- Rusyns
ethnic group
group = Rusyns
(Русины)
poptime = 55,000 (est) associate themselves as having Rusyn ethnicity; Rusyn organisations claim approximately 2 million Rusyns
region1 = flag|Romania
pop1 = circa 25,000 (not includingHutsul s)Fact|date=July 2008
ref1 =
region2 = flag|Slovakia
pop2 = 24,201
ref2 = [ [http://www.statistics.sk/webdata/english/census2001/tab/tab3a.htm Permanently resident population by nationality and by regions and districts] - Population and Housing Census 2001, Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic]
region3 = flag|Serbia
pop3 = 15,626
ref3 = [cite book| year = 2002| month = December 24| title = Issue LII, No. 295, Final Results of the Census 2002| chapter = 3. Population by national or ethnic groups by Census 2002, by municipalities| editor =Zoran Jančić | edition = Communication| pages = 6-7| publisher =Republic Statistical Office of Serbia | location = Belgrade| id = YU ISSN 0353–9555 SRB 295 SN31 241202|url = http://www.statserb.sr.gov.yu/zip/esn31.pdf]
region4 = flag|Ukraine
pop4 = 10,100 – 1,710,000
ref4 = [http://ukrcensus.gov.ua/results/general/nationality/zakarpatia/ Про кількість та склад населення Закарпатської області
за підсумками Всеукраїнського перепису населення 2001 року] . The higher figure is an estimate based on the proportions of local-born ethnic "Ukrainians" living in relevant West-Ukrainian oblasts; the Dolinyan, Boyko, and Hutsul areas are included. See [http://haidamaka.org.ua/obr/maps/mapa2.jpgКарта говорiв украïнськоï мови] , 10.10.2008; [http://www.booksite.ru/fulltext/1/001/007/088/88994.htm Энциклопедический словарь: В 86 томах с иллюстрациями и дополнительными материалами. Edited by Андреевский, И.Е. − Арсеньев, К.К. − Петрушевский, Ф.Ф. − Шевяков, В.Т., s.v. "Русины". Online version. Вологда, Russia: Вологодская областная универсальная научная библиотека, 2001 (1890−1907)] , 10.10.2008; [http://www.ethnologue.org/show_language.asp?code=rue Ethnologue: Languages of the World. Edited by Gordon, Raymond G., Jr., s.v. "Rusyn". Fifteenth edition. Online version. Dallas, Texas, U.S.A.: SIL International, 2008 (2005)] , 10.10.2008; [http://www.eurominority.org/version/eng/minority-detail.asp?id_minorities=208 Eurominority: Peoples in search of freedom. Edited by Bodlore-Penlaez, Mikael, s.v. "Ruthenians". Quimper, France: Organization for the European Minorities, 1999–2008] , 10.10.2008. How this estimate has been prepared in detail, is represented in the Table 1 of this article.]
region5 = flag|Croatia
pop5 = 2,337
ref5 =
region6 = flag|Poland
pop6 = 5,800
ref6 = (2002–03)
rels =Eastern Orthodox , Eastern Catholic
langs = Rusyn,Pannonian Rusyn , Ukrainian, Slovak, Russian
related = OtherSlavic peoples , especiallyUkrainians Rusyns (also referred to as Русины, Ruthenians, Ruthenes, Rusins, Carpatho-Rusyns, and Rusnaks) are a
Slav icethnic group that speaks theRusyn language and are descended from the minority ofRuthenians who did not adopt the ethnonym Ukrainian to describe their ethnic identity in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Because many Ruthenians within Ukraine itself have adopted a Ukrainian ethnic identity, most contemporary Rusyns live outside Ukraine. Of the approximately 2 million people claimed by Rusyn organizations as being Rusyns, only 55,000 declare themselves as having this ethnicity. The ethnic identity of Rusyns is controversial, with some researchers claiming a separateEast Slavic ethnicity distinct fromRussians ,Ukrainians , andBelarusians , while others consider Rusyns to be a subgroup of the Ukrainian people.Location
Prior to the middle of the 19th century, Ukrainians were referred to and known as Rusyns. The ethnonym "Ukrainian" came into widespread use only in modern times, replacing the ethnonym Rusyn initially on the banks of the Dnieper and later in western Ukraine, where it was still used into the 1930s. Today only a minority group uses this ethnonym for self-identification, primarily people living in the mountainous Transcarpathian region of western Ukraine and adjacent areas in Slovakia. Having eschewed the ethnonym Ukrainian, Rusyns across the old heartland of the Kyivan Rus state continue to use the ethnonym Rusyn, asserting a local and separate Rusyn ethnic identity.
