Hutsuls

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Hutsuls

Hutsuls ( singular Hutul, Hutsul dialect: Hutsule, singular Hutsul; alternatively spelled Huculs, Huzuls, Hutzuls, Gutsuls, Guculs, Guzuls, or Gutzuls; , plural Huculi, Huculowie) are an ethno-cultural group

Ethnic group

An ethnic group is a group of humans whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage that is real or presumed.Ethnic identity is further marked by the recognition from others of a group's distinctiveness and the recognition of common culture, linguistic, religion, human behaviour or Race traits, real or presumed, as indic...
of Ukrainian

Ukrainians

Ukrainians are an East Slavs ethnic group primarily living in Ukraine, or more broadly?citizens of Ukraine . Some 200 years ago and times prior to that, Ukrainians were usually referred to and known as Rusyny ....
highlanders who for centuries have inhabited the Carpathian mountains

Carpathian Mountains

The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians are a range of mountains forming an arc of roughly 1,500 km across Central Europe and Eastern Europe, making them the largest mountain range in Europe....
, mainly in Ukraine

Ukraine

Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east; Belarus to the north; Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary to the west; Romania and Moldova to the southwest; and the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to the south....
, but also in the northern extremity of Romania

Romania

Romania is a country located in Southeastern Europe Central Europe, North of the Balkan Peninsula, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian Mountains, bordering on the Black Sea....
(in the areas of Bukovina

Bukovina

Bukovina is a historical region on the northern slopes of the northeastern Carpathian Mountains and the adjoining plains. It is currently split between Romania and Ukraine....
and Maramures

Maramures

Maramures may refer to the following:*Maramures, a geographical, historical, and ethno-cultural region in present-day Romania and Ukraine, that occupies the Maramures Depression and Maramures Mountains, a mountain range in North East Carpathian Mountains....
), as well as in Slovakia

Slovakia

Slovakia . It was amended in September 1998 to allow direct election of the president and again in February 2001 due to EU admission requirements....
and Poland

Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian Enclave and exclave, to the north....
.

e are different versions for the origins of the name Hutsul.

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Encyclopedia

Ethnic group

Ukrainians

Carpathian Mountains

Ukraine

Romania

Bukovina

Bukovina is a historical region on the northern slopes of the northeastern Carpathian Mountains and the adjoining plains. It is currently split between Romania and Ukraine....
and Maramures

Maramures

Slovakia

Slovakia . It was amended in September 1998 to allow direct election of the president and again in February 2001 due to EU admission requirements....
and Poland

Poland

Etymology

There are different versions for the origins of the name Hutsul. An explanation is that it comes from the Romanian

Romanian language

Romanian or Daco-Romanian ; self-designation: limba rom?na, ) is a Romance languages spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova....
word for "outlaw" (cf. Rom. hot - "thief", hotul - "the thief"). Other explanations place their origins in the Slavic

Slavic languages

File:Slavic europe.svgThe Slavic languages , a group of closely related languages of the Slavic peoples and a subgroup of Indo-European languages, have speakers in most of Eastern Europe, in much of the Balkans, in parts of Central Europe, and in the northern part of Asia....
kochul - "wanderer","migrant", in reference to their semi-nomad

Nomad

Nomadic people, , also known as nomads, are communities of people who move from one place to another, rather than Settler in one location....
ic lifestyle, to the name of the Turkic

Turkic peoples

The Turkic peoples are Eurasian peoples residing in northern, central and western Eurasia, and who mostly speak languages belonging to the Turkic languages....
tribe of the Uzy

Oghuz Turks

The Oghuz were a group of loosely linked nomadic Turkic peoples. In the ninth century the Oghuz Turks from the Aral steppes drove the Pechenegs of the Emba region and the Ural River toward the west....
, and even to the name of the Moravian Serbia

Moravian Serbia

Moravian Serbia was the most important of the Serbian states that emerged from the collapse of the Serbian Empire in the 14th century. The creation of this state is connected with prince Lazar Hrebeljanovic who later fought and perished at the Battle of Kosovo....
n Grand Duke Hetsyla.

History and origins

Hutsuls inhabit areas situated between the south-east of those inhabited by the Boyko

Boyko

The Boykos or Boikos are a distinctive group of Ukraine Carpathian Mountains "montagnards" or mountain-dwelllers of the Carpathian Mountains highlands....
s, down to the northern part of the Romanian segment of the Carpathians.

