The Kursieniki you 'Kant' escape them!

The news (imparted by Manx Radio) that some obscure German University is placing Manx under the cultural microscope continues to fascinate me.

I speculated yesterday that their efforts would be better placed studying the fate of the Kuršininkai people of the Curonian Spit - with whom they have some kinship. Last night whilst ruminating about this (over one pint to many) a colleague reminds me that the most enduring legacy the Kursieniki left to mankind was the thoughts of Immanuel Kant. Kant’s forebears purportedly originated from the Spit and he’s possibly the only famous ‘son’ of the Kursieniki other than Ludwig Rhesa who coincidentally was into Baltic folklore - the University of Wurzburg would have loved him. The Kuršininkai were primarily fishermen - so a bit like the Manx then before we developed bad habits like the finance sector and the TT!

Germans are on odd lot at least if you believe US President Donald Trump. Eighty odd years ago it was all ‘guns before butter’ and invading Poland now according to Trump they won’t pay their wack to NATO. Perhaps it’s because they are involved in obscure expensive research projects into Manx Culture.

Returning to Kant his fortunes ebbed and flowed. He has a rather grand tomb at Königsberg Cathedral but the museum to him in the City of Königsberg (now Kaliningrad in Russia) was trashed by the Soviets at the end of World War 2. However as they say ‘time is a great healer’ so about a decade ago Kaliningrad State University was renamed Immanuel Kant State University of Russia by Vladimir Putin.

Who knows the great Wurzburg University survey into Manx and are culture may yet discover that Chris Thomas MHK was the great saviour of our identity and the University College Man may be renamed ‘The Chris Thomas University of Culture’.

Image: Kant’s tomb so at least one Kursieniki left a ‘footprint!

Bernard Moffatt