Shadows of a Forgotten World

Stiles, or perelazy in Ukrainian, are structures that provide people with a way to easily pass over a fence while at the same time preventing farm animals from passing through. Stiles are found in the countryside around the world and come in all kinds of forms. In the Carpathians, they are typically made of wood, and even in just one village I came across several different types. Perelazy from the beautiful Hustul village of Kryvorivnia Perelazy have even found their way into Ukrainian folklore: there are dozens of folk songs that feature perelazy in their texts. Ой не світи, місяченьку та й на той перелаз  (Oh, moon, don't shine on that perelaz) In fact, you can even karaoke sing about perelazy ! Перелаз, мій перелаз (Perelaz, my perelaz)

A folk band from Przemysl  —  Krajka, together with Ukrainian musicians  —  released a new album dedicated to the lands that lie along the current Polish-Ukrainian border. "The album contains traditional music from the Polish-Ukrainian borderland, from the regions of Kholm, Lubaczow, Przemysl, to the Carpathian mountains and valleys. These lands were once replete with the splendor and richness of culture, traditions, and ethnos. Today this music is largely unknown and forgotten. It has been reconstructed using recordings gathered during field expeditions and from available materials  —  to save it from oblivion and bring back its ancient luster." "The album 'Krajka. W domu' contains songs exclusively from the Polish-Ukrainian borderland. This territory, on which from time immemorial reigned a balance of diverse cultural components, was brutally destroyed by the war and postwar deportations. The expulsion of Ukrainians, Boykos, and Lemkos is above ...

"If the real Jewish music of Transylvania is gone, this disc makes sure it will not be forgotten."  - See more  here .

My paternal grandfather was born in the village of Lybokhora (Turka District), the "capital" of Boyko instrumental music. His parents, who were from the Sambir and Lviv regions, moved to this Carpathian village in the early 1900s to direct and teach at the local school. This is a picture from Lybokhora (1930s) of my grandfather (white shirt in second row, with bird on his shoulder) with his parents, siblings, and some family friends.  Many years ago I came across an album of authentic music recordings from his village. When I listen to it, I can image that during celebrations and rituals, my ancestors heard precisely this music. Links with info and downloads: http://lemko.org/lvpro/turka.html http://www.ex.ua/7952774 http://www.discogs.com/

I bought my tsymbaly (hammered dulcimer) from the Tafiychuks  –  a family of musicians and instrument makers that lives in the Carpathian Mountains. Mykhailo Tafiychuk, or "the Last Hutsul Musical Magician" as Cobblestone Freeway dubbed him in this article , makes many different ancient instruments such as the hurdy gurdy, tsymbaly, and duda (Ukrainian bagpipe). Very few master craftsmen of traditional Ukrainian instruments remain. Fortunately, Mykhailo's son has also learned to make instrument, and in fact he made my tsymbaly.

A documentary film was recently released about the dying tradition of shepherding in the Carpathian Mountains. The film, called The Living Fire (Жива Ватра), was directed by my acquaintance Ostap Kostyuk "ЖИВА ВАТРА" (The Living Fire) Ukraine, 2014, 77’ "A four-year-long project documenting three generations of Ukrainian Carpathian shepherds in their struggle to keep the age-old trade alive in the face of contemporary changes." "It is a film about pitiless daily labor that knows no weekends, a harmonious world that we’ve lost in our search for comfort, and the childhood that is left behind when one takes on the role of an adult…" Check out the film's website: http://zhyvavatra.com.ua/ And the English-language Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/livingfiredoc?fref=ts *** The Living Fire took the special jury prize in the international feature documentary category at the 2015 Hot Docs Canadian International Do...