Stanisław Wojtaszek, Maria and Józef Staszel, Rev. Antoni Siuda… they are the ones who have rendered the greatest services to MALI MANIOWIANIE. Stanisław Wojtaszek, who was the Czorsztyn Commune leader, originated the ensemble in 1994. Mr and Mrs Staszel from Nowy Targ, well-known Podhale Inhabitants’ Association members, served as its first instructors. Two years earlier, Rev. Antoni Siuda, the Maniowy parish priest died, and it was him who MALI MANIOWIANIE chose as their patron. Currently, the ensemble is led by Katarzyna Dobrzyńska, a pupil of Mr and Mrs Staszel.
Maniowy inhabitants belong to the ethnographic group of the so-called Lowland Podhale. Theirs is one of the last Podhale villages. Even though it is referred to with the prefix ‘Nowe’ [New], Maniowy has long been well-integrated with the Gorce hillsides through its distinctive architecture. Through their activity, the MALI MANIOWIANIE children wish to preserve the heritage of their forefathers, who centuries ago used to live in Stare [Old] Maniowy - the village which has long been gone. Over the places where once carts would rattle, and the church bell would call to midday prayer, and where on a scorching-hot summer day standing rye was reaped... Now, over these places, the waves of the Czorsztyn Lake are glittering in the sun.
The MALI MANIOWIANIE children want the memory to linger on, so they are meeting with the Festival of the Children of Mountains audience somewhere “na Dolinie” or “na Kaślu,” “Playing and frolicking while grazing the cattle.” There they have no choice but to manage the cows, geese and... boredom. And to cap it all, different temperaments are at play here, so quarrels flare up easily.
Will they make it up? Will “Fijołek, róza, bez,” the bolka-ball games, group dances, mountain peak songs be enough to bring some childlike joy into the shepherd's arduous everyday life. We will see!
The MALI MANIOWIANIE children want the memory to linger on, so they are meeting with the Festival of the Children of Mountains audience somewhere “na Dolinie” or “na Kaślu,” “Playing and frolicking while grazing the cattle.” There they have no choice but to manage the cows, geese and... boredom. And to cap it all, different temperaments are at play here, so quarrels flare up easily.
Will they make it up? Will “Fijołek, róza, bez,” the bolka-ball games, group dances, mountain peak songs be enough to bring some childlike joy into the shepherd's arduous everyday life. We will see!