From: RUBAN@hartford.bitnet ("Timur Y. Ruban")
Newsgroups: soc.culture.soviet
Subject: RE: Zaporozh Cossacks, etc
Date: 14 Aug 92 18:23:00 GMT
Reply-To: "soc.culture.soviet via ListServ" <SCS-L@indycms.iupui.edu>

From:         ITF@PSUVM.PSU.EDU

>As the person who started the question, I was interested in the issue of the
>revival of cultural, political, intellectual and other traditions in East
>Europe and their effect on diaspora communities.  I do research on Ukrainian
>and Jewish aged in the United States, and their comments and memories of
>older traditions are an important part of how they talk about their lives.
>Understanding those traditions, both from the time these elders lived in
>East Europe and the current manifistations of these traditions is of
>importance in putting the material into context.

>Allen Glicksman
>itf@psuvm.psu.edu

Allen, you are doing an interesting job, but I think that it is hardly possible
to find anybody from alive witnesses of Sich.

  The culture of SIch, its customs and traditions were unique.  But still, the
word 'cossacks' quite often mistakenly generalize different social and even
ethnical groups from different places of Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, etc.
  The elders, who are still keeping traditions of 'cossacks' (not too many of
them are left in world) maybe do follow ancient traditions, but not those from
Sich (or as you call them Zaporozh) Cossacks.  Let me explain, please...

  The Cossacks in Ukraine (or "wild fields" as it was called before) could be
'classified' in two groups: Sich Cosacks and Hetman Cossacks.  One of the main
differences between those two groups was their style of life.  Sichevicks were
literally nomads, who made their living in permanent wars or other variety of
military conflicts.  Well, sometimes in later years, also trade - salt (only
during the times of their "Turkish" exile).  Sich, as you probably know, was
kind of a militarized organization, were no women were allowed, capital punish-
ment was kind of frequent (though never cossack was an executioner of cossack -
this job was performed by Tatar "POW's") and therefore its inhabitants (who did
not really lived a very long time if they remained members of Kosh or Kuren)
had their own unique mentality, a very interesting mix of honesty, love to
freedom (not only physical but 'soul' too - beliefs, values, etc.) and commit-
ment to death.  Anybody could become Sichevick and this also have resulted in
the formation of "image" or mentality of Sich Coassack, who maybe did not know
how to write but could quite often communicate in 3 or 4 different languages.
  At the same time, another group (which was later called "Hetman Cossacks" or
"Hetmantsi") was SETTLING (the magic word) on the other side of Dnipro (right)
up, closer to the northern areas of what is called now Ukraine. Yes, the magic
word have played the key difference between both groups.  Settled Cossacks were
also Cossacks, but with quite different traditions and customs then Sichevicks.
Usually married, with many children they were living lives of 'normal' farmers,
and did not even had organized military for quite a while, receiving protection
from their Sich brothers.  No doubt, that cultural exchange was enourmous -
from time to time, some Sichevik would decide to leave 'crazy life of nomad' and
settle down somewhere close to Sich, so he could still communicate with some of
his old brothers, who survived all the troubles of Sich life. He still was
remaining a Cossack, but not the same he was years before.  The way of life was
changed and he was, therefore changed themselve and his culture was NOT any-
more culture of Sich.  And real Sichevicks... they either died in wars, were
exectuted by Peter and, later Catherine, or settled down, transforming from
generation into generation into a quite different cultural bios.

  The point of everything said above is, that despite all the chronicles and
variety of books, researches and projects written on Sich, there is no any
valuable (alive) source, which could bring more valuable input into the history
of Sich.  The Sich is dead for more then one and a half century.  It have lived
its time (ups and downs, pride and shame) and it disappeared, taking with it
everything what it had give birth to -traditions, culture, values.

Sincerely,
Timur Y. Ruban
RUBAN@HARTFORD.BITNET