Contemporary Rusyns (those who so identify themselves today) have traditionally inhabited the area of the Eastern
Carpathian Mountains , as they still do. Their homeland is often referred to asCarpathian Ruthenia , although that area no longer directly coincides with the area of Rusyn habitation. There are resettled Rusyn communities located in thePannonian plain , parts of present-daySerbia (particularly inVojvodina – see also "Ethnic groups of Vojvodina "), as well as present-dayCroatia (in the region ofSlavonia ). Rusyns also migrated and settled in the northern regions of present-dayBosnia and Herzegovina .Many Rusyns
emigrate d to theUnited States andCanada , and are able to reconnect as a community with the advent of modern communications such as theinternet . Concerns are being voiced regarding the preservation of their unique ethnic and cultural legacy.History
Rusyns are an ethnic group that never attained independent statehood, except for the ephemeral
Lemko-Rusyn Republic andKomancza Republic afterWorld War I . The Republic ofCarpatho-Ukraine - which famously existed for only one day on March 15th, 1939 before it was occupied by Hungarian troops - is sometimes erroneously understood to have been a briefly self-determining Rusyn State. But although it was located inSubcarpathian Ruthenia , the traditional Carpatho-Rusyn homeland, the Republic was a project overseen by Ukrainian nationalists, assisted by theThird Reich . The Republic's president,Avhustyn Voloshyn , was an advocate of writing in the Rusyn vernacular but was a Ukrainophile nevertheless.The Rusyns' fate has always rested in the hands of larger neighbouring powers, such as
Hungary ,Czechoslovakia ,Slovakia ,Poland , theSoviet Union ,Ukraine , andRussia . In contrast to the modern Ukrainian national movement that united Western Ukrainians with those from the rest of Ukraine, the Rusyn national movement takes two forms: one considers Rusyns as a separate East Slavic nation, while the other is based on the concept of fraternal unity withRussians .Most of the predecessors of the Eastern Slavic inhabitants of present-day Western Ukraine referred to themselves as Rusyns ( _uk. Русини, translit. "Rusyny") prior to the nineteenth century; many of them became active participants in the creation of the Ukrainian nation and came to call themselves
Ukrainians (Ukrainian: Українці, translit. "Ukrayintsi"). There were, however, ethnic Rusyn enclaves which were not a part of this movement: those living on the border of the same territory or in more isolated regions, such as the people from Carpathian Ruthenia,Poleshuks , or the Rusyns ofPodlachia . With no reason to change their self-identifying monikers, these isolated groups continued to refer to themselves as Rusyns even after the majority of their people had begun to self-identify as Ukrainian. In this sense, Rusyns are similar to otherborderland ethnicities, and their national awakening may be viewed by some as a negation of Ukrainian nationalism.Fact|date=February 2008Some scholars consider the Lemko,
