 1607, a few years before the arrival of the so-called "Pilgrims" who reached Massachusetts in 1620 and in whose honor Thanksgiving is celebrated today.
It is worth explaining that there were many such attempts to establish settlements in New Land at that time. However, they all ended in failure. Only the mission entrusted to Captain John Smit, whom we know from the story of the beautiful Indian Pocahontas, was successful. Why? Well, the wise Captain Smith, seeing the incompetence of his compatriots in dealing with basic issues related to the organization of everyday life, decided to bring the Poles with whom he had encountered a few years earlier on his way from Turkish captivity to England. He got to know Polish hospitality, diligence, reliability, courage, and honesty. He had trust in Poles, which he expressed many times in his actions and decisions, although his compatriots did not always like it. Here, the Englishman John Smith relied on Polish craftsmen and thanks to this he saved his colony. He changed the course of events. He changed the history of the world. And he exchanged death for life. And not only of their countrymen but also of their own. Because it was the Poles who saved him when he was attacked by an Indian warrior.
And it was they, Polish craftsmen, who started building the economic power of the New World, the beginning of modern economics and globalization, which is repeatedly emphasized in the film by the narrators: Professor Donald E. Pienkos from the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, Professor John Radzilowski from the University of Alaska and Dr. James S. Pula of Purdue University in Indiana. – 'Poles did not come to the colony for money. They came to offer their talents... their services,' says one of the scientists.
The first thing our compatriots did after arriving was to build a well, thanks to which the English settlers were provided with drinking water, which had been a serious problem until then. They built houses to protect against the harsh winter weather, and established factories producing shingles for roofing, tar, tar, potash, and ship ropes. Thanks to their knowledge and solid work, just a few months after the arrival of the first four Polish craftsmen, a blast furnace was built in the settlement, which became the first professional industrial plant in North America. And glass was necessary to exchange goods with the Indians, who, in exchange for glass beads, provided the settlers with food. Thanks to this, the colonists, who were neither farmers, nor fishermen, hunters, nor producers, stopped suffering from hunger. Moreover, in a short time, glassware became the leading American product exported to Europe.
The story is beautiful, interesting, full of twists and turns, and incredibly uplifting. Unfortunately, little known. Not only in Poland but also in the United States. But there are many such stories about us Poles. And it's really worth knowing these stories and carrying them proudly on your chest. Because these stories are our brand. Because these stories give strength. Because it is these stories that show how beautiful, brave, and wonderful a nation we are. Because, as one of the professors recalls in the film, - 'Wherever there was a fight for freedom, Poles were called for help.' - And it is worth recalling the words once spoken by American President Franklin Delano Roosevelt - 'It is the highest honor to bear witness to the debt of our country to Poles.'
If you lose your history, you lose your identity.
- Katarzyna Nowocin-Kowalczyk (CatherineNK)
cultural studies
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interesting