As elites in other places, the szlachta, wishing to be heirs to a glorious heritage, accepted certain mythical or semi-mythical accounts of their ancestry. During the Renaissance, since they were within the orbit of Latin and Roman Catholic civilization, scholars began to study historical accounts of classical Geek and Roman antiquity for clues as to their genesis. It became widely believed at the time that the szlachta were descendents of the Sarmatians. The Greek historian Herodotos in the fifth century BC wrote that the Sarmatians were a cross between the Scythians, an ancient Iranian people who dominated the Pontic-Caspian steppe (known as Scythia at the time) during Classical Antiquity and the Amazons, female warriors in Greek and Classical mythology that he placed in a region bordering what today is the modern territory of Ukraine, Sarmatia.

Today, what is known of the Sarmatians is that they were a nomadic, pastoral warrior tribe of Iranian origin, who flourished from the 5th century BC to the 4th century AD. They inhabited the Black Sea and Volga steppes during the middle of the 1st millennium BC and fought on horseback with bows, swords, and spears. English historian Norman Davies writes: “Sixteenth-century authorities such as Marcin Bielski (1495-1575) maintained that they (szlachta) were descended from the warrior Sarmatians whose pre-historic conquest of the docile Slavonic tribes justified the subsequent Paul Super. The Polish Tradition. (London, Great Britain: Polish Ministry of Information, 1944.), 29. supremacy of the szlachta.”

By the seventeenth-century, “Sarmatian” became a synonym for Pole or for citizens of the Polish-Lithuanian-Ruthenian Commonwealth, excluding infidels and bound servitors. From this comes the concept of “Sarmatianism.” Sarmatianism can be described as the lifestyle, customs, ideology and spiritual and intellectual culture of the noble Commonwealth (i.e. Rzeczpospolita) from the end of the sixteenth to the end of the eighteenth century. Bockenheim states, “Sarmatianism is the Polish variant of the
Baroque. This concept embraces all aspects of culture and customary life; at the turn of the sixteenth and seventeenth-centuries, this ideology became the binding agent for the multi-national state. It concerned the szlachta, who as a social group remained above the divisions of nationality and religion.”

Sarmatian culture encompassed elements such as: the code of chivalry; a love of national tradition; a deep religious faith and personal piety; a love of personal freedom; enjoyment of personal rights and franchises within a republican order, comprised of an elected monarch and parliament; love of country life on a landed estate; love for exotic oriental finery in armor and dress; respect of the fair sex; and disdain for commerce (other than the grain trade), the skilled trades, money lending, and city life.

I was traveling in northern Michigan with my two daughters when coming to a stop sign
in a small hamlet called “Posen,” the younger one, Anastasia said “Look Tatus! Isn’t that
Polish?”

I glanced sideways out of the car window and sure enough, there was a historical plaque
with a Polish eagle on it. Although I hadn’t earlier paid attention to it, the name of the
hamlet was “Posen,” which is the German version of the city and province of “Poznan” in
western Poland.

As I felt the adrenaline rush (I’m a historian you know) we parked and piles out of the
car, to explore. We met a cordial guide, Mr. Dan Mulka, an Orchard Lake St. Mary’s
graduate and owner of a local hardware store.

As we discovered, Posen was an early Polish pioneer settlement. In the 19th century,
times were hard in Poland. The country was partitioned by three of its neighbors and
overpopulated. So between 1870 and 1914 millions of Poles migrated across the Atlantic
in search of freedom and land.

One such group was Poles from the province of Poznan in Prussian Poland. Departing
from Hamburg, on a perilous three month voyage, sailing on four or five masted
schooners (later 15-20 days on steamers) they arrived in New York, and from there they
were recruited for the work or settlement in Michigan.
Lawrence Kowalski was the first Pole to arrive in 1870 in what would later become
Posen Township. He was soon followed by others such as Strzelecki, Losinski, Przybyla
and Stosik.
They came initially as lumbermen to Presque Isle County, but soon became farmers,
taking advantage of the Homestead Act of 1862, whereby you could acquire a grant of 80
or 160 acres of land, if you homesteaded it for five years. But you literally had to hack it
out of the wilderness!

By 1872, there were already 40 families. Posen Township was established by 1875 along
with the first log cabin church, served by the Moravian Jesuit, Fr. Francis Szulak. (Other
nearby townships were named Pulaski and Krakow).

St. Casimir’s Parish (named after a holy Polish-Lithuanian Prince) was established in
1879. By the 1880’s the congregation swelled to 300 families. After a fire, a new framed
church was built in 1895, replaced by a modern church structure in 1970. We found that
St. Casimir’s Parish had boasted a school, which finally closed in 1997 after 111 years of
service.
We found solace walking through the picturesque, historic graves of St. Casimir’s
cemetery, the final resting place of the original Polish pioneers and their descendants.
Today, Posen remains a quiet little hamlet. The logging days are but a faint memory og
the late 19th century.