Boyko , Hutsul, Verkhovinetses (Verkhovyntsi, or Highlanders), and Dolinyanin (Haynal) ethnic groups to be Rusyn. As with the rest of the inhabitants of present-day Western Ukraine in the 19th century and first part of the 20th century, some of these peoples referred to themselves as Rusyns. However, some of these ethnic groups consider themselves to be separate ethnicities, while others claim to be Ukrainians and still others identify themselves as Rusyns. According to a recent Ukrainian census, [ [http://www.ukrcensus.gov.ua Всеукраїнський перепис населення 2001: ] ] an overwhelming majority of Boykos, Lemkos, Hutsuls, Verkhovyntsi and Dolynians in Ukraine stated their nationality as being Ukrainian. About 10,100 people, or 0.8%, of Ukraine'sZakarpattia Oblast (province) identified themselves as Rusyns; by contrast, 1,010,000 considered themselves Ukrainians. Research conducted by the University of Cambridge during the height of political Ruthenianism in the mid-1990s that focused on five specific regions within theZakarpattian oblast with the strongest pro-Ruthenian cultural and political activism, found that only nine percent of the population claimed Rusyn ethnicity. [ [http://dev.eurac.edu:8085/mugs2/do/blob.pdf?type=pdf&serial=1036425198529 Political and Ethno-Cultural Aspects of the Rusyns’ problem: A Ukrainian Perspective] - by Natalya Belitser, Pylyp Orlyk Institute for Democracy, Kyiv, Ukraine] These numbers may change with the further acceptance of Rusyn identity and the Rusyn language in educational systems in the area, but most present-day Ruthenians consider themselves to be Ukrainians.The Rusyn national movement is much stronger among those Rusyn groups that became geographically separated from present-day Ukrainian territories, for example the Rusyn emigrants in the United States and Canada, as well as the Rusyns living within the borders of Slovakia. The 2001 census in Slovakia showed that 24,000 people considered themselves ethnically Rusyn while 11,000 considered themselves to be ethnically Ukrainian. [ [http://www.centroconsult.sk/Genealogy/census.html 2001 and 1991 Slovakian censuses] ] The
Pannonian Rusyns in Serbia, who migrated there during the rule of theAustro-Hungarian Empire , also consider themselves to be Rusyns. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, some Rusyns resettled inVojvodina (in present day Serbia), as well as inSlavonia (in present-day Croatia). Still other Rusyns migrated to the northern regions of present-day Bosnia and Herzegovina, although many Rusyns in Bosnia identify themselves as Ukrainians. Until the 1971 Yugoslav census, both Ukrainians (Serbian: Украјинци, tr. "Ukrajinci") and Rusyns (Serbian: Русини, tr. "Rusini") in these areas were recorded collectively as "Ruthenes". "Podkarpatskije Rusiny " is considered the Rusyn "national anthem", "Ja Rusyn byl jesm' i budu " the national song.In March 2007 the Zakarpatian Regional Council [http://www.zakarpattya.net.ua/zol/loadnews.asp?id=6837&np=1] adopted a decision which recognized Rusyns as a separate national minority at the regional level. By the same decision the Zakarpatian Regional Council petitioned the Ukrainian central authorities to recognize Rusyns as an ethnic minority at the state level. Historically, the Polish and Hungarian states are considered to have contributed to the development of a Rusyn identity that is separate from that of other Ruthenians. Rusyns were recorded as a separate nationality by the censuses taken in pre-WWII Poland (see Cezary Chlebowski's "Wachlarz"), Czechoslovakia and Hungary.
