Saterland Frisians
Encyclopedia
The Saterland Frisians are one of the smallest language groups in Europe. They belong to the eastern branch of the Frisian people
and are thus a recognised minority within Germany. They live in the Saterland
(Saterland Frisian: Seelterlound), a community in the northern part of Cloppenburg district (Lower Saxony
).
The Saterland Frisians came from East Frisia
, but around 1200 they left their old homeland after several major storm tides and settled the present-day Saterland. There they superimposed themselves on the indigenous, but thinly spread Westphalian-Saxons
and assimilated them. The fact that they are clearly counted as Frisians is evinced by a document dated May 1400: together with the other East Frisian estates and rural communities, they signed an agreement with representatives of the Hanseatic League
that they would no longer afford any more assistance to the Victual Brothers
, a band of pirates
active in the North Sea. Also, in a document from that time, the Saterland Frisians were designated as belonging to the seven Frisian coastal lands.
What is noteworthy about the Saterland Frisians today is that they have preserved the old Frisian language, the last Frisians in East Frisia to do so, Approximately 1,000-2,500 people speak a Frisian dialect interspersed with elements of Lower Saxon known as Saterland Frisian
. Research by the University of Göttingen put the number at 2,250 persons.
Frisians
The Frisians are a Germanic ethnic group native to the coastal parts of the Netherlands and Germany. They are concentrated in the Dutch provinces of Friesland and Groningen and, in Germany, East Frisia and North Frisia, that was a part of Denmark until 1864. They inhabit an area known as Frisia...
and are thus a recognised minority within Germany. They live in the Saterland
Saterland
Saterland is a municipality in the district of Cloppenburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated between the cities of Leer, Cloppenburg, and Oldenburg...
(Saterland Frisian: Seelterlound), a community in the northern part of Cloppenburg district (Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
).
The Saterland Frisians came from East Frisia
East Frisia
East Frisia or Eastern Friesland is a coastal region in the northwest of the German federal state of Lower Saxony....
, but around 1200 they left their old homeland after several major storm tides and settled the present-day Saterland. There they superimposed themselves on the indigenous, but thinly spread Westphalian-Saxons
Saxons
The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic tribes originating on the North German plain. The Saxons earliest known area of settlement is Northern Albingia, an area approximately that of modern Holstein...
and assimilated them. The fact that they are clearly counted as Frisians is evinced by a document dated May 1400: together with the other East Frisian estates and rural communities, they signed an agreement with representatives of the Hanseatic League
Hanseatic League
The Hanseatic League was an economic alliance of trading cities and their merchant guilds that dominated trade along the coast of Northern Europe...
that they would no longer afford any more assistance to the Victual Brothers
Victual Brothers
The Victual Brothers were a companionship of privateers who later turned to piracy. They were hired in 1392 by the Dukes of Mecklenburg to fight against Denmark, because the Danish Queen Margaret I had imprisoned Albrecht of Mecklenburg and his son in order to subdue the kingdom of Sweden...
, a band of pirates
Piracy
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence at sea. The term can include acts committed on land, in the air, or in other major bodies of water or on a shore. It does not normally include crimes committed against persons traveling on the same vessel as the perpetrator...
active in the North Sea. Also, in a document from that time, the Saterland Frisians were designated as belonging to the seven Frisian coastal lands.
What is noteworthy about the Saterland Frisians today is that they have preserved the old Frisian language, the last Frisians in East Frisia to do so, Approximately 1,000-2,500 people speak a Frisian dialect interspersed with elements of Lower Saxon known as Saterland Frisian
Saterland Frisian language
Saterland Frisian, also known as Sater Frisian or Saterlandic , is the last living dialect of the East Frisian language. It is closely related to the other Frisian languages—North Frisian, which, like Saterland Frisian, is spoken in Germany and West Frisian, which is spoken in the Netherlands.- Old...
. Research by the University of Göttingen put the number at 2,250 persons.
Sources
- Annette Heese: Das Saterland - Ein Streifzug durch die Geschichte Gemeinde Saterland, Saterland 1988, ISBN 3-9801728-0-5
- Hanne Klöver: Spurensuche im Saterland: Ein Lesebuch zur Geschichte einer Gemeinde friesischen Ursprungs im Oldenburger Land, SKN Druck & Verlag GmbH & Co., Saterland 1998, ISBN 3-928327-32-1
- Saterfriesisches Volksleben: Texte u. Zeugnisse aus d. fries. Saterland mit hochdt. Übers. / Marron C. Fort [ed.]. Rhauderfehn: Ostendorp, 1985, ISBN 3-921516-42-0
- Saterfriesische Stimmen: Texte und Zeugnisse aus d. fries. Saterland mit hochdt. Übers. / Marron C. Fort [ed.]. Rhauderfehn: Ostendorp, 1990, ISBN 3-921516-48-X