Editorial photo #1634806 Social Issue

The Descendants Of Pomerania

The Pomeranians, in German Pommern, are a German people originally from Pomerania, in the Baltic Sea region, between curret Germany and Poland. The original language of this people is the Pomeranian. In the 19th century, thousands of Pomeranians immigrated, mainly to the United States and Brazil, where thousands of Pomeranians live. With the German defeat in World War II, most of Pomerania was annexed by Poland. As a consequence, the Pomeranian language virtually disappeared in Europe. Brazil is the only country in the world where Pomeranians are still spoken regularly, especially in Esprito Santo, southeastern Brazil, where there is a city known as Santa Maria de Jetib, with about 300 families who communicate in the language of their ancestors. Largely small farmers. Pomeranians descendants struggle to preserve the language and traditions of their people. January 4, 2017, Esprito Santo, southeastern Brazil. Claudiomar Ninke and Josimar Ninke, 32, are twin brothers and dedicate themselves to playing the musical instrument known as Concertina, during parties typical of the Pomerano people. They prefer to sing in the Pomeranian language, even though they know how to sing in Portuguese. (Photo by Diego Herculano/NurPhoto)