Each of the month’s exhibits is an opportunity to introduce the fate of the family to which the item belonged. In this way, the Sybir Memorial Museum honors its donors who donate family souvenirs to the museum and at the same time presents the history of the deportation of Polish citizens. Sometimes an object that at first glance is not associated with suffering and tragedy may hide painful memories. This is the case with the sweater presented in January, knitted by Janina Karpińska during the deportation, which we presented today as part of the next part of the “Exhibit of the Month” series.

Mr. Witold Sienkiewicz – the son of Janina Karpińska, who came to the meeting with his wife, children, grandchildren and closest friends – talked about the family souvenir.

On June 19, 1941, the Soviets came for the entire Karpiński family. Aleksander Karpiński, his wife Leokadia Karpińska who was pregnant at the time, and their five children including ten-year-old Janina then, were taken away. In the meantime, the father of the family was arrested and imprisoned in Augustów. The reason was the alleged shelter of a partisan, which was reported to the authorities by one of the neighbors. Due to the sudden outbreak of the German-Soviet war, Alexander managed to escape. His loved ones were not so lucky. By train and then by cart, in inhumane conditions, they arrived to the “Skotovod” sovkhoz in the Khakas Autonomous Oblast.

– The youngest, three-year-old Irenka, could not withstand the extreme conditions they found in Siberia. Not knowing the local fruits, she probably ate something similar to currants. She became terribly ill and died. Leszek, who was born in autumn, also died due to lack of food and food – recalls Mr. Witold.

The rest of the family tried to survive. Mother Leokadia did all the work like a man – she mowed with a scythe and helped with the harvest. Children also helped to keep the family alive and had to work hard like adults. Ten-year-old Janina helped her mother as much as she could, knitting socks, gloves and sweaters.

– The locals noticed that my mother had such a gift, so they brought their own wool or yarn and she always made some extra money – says Mr. Witold.

It was during this difficult time that Janina knitted a sweater and dyed it in blueberry juice. She brought her worn-out clothes with her to Poland in 1946, thanks to which she could better endure the cold. Thanks to the generosity of the family, the sweater donated to the collection can be seen in the upper hall of the Sybir Memorial Museum as the January Exhibit of the Month.

At the end of the meeting, Mr. Witold share with the audience the joyful information that his mother – Mrs. Janina, turned 93 last week. We wish Mrs. Janina a lot of strength and health!