There are several hypotheses concerning the origin of Hutsuls. According to one of them, Hutsuls are descendants of Slavic tribe Ulichs

Ulichs

The Ulichs were a tribe of Early East Slavs who between the eighth and the tenth century inhabited the territories along the Lower Dnieper, Bug River and the Black Sea littoral....
, that had to leave their previous homes near the Buh river under the pressure of Pechenegs

Pechenegs

The Pechenegs or Patzinaks were a nomad Turkic peoples people of the Central Asian steppes speaking the Pecheneg language which belonged to the Turkic languages....
.

Hutsuls identify themselves as a part of Ukrainian

Ukrainians

Ukrainians are an East Slavs ethnic group primarily living in Ukraine, or more broadly?citizens of Ukraine . Some 200 years ago and times prior to that, Ukrainians were usually referred to and known as Rusyny ....
ethnos, having at the same time their local identity as a sub-ethnos.

Language

The Hutsul language is relatively unique. It is considered to be a dialect of Ukrainian

Ukrainian language

Ukrainian is a language of the East Slavic languages of the Slavic languages. It is the official language of Ukraine. In some areas of Russia there are dialects, Balachka or Surzhyk, which are the Ukrainianized versions of the Russian language....
with some Polish influences. Several words in their dialect have Romanian origins (e.g. kyptar - "vest", from Rom. cheptar cf. Latin

Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
pectus; zgardy - "necklace", from Rom. zgarda
List of Dacian words

This is a list of Romanian words believed to be of Dacian origin and thus representing the Eastern Romance substratum. In fact, it is not clear if they belonged to the Dacian language or the Thracian language , as the relation between the two is uncertain, and that both Dacian and Thracian are very poorly attested....
, cf.Rom. brânza).

Due to the current educational system, the Hutsul dialect is in danger of extinction. Compulsory education is done only in standardized literary Ukrainian. In recent times there has been a roots movement to keep the traditional Hutsul language alive.

Way of life and culture

Traditional Hutsul culture is often represented by the colorful and intricate craftsmanship of their clothing, sculpture, architecture, woodworking, metalworking (especially in brass

Brass

Brass is any alloy of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties. In comparison, bronze is principally an alloy of copper and tin....
), rug weaving, pottery, and egg decorating (see pysanka
Pysanka

A pysanka is a Ukrainian Easter egg, decorated using a wax-resist method. The word comes from the verb pysaty, "to write", as the designs are not painted on, but written with beeswax....
). Along with other Hutsul traditions, as well as their songs and dances, this culture is often celebrated and highlighted by the different countries that Hutsuls inhabit. Ukrainian Hutsul culture bears a noted resemblance to the traditional culture of Romania

Culture of Romania

Romania's culture is the product of its geographical position and of its distinct historical evolution. It is fundamentally defined as the meeting point of three regions: Central Europe, Eastern Europe, and the Balkans, but cannot be truly included in any of them....
, with that of western and southwestern Ukraine , and with that of other mountainous people which may have similar origins, such as the Gorals

Gorals

The Gorale are a group of indigenous people found along southern Poland, northern Slovakia, and in the region of Cieszyn Silesia in the Czech Republic....
in Poland

Poland

Slovakia

Slovakia . It was amended in September 1998 to allow direct election of the president and again in February 2001 due to EU admission requirements....
and the Moravian Wallachia

Moravian Wallachia

Moravian Wallachia is a mountainous region located in the easternmost part of Moravia, Czech Republic, near the Slovakian border. The name Wallachia was formerly applied to all the highlands of Moravia and neighboring Silesia, although in the nineteenth century a smaller area came to be defined as ethno-cultural Moravian Wallachia....
ns in the Czech Republic

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country borders Poland to the northeast, Germany to the west, Austria to the south and Slovakia to the east....
. Most Hutsuls belong to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church

Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church

The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church , also known as the Ukrainian Catholic Church, is one of the successor Church body to the Baptism of Kiev by Grand Prince Vladimir the Great of Kiev , in 988....
and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church

Ukrainian Orthodox Church

Ukrainian Orthodox Church may refer to:Churches in Ukraine *Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Kiev Patriarchate*Ukrainian Orthodox Church ...
.

