ON THE LANGUAGE ISSUE IN UKRAINE

The more things change.....   This was published in my column "The Things We Do" in The Ukrainian Weekly August 19, 2007.  Five years ago, and what has changed?

They taught them well. Over the centuries of the Russian tsarist empire, and especially during the 70 years of the Soviet empire, they taught them very well, indeed. Oscar Hammerstein II wrote the lyrics for the musical “South Pacific” (music by Richard Rodgers) in 1949. In the musical, this song is about an inter-racial romance, with Lt. Cable expressing his frustration at being uncomfortable over loving a Polynesian girl: “You’ve got to be taught to hate and fear. You’ve got to be taught from year to year. It’s got to be drummed in your dear little ear. You’ve got to be carefully taught. You’ve got to be taught before it’s too late – before you are six or seven or eight, to hate all the people your relatives hate. You’ve got to be carefully taught!”

In the case of present-day Ukraine, it is not hating another group or race that is the problem. 
It is self-hate – hating yourself and all your own – your nation, your culture, your language. For patriotic Ukrainians, such people are “yanychary” – or “yanuchary” (supporters of Yanukovych and others). These are the contemporary equivalent of the Janissaries (yanychary in Ukrainian). The young boys captured during the Tatar and Turkish raids and invasions of Ukraine in the 15th-17th centuries were brought up to forget their past and to become loyal Turkish soldiers. They were indoctrinated to forget and to turn against their own, because later, as soldiers, they returned to Ukraine as raiders, repeating the cycle.  The yanychary today are those Ukrainians raised or educated to think that anything Ukrainian is second-class, and not as “prestigious” as Russian. They are the ones who speak Russian rather than Ukrainian, who pull for closer ties with Russia and consider Ukrainian as just not cool. To them, even though they are home in their own land, they are enemies to everything Ukrainian. Ukraine is a convenient place, not a homeland.

ORYSIA'S TOUR TO UKRAINE - 2013

The registration for this year's tour is closed.  

Start planning for 2013!  Families, friends, one and all -- plan on a family or friends' group together.  Dates have not been set yet, but usually we go in August.  If you have a large enough group, we can custom design a tour just for you, including the ancestral villages and sites you wish to visit at a time convenient for you.   

And please remember -- you don't have to be Ukrainian or know Ukrainian to go!  We've had folks from all across North America, and from Australia and Japan.  They all become honourary Ukrainians.  I interpret and translate all the time.  I'm the mother hen for the group.

Please see my previous post "WHAT A REUNION, WHAT A CENTENNIAL!  TOUR TO UKRAINE" with the article by Marvin Marykuca.  And do check my other postings about my tour.  Details here.

WINNIPEG FREE PRESS UKRAINIAN SPECIAL

The special FYI issue today is on Ukrainians in Winnipeg and Manitoba.  I'm honoured that I was asked to contribute    (one correction, though:    in my article on surnames -- IBAHKO   was what I had, but it lower case - as was "corrected" is Ibahko...   whaaaa?! -- misses the point)




http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/fyi/ 

You will have to search for "Ukrainians FYI" for individual articles.  Trying to find a specific link to the whole section.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/keeping-ukrainian-in-the-classroom-160104645.html


http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/multimedia/pov/WinnipegsUkrainianheritage-160063855.html

FOR FATHER'S DAY: RECOLLECTIONS OF TATO

This was written in 1987, and published in The Ukrainian Weekly.

My father, Vasyl, died almost nine years ago. The day after my sister's

wedding, he suffered a severe heart attack, spent two months in a coma, and

died without regaining consciousness on November 1, 1978. For some reason,

Father's Day is the hardest day in the year for me, more painful than the day

of his death, or his birthday.

Tato lived a life similar to that of thousands of Ukrainian men of his

generation (born right before and during the First World War). He was born

and grew up in the Boyko region. His mother died when he was very young,

and the stereotypical evil stepmother came into his life. He finished the

schooling available under Polish rule to the children of the village (selo). The

family was strongly aware of its national and cultural ideals, and participated

in the organized life of the selo.

UKRAINIAN WEDDINGS

Wedding season is in full swing.  We attended one last week, and are going to another one today.  Gorgeous weather, sunny, lovely, God is good!


People in Manitoba look forward to being invited to a Ukrainian wedding because it is fun.  Much fun.  Also, full of tradition.  And, you don't get married in 15 minutes!  Takes a while.  But still fun.

Many years ago, I presented a paper on Ukrainian Manitoba weddings for the Manitoba Historical Society Conference at the University of Manitoba.  It was published in The Ukrainian Weekly in two parts here and here.

Please check the references at the end of part II for more info.

STAY INFORMED

about Ukrainian issues.

A few good sites for current and historical information:

http://www.eposhta.com/newsmagazine/

http://www.infoukes.com/       http://www.infoukes.com/lists/   [esp. history, politics, announce]

http://www.nashholos.com/

http://www.ukrweekly.com/

And there are so many others.  Keep informed!

May 9th anniversary

Please scroll down to REMEMBER -- 11/11/2011

Applies to the supposed "victory" for Ukraine at the end of WW II.  Some victory.