Hutsuls
Hutsuls (,
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 (areas of
Bukovina and
Maramures), as well as in
Slovakia and
Poland.
Altough 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 (oppinions also vary over their status as a subgroup of the Ukrainian ethnicity itself), as well as whether they originated from the
Romanian people.
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].
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.
Although most of them speak the Hutsul dialect (a dialect of Ukrainian/
Rusyn with Polish influences
,
,
, [
2], [
3], ), 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.
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 [
4], with that of western Ukraine [
5] [
6], and with that of other mountaineous people which may have similar origins, such as the
Gorals in
Poland and
Slovakia[
7] 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.
*
List of famous Hutsuls*
Gorals*
Vlachs*
Moravian Wallachia*
Arkan *
Arcan dance*
Hutsulka*
Kolomyjka*
Holubka*
Ukrainian dance*
Romanian - Hutsul glossary *
Hutsul - English glossary*
Huţuls of northern Moldavia*
Huculs*
Famous Hutzul leader Oleksa Dovbush*
Introduction to Hutsul Country*
Hutsul Region of Ukraine*
Hutsul Portal (mostly in Romanian)
