Posted by The Mad Rusyn on July 13, 2000 at 09:32:23:
In Reply to: Re: /|EMKIBCKA BATPA posted by Joe on July 06, 2000 at 00:39:14:
: : : Finally, the Ukrainians and Slovaks are waking up to the ridiculousness of each's claims on the "Rusyn-Ukrainians"/"Rusnak Slovaks": the Ukrainian Weekly feature on "Ukrainian American" Sgt. Michael Strank (from the "ethnically Ukrainian Priashiv region of eastern Slovakia") was noticed by the Slovak American press who have been trumpeting him as a "Slovak American Hero" all along. Perhaps these two superpowers should have a summit and decide whether these people are Ukrainians, Slovaks, both or neither.
: : : Nobody bothers to ask the people in question (e.g., Andy Warhol's family likewise) what they consider themselves. That would be too bourgeois, too anti-progressive. ;-).
WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The "Ukrainians" (really Rusyns) of Eastern Slovakia from the Presov Region were NEVER Ukrainian. They became Ukrainians after the Communists took over after WWII and forcible tried to liquidate the Rusyns.
The Slovak, Czech, Polish, Romainan, Hungarian, Croatian, and Serbian governments all recognize Rusyns as a national minority. The Rusyns are even mentioned in Time's Almanac 2000 as a national minority in Slovakia.
BTW the Varhola family (Warhol's) call themselves Rusyn. There is a musuem dedicated to Andy Warhol in Medzilaborce, Slovakia, and in Pittsburgh, PA. Both museums put on ethnic Rusyn performances. I never remember seeing a Ukrianian performance at the Warhol museum in Pittsburgh. The Warhol's do not call themselves Ukrainian, but Rusyn.
Oh yea, there is a summit that takes place that decides on who the Rusyns really are. It is called the World Congress of Rusyns. This congress has been held in such places as Medzilaborce, Budapest, Krynica, and Uzhorod.
I guess that when Fr. Alexsander Duchnovych (the Rusyn National Awakener) said Ja Rusyn Byl, Jesm I Budu, he must have really meant that he was Ukrainian, not Rusyn.