Hutsul society was traditionally based on forestry

Forestry

Forestry is the art and science of managing forests, tree plantations, and related natural resources. Silviculture, a related science, involves the growing and tending of trees and forests....
and logging

Logging

Logging is the process in which certain trees are cut down for forest management and timber....
, as well as cattle and sheep breeding; the Hutsuls are credited with having created the breed of horse known as the Hucul pony

Hucul pony

The Hucul or Carpathian is a pony or small horse list of horse breeds originally from the Carpathian Mountains. It has a heavy build and possesses great endurance and hardiness....
. They use unique musical instruments, including the "trembita

Trembita

Trembita - An Ukrainian alpine horn made of wood.Used primarilly by mountain dwellers known as Hutsuls in the Carpathians. It was used as a signaling device to announce deaths, funerals, weddings....
" (trâmbita), a type of alpenhorn of Dacian origin, as well multiple varieties of the fife

Fife (musical instrument)

A fife is a small, high-pitched, transverse flute that is similar to the piccolo, but louder and shriller due to its narrower bore. The fife originated in medieval Europe and is often used in Military band and marching bands....
, or sopilka
Sopilka

Sopilka is a name applied to a variety of woodwind instruments of the flute family used by Ukrainians folk music. Sopilka most commonly refers to a fife made of a variety of materials and has six to ten finger holes....
, that are used to create unique folk melodies and rhythms. Also frequently used are the bagpipe (duda), the jew's harp

Jew's harp

The Jew's harp, jaw harp, mouth harp, Ozark harp, marranzano pancake, or Omaha Flapjack is thought to be one of the oldest musical instruments in the world ; a musician apparently playing it can be seen in a Chinese drawing from the 3rd century BC ....
(drymba), and the hammered dulcimer - tsymbaly

Tsymbaly

The tsymbaly is the Ukrainian version of the hammer dulcimer. It is a chordophone made up of a trapezoidal box with metal strings strung across it....
.

The Hutsuls served as an inspiration for many writers, such as Ivan Franko

Ivan Franko

Ivan Yakovych Franko was a Ukrainians poet, writer, social and literary critic, journalist, economist, and political activist. He was a political radical, and a founder of the socialist movement in western Ukraine....
, Lesya Ukrainka

Lesya Ukrainka

Larysa Petrivna Kosach-Kvitka better known under her literary pseudonym Lesya Ukrainka , was one of Ukraine's best-known poets and writers and the foremost woman writer in Ukrainian literature....
, Mykhailo Kotsiubyns'kyi, Vasyl Stefanik, Marko Cheremshyna

Marko Cheremshyna

Marko Cheremshyna , was a Ukrainians writer of Hutsul background....
, Mihail Sadoveanu

Mihail Sadoveanu

Mihail Sadoveanu was a Romanian novelist, short story writer, journalist and political figure, who twice served as President of Romania under the Communist Romania ....
, Stanislaw Vincenz and painters, such as Teodor Axentowicz

Teodor Axentowicz

Teodor Axentowicz was an Poland painter and university professor of Armenians descent. A renowned artist of his times, he was also the rector of the Academy of Fine Arts in Krak?w....
famous for his portraits and subtle scenes of Hutsul life. Sergei Parajanov

Sergei Parajanov

Sergei Parajanov was a Soviet Armenian film director and artist, widely regarded as one of the 20th century's greatest masters of cinema.He invented his own unparalleled cinematic style....
's 1964 film Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors
Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors

Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors , also called Shadows of Our Forgotten Ancestors, Shadows of Our Ancestors, or Wild Horses of Fire - is a 1964 in film film by the Soviet-Armenians filmmaker Sergei Parajanov based on the book by Ukrainian writer Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky....
(???? ??????? ???????), which is based on the book by Mykhailo Kotsiubyns'ky, portrays scenes of traditional Hutsul life.

Every summer, the village of Sheshory in Ukraine hosts a three-day international festival of folk music and art. Two Hutsul-related museums are located in Kolomyia

Kolomyia

Kolomyia is a city located on the Prut River in the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast , in western Ukraine. Serving as the Capital city of the Kolomyisky Raion , the city is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast....
, Ukraine: the Pysanky museum and the Museum of Hutsul and Pokuttya

Pokuttya

Pokuttya or Pokuttia is a historical area of Central Europe, between upper Prut and Cheremosh rivers, in modern Ukraine. Historically it was a culturally-distinct area inhabitated by Romanians and Ukrainians on the previously-unpopulated borderlands between the lands of Lviv and Halych....
Folk Art. Traditional Hutsul sounds and moves were effectively used by the Ukrainian winner of the 2004 Eurovision song contest

Eurovision Song Contest 2004

The Eurovision Song Contest 2004, the 49th in the series, was held in the Abdi Ipek?i Arena in Istanbul, Turkey, with the final on 15 May 2004 and the new semi-final three days earlier on 12 May....
, Ruslana Lyzhychko.

External links

and glossaries

Hutsuls

Etymology

History and origins

Language

Way of life and culture

See also

External links