Many of the descendants of the original pioneers have moved away from the family
farms in search of economic opportunity in the big cities. The church remains, the
cemetery, several historical markers, several businesses, a few operating potato farms,
along with a few Polish speaking elders, but Posen’s Polish roots are not forgotten.

Once a year, on the weekend after Labor Day, Posen comes alive with their annual Potato
Festival. Local residents, Posen ex-patriots and Polish Americans from all over the
northern part of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula gather for a rollicking weekend of Polish
food and drink, Polka music and reminiscing about the old days. The Polish spirit still
lives in rural northern Michigan. For festival information call 989-766-8128.

Poland has an immensely glorious past. Once a multi-national Commonwealth stretching from the Baltic to the Black Sea, Poland was one of the most powerful countries in Europe in its heyday. May 3^rd Constitution Day has traditionally been considered to be one of the most significant patriotic Polish celebrations of the year. This day commemorates the signing the Polish Constitution of May 3, 1791, which is recognized universally as Europe’s first and the world’s second “modern codified national constitution.” Interestingly enough, it shares some common features with the Constitution of the United States and Poland’s reforming King Stanisław August Poniatowski said that the Polish Constitution was “founded principally on those of England and the United States and …. adapted as much as possible to the local and particular circumstances of the country.”

Although not soon enough to prevent the Partitions, the Constitution of May 3, 1791 was designed specifically in order for the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth to remedy its long-standing political defects brought on by the centuries of the nobleman’s proverbial “Golden Freedom.”  Some of its other features were:  establishment a constitutional monarchy and restoration of a hereditary throne (so neighboring countries could not buy royal elections); recognition of religious freedom and property rights; and the extension of civic rights and the franchise of the nobility (szlachta) to the townspeople, and the placement of the peasants under government protection. Most importantly, the Constitution banned the very controversial liberum veto by which ONE deputy could block legislation passed by the Sejm (i.e. Polish parliament).

Unfortunately the Constitution came too late. It was in effect for only a year, before being overthrown during the Russo-Polish War of 1792 by Russian armies allied with the Targowica Confederation. However, it was still highly regarded and Edmund Burke described it “the noblest benefit received by any nation at any time… Stanislaus II has earned a place among the greatest kings and statesmen in history.” It was declared a holiday on May 5, 1791, but was banned three times i.e. during the partitions of Poland,  during World War II by Nazi and Soviet occupiers, as well as, after 1946 by the Communist People’s Republic of Poland (where it was renamed, The Day of the Democratic Party). Constitution Day was officially restored in 1990 after the fall of Communism. The Catholic Church celebrates the May Third anniversary as a Feast Day of Our Lady Queen of Poland.

On May 2, 2010, the J. Dabrowski Polish Language School and Polish Mission organized the annual Detroit May 3^rd Constitution Day commemoration on the beautiful campus of Orchard Lake Schools. The event was hosted by the very enigmatic director of the “Polish Mission” Marcin Chumiecki. The celebration was commenced with the angelic singing of the Polish and American national anthems by Krystyna Wallag. Present as always, were members of the Polish Scouting Organization (Zwiazek Harcerstwa Polskiego), as well as, representatives of the numerous Michigan Polish organizations such as; Friends of Polish Art and Polish American Congress. An insightfully written and beautifully presented patriotic speech was delivered by Wladyslaw Bankowski. It moved the hearts of all there present. This was followed by a heartrending poem Katyn recited by Paulina Kowalczyk. A moment of silence was then observed for the victims of the April 10^th tragedy of in Smolensk. Next, an endearing performance titled Konstytucja 3 Maja was presented by the children of J. Dabrowski Polish Language School; followed by two stirring performances by the Polanie Dance Ensemble of the Polonez and Kujawiak dances. The biggest “crowd pleaser” was undeniably the violin performance of Tomasz Mikulski, with his unforgettable presentation of Witaj Majowa Jutrzenko, Polonez 1791, Bartoszu, and Poloniz Oginskiego. The guest of honor was Andrzej “Rocky” Raczkowski, runner of U.S. Congress in Michigan’s 9^th District, who took time out of his very busy schedule in order to deliver an inspiring speech reiterating the importance of the May 3^rd Constitution and the significance of Katyn. His presence was greatly appreciated by all those in attendance. The celebration concluded with a Kawiarenka where all were able to enjoy refreshments. Afterward many attended the Polish Mass in the Shrine Chapel which was accompanied by the lovely singing of the Filaret choir.