Rośliny użyteczne... Michała Fedorowskiego – dzieło odnalezione po 130 latach

Abstrakt

This publication covers the first part of the work from 1883, entitled Useful Plants among the Lithuanian People from the Area of Slonim, Wołkowysk and Prużanna. Book I (title of the original Rośliny użyteczne u ludu litewskiego z okolic Słonima, Wołkowyska i Prużanny. Zeszyt I-y), that was found, in 2012, in the archives of the Herbarium of the Department of Biology, University of Warsaw. Its author is the Polish ethnographer and folklorist Michal Fedorowski (1853-1923). Useful Plants... describes plants used as foodstuffs as well as plants out of which oil, fibers and plant dyes were recovered or everyday objects produced by the people of the former eastern borderlands of Poland (now the majority of the territory is in Belarus). Fedorowski’s work consists of a descriptive part (57 pages of the manuscript) and documentation in the form of a herbarium (15 sheets with 53 species of dried plants). The author uses the old folk names, which in this publication have been complemented by the modern names of plants. Fedorowski’s work was probably intended for a wide audience. From its colorful descriptions one can learn about the tools that people used and which materials were used to manufacture various items for everyday use. The author also cites many rural beliefs and superstitions. Useful Plants... is also a kind of culinary guide, containing descriptions of many dishes, which have been forgotten today.