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ORIGINAL NISS. OR FIELD NOTES (Clumlicorm)
PUL. .IANtax Lore 4
PT bias*
TITL41,0110 F4,1,11Ir et Otenfraion$ Yallety
WRITER JPAVIEW.Aor:
DATE 2/2/59 'IOC Pa.
CHECKER DATE
SOURCES GIVEN 0
COMMENTS
Zotial-J)
Polish Farmer of
Connecticut Valley
STATE MASSACHUSETTS ;1'
OF ROBERT WILDER
ADDRESS NORTHFIELD, MASSAHUSETTS
1DATE FEB=ARY 2, 1939
SU:,JECT LITiING Laia
ADDRESS
ORLIANT JOHE- MA.NICOW112a I
NORTHFIELD, LIASSACHUSETTS
John 1..Ankowski is the only Polish farmer in
our immediate neighborhood in 2':orthfield. Plenty
of his kinsmen live along the up.Ter Connecticut
1alley but John's farm, is a bit apart from the
main group. John's sons groat, strapping boys
seem to have no difficulty in gettir4, along with
_oth Yankees and Poles out John is less easily won
over. He has difficulty with English, speaks his
native tongue whenever ;)os,ibie, and he i, keenly
aware of certain :orthfield traditions and customs
ich exclude him from full s&-ial arc (,c.onomic
eL„uality. A roud man, he tesents the conce&ce:sion
of certain Of his neighbors. Nor can he entirely
reconcile himself to his sons' acceptance of ways
alIC41221 w:_lch seem strange and horrible to him.
John can be and has been a good friend if needed;
he knows how to appreciate a good turn.
Name Robert Wilder
Title Living Lore
Assignment Northfield
Topic John Mankowaki
"What you do with my cat? How da hell you get his head in dat
can?" These remarks of our neighbor, John Mankowski, on observing his
black cat with its head firmly encased in a salmon tin) require a bit
of preliminary explanation.
We had been troubled with skunks. }lbw to get rid of the notious
animals was a problem. If we shot them and the shot was not instantly
fatal, we would be socially ostracized. The same was true if we caught
one in an ordinary steel trap. Even a box trap with the sudden closing
of the top was hazardous. We didn't know what to do. But a hunter
and woodsman) a bachelor, who lived by himself in a cabin near us, told
us away. He said to take a barrel, tilt it against a log or a stone,
Arrange a board for a runway to the top, and put a salmon tin in the
bottom for bait. The skunk would =ell the salmon) identify the barrel
as containing it, would find the board and walk up on it. Then the
skunk would jump down into the barrel and would not notice the jar when
the barrel moved upright due to the alcunk's weight. Then we would
have Mr. Skunk safe in the barrel, with no perfume complicating things.
We could then cover the barrel) remove it to a suitable spot and dis-
pose of Sir Skunk.
With the assistance of the woodsman) we contrived the trap. And
the next morning we were awakened early by our smalldaughter with the
information that there was a skunk leaping about in the raspberry
patch with a tin can on its head. Knowing that skunks did not jump
about we investigated. There was an animal leaping about with its
head in a salmon tin all right. Our trap was not only sprung but the
Page 2.
Name. Robert Wilder
Title Living Lore
Assignment Northfield
Topic John Mankowski
barrel was on its side. While the animal had a tail like a cat, its
headappeared altogether too small. However, it was no skunk se we
fearlessly put the barrel over it, slid a board under, tipped the
barrel upright and investigated. We came to the conclusion that it
was a very unusual animal and sent for the woodsman. He came, and
so did a number of the other neighbors. In the meantime, we got out
our books of reference on natural history. The woodsman was stumped.
He'd never seen anything quite like it. Neither liad the neighbors.
All agreed that it was a species of otter. We thumbed through our
book, and sure enough, we found a picture of the black otter that looked
like our animal as much as we could see of it and we easily
pictured the long, narrow head as encased in the can. In the descrip-
tive matter, hohever, it said that the black otter had partially webbed
feet. We easily induced the animal to attempt to climb out of the
barrel, and as it strained, we noted its paws. Apparently, it had
partially webbed feet at least they were not webbed. About this
time Mr. nankowski appeared.
After inquiring what we were doing with his cat we and the
assembled neighbors he picked up the fearsome beast by the nape of
its neck, seized the can, wrenched and twisted and finally removed it,
released the cat, which sped for home like an arrow, threw down the can
and faced us with nis blue eyes blazing.
Personally, I don't think he was ever satisfied with our explana-
tion. It snacked to him of witchcraft, and he knew about witchcraft
Name Robert Robert Wilder
Title Living Lore
Assignment Northfield
Topic John Mankowski
from the old people in Poland. Neighbors did not assemble, form a circle
about a black cat and read from books just because they didn't know a
domestic cat when they saw one. It was more likely that they were prac-
ticing magic in an effort to drive the only Pole in the neighborhood
away. For it was well known that Yankees did not like Poles.