Religion
The question of when the Rusyns adopted
Christianity (and who or what they worshipped before) is a source of some debate, but it clearly occurred prior to the Great Schism between the Orthodox and Catholic churches in 1054. Many Rusyn churches are named after the Eastern Christiansaints Cyril and Methodius, who are often referred to as the "Apostles to the Slavs."In 1994 the historian
Paul Robert Magocsi stated that there were approximately 690,000 Carpatho-Rusyn church members in the United States, with 320,000 belonging to the largestByzantine rite Catholic affiliations, 270,000 to the largest Orthodox affiliations, and 100,000 to various Protestant and other denominations. ["Our People: Carpatho-Rusyns and Their Descendants in North America", 1994.]Eastern Catholics
Most Rusyns are Byzantine rite Catholics, who since the
Union of Brest in 1596 and theUnion of Uzhhorod in 1646 have been united with the Catholic (Universal) Church under the spiritual leadership of thePope . However, they have their ownparticular Church , theRuthenian Catholic Church , and retain theByzantine Rite liturgy inOld Slavonic and most of the outward forms of Byzantine orEastern Christianity .The Rusyns of the former Yugoslavia are organized under the
Eparchy of Krizevci . Those in thediaspora in theUnited States established theByzantine Catholic Metropolitan Church of Pittsburgh .According to
Andy Warhol , a Rusyn, the beginning of the filmThe Deer Hunter shows a Rusyn wedding.Eastern Orthodox Church
Although originally associated with the
Orthodox Church of Constantinople , the affiliation of theRusyn Orthodox Church was adversely affected by the Communist revolution in the Russian Empire and the subsequentIron Curtain which split the Orthodox diaspora from the Orthodox believers living in the ancestral homelands. A number of emigré communities have claimed to continue the Orthodox tradition of the pre-revolution church while either denying or minimizing the validity of the church organization operating under Communist authority. For example, theOrthodox Church in America (OCA) was granted autocephalous (self-governing) status by the Moscow Patriarchate in 1970. Although approximately 25% of the OCA was Rusyn (referred to as "Ruthenian") in the early 1980s, an influx of Orthodox emigrés from other nations and new converts wanting to connect with the "early" church have lessened the impact of a particular Rusyn emphasis in favor of a new American Orthodoxy.Language
"Rusyn" (also referred to as the Ruthenian language) is similar to the
Slovak language andUkrainian language ; Ukrainian scholars consider "Rusyn" a dialect of Ukrainian, to the resentment of some Rusyns.Pannonian Rusyn
"Pannonian Rusyn" has been granted official status and was codified in Serbian's province of
Vojvodina . Since 1995, it has also been recognized and codified as a minority language in Slovakia (in those areas comprising at least 20% Rusyns). The Rusyn language in Vojvodina, however, shares many similarities with Slovak, and is sometimes considered a separate (micro)language, sometimes a dialect of Slovak.See also
*
Ruthenians
*Rusyn Americans
*List of Rusyn Americans
*Rusyns of Romania
*Carpatho-Rusyn Society
*Oleksandr Dukhnovych
*Alexander Duchnovič Theatre
*Nestor Kukolnik
*Petro Trochanowski Notes
References
*Chlebowski, Cezary (1983). "Wachlarz: Writings on the Liberating Organization, a Division of the National Army (Wachlarz: Monografia wydzielonej organizacji dywersyjnej Armii Krajowej : wrzesien 1941-marzec 1943)", Instytut Wydawniczy Pax. ISBN 83-211-0419-3
*Dyrud, Keith P. (1992). "The Quest for the Rusyn Soul: The Politics of Religion and Culture in Eastern Europe and in America, 1890-World War I", Balch Institute Press. ISBN 0-944190-10-3
*ed. by Patricia Krafeik (1994). "The Rusyns", Eastern European Monographs. ISBN 0-88033-190-9*Magocsi, Paul Robert (1978). "Shaping of a National Identity: Subcarpathian Rus', 1848-1948", Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-80579-8
