Hutsuls

Hutsuls (, Romanian: Huţuli, singular Huţul, Hutsul dialect: Hutsule, singular Hutsul; alternatively spelled Huculs, Huzuls, Hutzuls, Gutsuls, Guculs, Guzuls, or Gutzuls) are highlanders who for centuries have inhabited the Carpathian mountains, mainly in Ukraine, but also in the northern extremity of Romania (areas of Bukovina), as well as in Slovakia and Poland.

There is an ongoing and, often politically charged, debate on whether Hutsuls are of the Ukrainian ethnicity or the Rusyn one (oppinions also vary over their status as a subgroup of the Ukrainian ethnicity itself), as well as whether they originated from the Romanian people.

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 Ukrainian word kochuvaty - "to wander", in reference to their nomadic lifestyle, to the name of the Turkic tribe of the Uzy, and even to the name of the Moravian king Hetsyl^*.

Historically, in East Slavic languages, Hutsul had come to mean "a person who attacks from the mountains the inhabitants of the lowlands", or sometimes even "a person who kills".

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.

Language

Although most of them speak the Ukrainian or Rusyn languages, 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).

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 also bears a noted resemblance to the cultures of other parts of western Ukraine ^*" target="_blank" >Romania, as well as the traditional culture of other mountaineous people with similar origins, such as the Gorals in Poland and Slovakia[http://www.pgsa.org/Towns/Gorale.htm" target="_blank" >^* 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 know 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, and Vasyl Stefanik. 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.

External links

Slavic ethnic groups | Bukovina

Gourt Home::Gourt :: Hutsuls

Etymology

History and origins

Language

Way of life and culture

See also

External links