John, a short, wiry man with the characteristic broad face and high
cheek bones of the Russian Pole, has been a member of a Cossack regiment
and had served his time on the Turkish border. Bb has an easy, wide,
smile, and is very popular with his fellow countrymen for his musical
ability. He is2 however, deeply religious. On various occasions he has
consulted me, his nearest Yankee neighbor, on questions that troubled
him. Once he wanted to know if I believed that there were devils in the
center of the dust whirls that swept across the fields when the top soil
was dry. He said that people in the old country said there were. And
he consulted me very seriously as to whether it was better to take out
crop insurance or to have his fields blessed by the priest, as he was
doing. He was afraid that it might be flying in the face of Providence
if he took out insurance and put himself beyond the reach of God's
punishment, even if he were wicked and deserved punishment. I was ex-
pected to know that God gave the good,abundant harvests, and punished
the wicked with hail, blight and insects.
John is a simple, childlike man, even if he was a Cossack in his
youth, and even if he does keep a knout above the stove in the kitchen
for his growing sons. Such sonst Every one better than six feet, and
Name Robert -gilder
Title Living Lore
Assignment Northfield
Topic John Mankowski
in action or manners or conversation, not to be told from the Yankee
youths. The mother is a pretty woman451ender for a Pole) who was a
lady's maid, and speaks L -tin and French in addition to Polish and
x!,nglish.
It was some time after the cat episode before we dropped in to
chat with John." Ile was busy with chores in his big well -kept barn
but seemed willing to chat.
"Yes, I w.ri my place. mot it all paint up. Water run in the
kitchen, 'iectric light, everything nice. '‘Liot 'bout twenty acre for
cultivate. r4it brush go lak hell in pasture. loing to have wood lot
-there I .Aless. Can't make boy cut. oys no good no more. All care
for is look pretty, chase girl, and go to movie.
"I hot come here first. First come Hadley. Hadley people write
to ola country. I come to help raise tobacco and onion. I hear about
dis place, that -{ankee feller starving to death here. I buy. Get house
barn, land, big mortgage. Get job hired man on another place. Wife
farm here. .1 farm after work. Pay off mortgage. how I own place.
"Why not have my wife farm; You ask her. She say you can't hire
her work in house all time. Like to get out in air and sun. Housework
same ting all time. Pam work different. 'iz;he like it better. Yankee
feller don't like, 'cause Polish women work in field. 4:hey say we use
women bad. Guess what they don't like is Polish feller make money on
farm where Yankee can't.
"No, I ain't a citizen.. I was going save money, go home, be big
people in old country. But now, guess I stay here. Too much trouble
-5
Name Robert Wilder
Title Living Lore
Assignment Lorthfield
Topic John 14ankowski
in ola country. o be citizen costs too much money. No good for nothing.
11 can do is vote. don't care about dat. I don't understand Yankee
fellers. They say we deua olack, no understani nothing. What for they
kill snake, In old country we let snake live for kill rat and mouse
that eat croo. '4nake no do nothin. I no kill snake. Nohave rats and
less ougs than Yankee. I get food crop when his bad. Be say 'cause
work all time, work women, work children. Why don't he try no kill
snake7
'-Same in politic. Yankees say Russian are dam Communist. No
1t stop him come this country.. Here people vote for politician
who make law for business man. P.ussia say why do all dat? Better let
business run everrytning same as they try to do here. Jo have to buy
vote to ilect politician to make la, for business.
:lave just one big
company. rireryoody work for company. Get rid o' politician, graft,
an' everithing. Iow here business spenas lots of money try to run
everytning.
on't like government that business runs first place.
dhy not;
"People from Yankee church come ever' little while. They want
dollar. 'c'oini have community sing, con:Amity L;hristmas tree community
something. Say must have community spirit, give dollar. Everibody
must help communtty. ut they don' like Communism where everibody work
for community. y not?
"Aw, some big people tell 'an L;ommunism bad._ Ihey don' _mow nothini
about it. -chey say aanunism bad just like big people. They no think
for self. A.hey thing they vote an' run country. Ha, ha! They do like
told, same as -ussia.
-6-
1:ame "ouert Wilder
Title Livin;: Lore
Assignment Northfield
Topic John -ankowski
"Why church people don't do like ible say? No b'lieve it? If
the; do like bible say, it bad for business. 3iole '-;ommunist book, Ahy
no s'press it?
"I don' like politics. Don' want to be oitizen. Don' want vote.
Pay tax, ;es. Ye get something for tax. Get road, get school.get
AAA payment. -Get pay for do nothin' with land. Sure! I do somethin'
plant other crop. No good to spoil land and let the brush grow like
Yankee. Plant clover, sooethin', make land good. Why de do dat?
L)ne ,-;lace pay. feller no grow nothin'. 'llother2lace send money to buTd
cam to ee water so can grw crop?
"Government people ver' funny. John Kruk on IPA. He no need
money, jus want job. Dey give him twenty dollars a week. Walter
Dymersky been to college. He broke. L-d.ve him twelve dollar. Give
peopI4say don't needlmore money than •)eo-ole do need. Why?
ItT ouy car. Have to take zamination for drive. I can drive all
right. Run tractor, truck and old car round my place. -Put no get license
first time. Feller say I drive all right, but I con' know what vehickiel
is. Cost two-four dollar more to fin' out it are wagon, car, any ol'
tin-; that go on wheels in road. Won't let me drive 'cause can't read
vehick'el. ut let french chauffeur drive that can't read notting. Why-?"
Pith an e::.pressive gesture of his big work -worn hands John looked
at me with a question in his wide blue eyes. Before I could answer,
bedlam broke loose in the barnyard and John was off to settle it. Once
started, John was sure to pursue the subject when next we met.