*Magocsi, Paul Robert (1988). "Carpatho-Rusyn Studies: An Annotated Bibliography (V. 1: Garland Reference Library of the Humanities)", Garland Publishing. ISBN 0-8240-1214-3
*Magocsi, Paul Robert (1994). "Our People: Carpatho-Rusyns and Their Descendants in North America", Society of Multicultural Historical. ISBN 0-919045-66-9
*Magocsi, Paul Robert (1994). "The Rusyns of Slovakia", East European Monographs. ISBN 0-88033-278-6
*Magocsi, Paul Robert (1996). "A New Slavic Nation is Born", East European Monographs. ISBN 0-88033-331-6
*Magocsi, Paul Robert (1999). "Carpatho-Rusyn Studies: An Annotated Bibliography, 1985-1994, Vol. 2", Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-88033-420-7
*Magocsi, Paul Robert (2000). "Of the Making of Nationalities There Is No End", East European Monographs. ISBN 0-88033-438-X
*Magocsi, Paul Robert, Sandra Stotsky and Reed Ueda (2000). "The Carpatho-Rusyn Americans (Immigrant Experience)", Chelsea House Publications. ISBN 0-7910-6284-8
*Magocsi, Paul Robert (2002). "Encyclopedia of Rusyn History and Culture", University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0-8020-3566-3
*Magocsi, Paul Robert (2006). "Carpatho-Rusyn Studies : An Annotated Bibliography Vol.3 1995-1999", East European Monographs. ISBN 0-88033-531-9
*Mayer, Maria, translated by Janos Boris (1998). "Rusyns of Hungary: Political and Social Developments, 1860-1910", Eastern European Monographs. ISBN 0-88033-387-1
*Petrov, Aleksei (1998). "Medieval Carpathian Rus': The Oldest Documentation about the Carpatho-Rusyn Church and Eparchy", Eastern European Monographs. ISBN 0-88033-388-X
*Rusinko, Elaine (2003). "Straddling Borders: Literature and Identity in Subcarpathian Rus'," University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0-8020-3711-9External links
Warning: While reading the sources listed below, as well as sources of Ukrainian and Polish origin, one has to be careful to recognize the underlying interest of each of these groups supporting their own national mythology by selective presentation of information and the inter- and extrapolations favorable to that mythos.
* [http://www.rusnaci.sittcomm.sk/ RUSYNS / Lost Homes]
* [http://carpatho-rusyn.org/ The Carpatho-Rusyn Knowledge Base]
* [http://www.carpathorusynsociety.org The Carpatho-Rusyn Society]
* [http://www.rusynmedia.org Rusyn International Media Center]
* [http://www.dzvoni.netfirms.com/index_files/english1.html Rusyn Greco Catholic Church in Novi Sad (Vojvodina-Serbia)]
* [http://www.djurdjov.tk Djurdjov-Rusyn village (Serbia-Vojvodina)]
* [http://www.simkovich.org/carpatho-rusyns.carpathorussianhistory.htm Rusyn Historical Info, with focus on Subcarpathia]
* [http://www.ucc.ca/Section_2/community_profile/ The Ukrainian Canadians: A Community Profile, 1891-1999]
* [http://www1.umn.edu/ihrc/carpatho.htm Carpatho-Rusin American Collection]
* [http://feefhs.org/rusyn/indexcru.html Carpatho-Rusyn, Rusin, Ruthenia: Cross-Index]
* [http://www.lemko.org/lih/slivka.html Who Are We: Rusin, Russian, Ruthenian, Slovak ...?] by John Slivka
* [http://www.geocities.com/rusinmn/ Rusin Association of Minneapolis Minnesota Homepage]
* [http://www.acrod.org/ American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese of the U.S.A.]
* [http://www.faswebdesign.com/ECPA/Byzantine/Ruthenian.html Ruthenian Catholic Church]
* "The people exist, the ethnicity does not. Some knowledge about the Carpathian Rusyns",Zerkalo Nedeli (Mirror Weekly), November 17-23, 2001. Available online [http://www.zerkalo-nedeli.com/nn/show/369/32908/ in Russian] and [http://www.zn.kiev.ua/ie/show/369/32908/ in Ukrainian]
* 'Myhailo Tyvodar: "There is no need to prove that Transcarpathia is Ukrainian by spirit"',Zerkalo Nedeli (Mirror Weekly), April 6-12, 2002. Available online [http://www.zerkalo-nedeli.com/nn/show/388/34346/ in Russian] and [http://www.zn.kiev.ua/ie/show/388/34346/ in Ukrainian]
* [http://www.ce-review.org/00/40/pozun40.html Multi-Ethnic Outpost] by Brian J. Požun for [http://www.ce-review.org Central Europe Review]
*
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