ukrainian highlanders

[bm-21Lemko]

I found this article interesting

Ukrainian highlanders: Hutsuls, Boikos, and Lemkos : Ukraine News by UNIAN

we have the Lemkivska Vatra (lemko fire) almost every year. In the U.S., Canada and Poland and last year in 2007 President Yuschenko went to the one in Poland and gave state awards to lemko leaders recoginizing ukrainian culture abroad.

lemki folk music
YouTube - pivhucul's Video Log

[bm-21Lemko]

here is a picture of yuschenko at the meeting

[ukieoz]

Somehow people in such as Ternopil and Wolyn did not appreciate these people in the past. Why?

[bm-21Lemko]

Somehow people in such as Ternopil and Wolyn did not appreciate these people in the past. Why?

well if you mean the poles it is because of operation wistula and other harrassaments created upon the highlanders.

But with this new age today not too many people care about that anymore or have even heard of them for that matter. you would have to live near one of their villages to know who these people were.

Its not a big deal anymore, but back in the day if you said you were friends with a rusyn or lemko they would probably turn their head the other way.

If you mean Ukrainians, than its because these highlanders have a hard time accepting that they are a sub-ethnosis of ukrainians. They want to look at themselves as a seperate ethnic group as ruthenian. Ruthenian is a old word meaning people of rus. Its what the Austrians used to call ukrainians and the highlanders. But you cant seperate the groups because our language is so close to ukrainian and traditional dress outfits look the same and some of the same farming methods are the same.
so in a sence we are ukrainians.

[Zbyszek]

Originally Posted by ukieoz

Somehow people in such as Ternopil and Wolyn did not appreciate these people in the past. Why?

I guess Ukieoz meant Lemko people when she was writing "these people". The issue of Lemko people is really interesting. I read about them and I visited the mountains where they live in the Oslava river valley (a neighbourhood of Komancza). I also visited a Lemko festival in Mokre. Lemko people seem to me the last European people who used to be deprived of strong national awareness not so long ago. Some people of various nationality (Russians, Ukrainians, Poles, Canadians) also wrote interesting things about Lemkos. The general conclusion was that our discussion in this subject was not as hot as in many of historic disputes. Why? It is because there was one common conclusion that could be drawn after reading numerous articles: Lemko people showed no distinct national allegiance.
In fact they could be regarded in the past as a primitive backwater because of stubborn clinging to their little mountain world. I know there was similar issue with the Polish highlanders (gorale) who were not much appreciated in the past. Now, they became a prime tourist attraction and high mountains where they live are absolutely No 1 on the list of tourist attractions in Poland (I know for sure that Ukrainian tourists also much like Zakopane surroundings in Tatra Mountains). There is no more crowded road in Poland and there are no more road accidents than on a road between Cracow and Zakopane.
There is some kind of separatism inborn in the highlanders. They have to face tough mountain nature which is not always friendly but at the same time they love their mountains. I visited extremely interesting large skansen in Sanok in Bieshchady mountains where Lemko people live. Lemko people were not as poor as Boyko people. They built big wooden houses and their Greek Catholic or Orthodox churches were really nice. The mountains they live ( or rather used to live) present irresistible charm. At the moment, there is no intensive trourist traffic there. It is hard to believe that before WWII the mountains were so packed with people. Now, bears, lynxes and wolves returned and the mountains look wild.
I would recommend anyone loving mountains to be there and September is maybe the best month for a visit.

There is a moving song about a bitter decision of emigration over the Ocean made by a goral :

A goral na gory spoziera
I lzy rekawem ociera
Tak trzeba Panie, tak trzeba,
Dla chleba Panie, dla chleba.

And a highlander looks at his mountains [for a last time probably Zb]...
And he's shedding a tear
Yes, it is a must [to emigrate]
For bread [and better life].

Deplorably, this beautiful song has become a drunkards' chant for years. Now, they prefer some more moden tunes!

[bm-21Lemko]

here is a link for the architecture of lemkos, boikos, and hutsuls.

The Rusyns - Rusyn


well i dont believe that is true. If that were true many polish children with little lemko in them would not attend heritage/language schools on the weekend in Poland. not only that we had the lemko-rusyn republic from 1918 to 1920. We also were able in Poland to be recognized as a minority as well as in slovakia, and with no success in ukraine.

lemkos live in Lemkovyna which is southeastern poland and the presov region of Slovakia which is just on the other side of the carpathian mountains.

We may have different religions but thats from a fellow lemko as he would say "god fearing poles."

Lemkos are very much nationalistic and tied together. We stick together with the Boykos, Hutsuls and rusyns of transcarpathia.

I will say this Lemkos are not war-like people.

And Zbyszek if you want to debate that i am here.