Hutsuls
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- This article is about an ethnic group. For the horse breed, see Hucul pony.
Hutsuls (Ukrainian: Гуцули, singular Гуцул, Romanian: Huţuli, singular Huţul, Hutsul dialect: Hutsule, singular Hutsul; alternatively spelled Huculs, Huzuls, Hutzuls, Gutsuls, Guculs, Guzuls, or Gutzuls) are an ethno-cultural group of highlanders who for centuries have inhabited the Carpathian mountains, mainly in Ukraine, but also in the northern extremity of Romania (in the areas of Bukovina and Maramureş), as well as in Slovakia and Poland.
Although Hutsuls have a distinct self-identity, there is an ongoing and, often politically charged, debate on whether Hutsuls are of the Ukrainian ethnicity or the Rusyn one (opinions also vary over their status as a subgroup of the Ukrainian ethnicity itself), as well as whether they originated from the Romanian people.
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[edit] Etymology
There are different versions for the origins of the name hutsul. An explanation is that it comes from the Romanian language word for "outlaw" (cf. Rom. hoţ - "thief"). Other explanations place their origins in the Slavic kochul - "wanderer","migrant", in reference to their semi-nomadic lifestyle, to the name of the Turkic tribe of the Uzy, and even to the name of the Moravian king Hetsyl[1].
[edit] History and origins
Hutsuls inhabit areas situated between the south-east of those inhabited by the Boykos, down to the northern part of the Romanian segment of the Carpathians.
Two prominent theories of their origin state that the Hutsuls may have begun as an early non-Romanised Thracian or Dacian population, which was later linguistically assimilated with the neighboring Slavs, or the origin may only go back as far as a later Romanised Dacian (Romanian) population (see Vlachs), which was also linguistically assimilated.
[edit] Language
Although most of them speak the Hutsul dialect (a dialect of Ukrainian/Rusyn with Polish influences [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], ), several words in their dialect have Romanian origins (e.g. kyptar - "vest", from Rom. cheptar cf. Latin pectus; zgardy - "necklace", from Rom. zgardă, cf. Albanian shkardhë; bryndza - "cheese", cf. Rom. brânză).
Due to the current educational system, the Hutsul dialect is in danger of extinction, as the compulsory education is done only in Ukrainian, including in countries where Hutsuls are recognised as a separate minority than the Ukrainian one.
[edit] 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), rug weaving, pottery, and egg decorating (see pysanka). 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. Hutsul culture bears a noted resemblance to the traditional culture of Romania [7], with that of western Ukraine [8] [9], and with that of other mountainous people which may have similar origins, such as the Gorals in Poland and Slovakia[10] and the Moravian Wallachians in the Czech Republic. Most Hutsuls belong to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and the Ruthenian Catholic Church.
Hutsul society was traditionally based on forestry and logging, as well as cattle and sheep breeding; the Hutsuls are credited with having created the breed of horse known as the Hucul pony. They use unique musical instruments, including the "trembita" (trâmbiţa), a type of alpenhorn of Dacian origin, as well multiple varieties of the fife, or sopilka, that are used to create unique folk melodies and rhythms. Also frequently used are the bagpipe (duda), the jew's harp (drymba), and the hammered dulcimer - cymbalom.
The Hutsuls served as an inspiration for many writers, such as Ivan Franko, Lesya Ukrainka, Mykhailo Kotsiubyns'kyi, Vasyl Stefanik and Mihail Sadoveanu. Sergei Parajanov's film Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (Тіні забутих предків), 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, Ukraine: the Pysanky museum and the Museum of Hutsul and Pokuttya Folk Art. Traditional Hutsul sounds and moves were effectively used by the Ukrainian winner of the 2004 Eurovision song contest, Ruslana Lyzhichko.
[edit] See also
- List of Hutsul people
- Gorals
- Vlachs
- Moravian Wallachia
- Arkan
- Arcan dance
- Hutsulka
- Kolomyjka
- Holubka
- Ukrainian dance
