Kurpie Białe

Kurpie Białe is an ethnographic group of Polish people inhabiting the Puszcza Biała region in Mazovia.

They are descendants of families settled in the area during the 18th century by the bishops of Płock, the landowners of the forest. These settlers were tasked with repopulating the Puszcza Biskupia area, which had experienced depopulation due to the Swedish wars, Cossack invasions, and epidemics. The migration of settlers occurred primarily between 1730 and 1790, with most originating from Puszcza Zielona, where they possessed valuable knowledge in forest management, including skills as honey hunters, charcoal burners, potash burners, meadow caretakers, and hunters. Unlike the serfdom that had been prevalent in surrounding villages since medieval times, these settlers were granted leasehold rights.

The relative isolation of the region, although less pronounced than that of Puszcza Zielona, contributed to the development of a distinct culture among the Kurpie Białe. This culture encompasses both material aspects—such as paper cuttings, weaving, traditional clothing, embroidery, sculpture, pottery, wickerwork, household decorations, and ritual art—and spiritual elements, including songs, rituals, and customs. The subdialect and architectural style of Kurpie Białe share similarities with those found in Puszcza Zielona.

This region is less well-known than the Kurpie Zielone. In the 21st century, various local initiatives have emerged aimed at preserving and revitalizing the customs, traditions, and history of Kurpie Białe. Cultural artifacts from the Kurpie Biała community can be viewed in institutions such as the Kurpie Culture Museum in Ostrołęka, the Regional Museum in Pułtusk, the Ethnographic-Historical Museum in Kamieńczyk, the Maria Żywirska Open-Air Museum in Brańszczyk, and the Kurpie Forge in Pniewo, an institution managed by the association "Puszcza Biała – My Little Homeland". Libraries, cultural centers (e.g., in Pułtusk and Ostrów Mazowiecka), memory chambers, and non-governmental organizations—such as the Association of Friends of Puszcza Biała and Kamieniecka, as well as rural women's groups—play an active role in promoting and preserving the culture of Kurpie Białe.