Amrum and Før Islands
Amrum Island and Før Island (left), and Close-Up (right)
The Frisians are a West Germanic people, while the Danes are a North Germanic people.
Hundreds of years ago, some Frisian was spoken on Rømø Island, but Rømø was never sufficiently settled by Frisians to be considered a "Frisian" Island.
In contract, Amrum and Før (labeled C1 and C4, above) still inhabited today by about 33% ethnic Frisians, and the Frisian language is still widely spoken on those islands.
Image Credit: YoshiFan02 (Reddit Geography). Outstanding work, sir!
Overview
Amrum and Før (German: Föhr) Islands have been inhabited by the North Frisian people for centuries. During the period in which these islands wore folk costumes as daily wear (1750-1850), they were under Danish control. They remained a part of Denmark until 1864, when they were lost to Germany during the 2nd Schleswig War. In a 1920 vote (plebiscite), "Central Schleswig" (aka Zone II) was given a choice to remain a part of Germany or return to Danish control. Given that it had been settled by Germans between 1864 and 1920, Central Schleswig voted to remain a part of Germany by a margin of 80% in favor with 20%. Notably, the only towns in all of Central Schleswig to favor joining Denmark were three small hamlets in the southwest corner of Föhr: Utersum, Witsum, and Hedehusum. Despite the 1920 plebiscite, many view these islands' folk costumes as being every bit as Danish as those from Fanø or Rømø. Furthermore, these costumes are utterly unique among Danish garb, and gloriously flashy.
Amrum headcloth (left) and Rømø headcloth (right) suggest similar Frisian origins for both
Amrum costume
It is not hard to see how similar the Amrum headcloth and neckcloth are to those of Rømø, Mandø and Fanø.
from "Danske Nationaldragter," 3rd Ed. (1915)
by F.C. Lund with illustrations by Luplau Janssen
