Bulgarians in Moldova at the End of XX Century
Ethnological Study of Two Local Communities
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.60053/GSU.IF.1.100.244-291Keywords:
terrain research, bulgarians, Moldova, Korten, TvarditsaAbstract
Today we live in the era of total population migration. Huge masses of people change their residences to live outside their families, ethnic and cultural background in similar or very different natural and social conditions, facing ethnic, religious and cultural diversity. A part of them change their residence for a short time to study; to overcome social and economic difficulties; others find salvation from economic crises, religious and political repressions in a long term emigration. This movement changes visibly the population of many countries in the world where cohabit people from different races, religions and cultures. What happens? What is the future of nations? What is the future of the multiethnic societies? Instead of trying imagine the future we could examine similar phenomena in the past.
References
Наулко, В. I. Етнични процеси серед болгарскоi дiаспорi Украiнi. – Във: Украйна I Болгарiя: вiхi iсторичнoi дружби. Ред. В. Станко. Одесса, 1999, 146–147.
In the same statistic 81,7% of Bulgarians in the Odessa region identifi ed Bulgarian as their native tongue, 16,6% Russian, and 1% Ukrainian (Наулко, В. I. Op. cit., p. 146).
Waves of migration peaked in 1801–1802, 1806–1812, 1829–1833, 1856–1858, 1861–1863.
The reception of foreign emigrants was part of a deliberate imperial policy to populate the lands reclaimed from the Ottoman Empire. In 1844 87,000 Bulgarian colonists lived in the territory between the Prut and Dnieper rivers, along the cost of the Sea of Azov; by 1897 this figure had reached 170 000 (Державин, Н. Болгарские колонии в России: Таврическая, Хирсонская и Бесарабская губернии. С., 1914, 1–27).
The study of Bulgarian songs in Bessarabia by N. Kaufman in 1970s was an exception: Кауфман, Н. Народни песни на българите от Украйнска и Молдовска СССР. Т. 1–2. С., БАН, 1982.
I have visited the villages of Korten, Tvarditsa, Viktorovka, Valiaperza,and Kirsovo in Moldova and Suvorovo, Banovka and Ternovka in Ukraine. The last village is outside Bessarabia.It is a part of the tow Nikolaev, Nikolaevska oblast, Ukraine.
In Russian Statiatics of 1897 90.4% Bulgarians lived in villages (Державин, Н. Op. cit., p. 51). In 1926 6.4% of all Bulgarians in Ukraine were town residents. (Атлас болгарских говоров в СССР. Ред. С. Б. Бернщейн. М., Наука, 1996, 97); in 1959 the town population increased to 25,6% and in 1989 – 42.6% (Наулко, В. І. Оp. cit., p. 146). By way of comparison, in Moldova only 18% of Bulgarians lived in towns in 1989 (Новаков, С. Проблемы языка, истории и культуры больгарской диаспоры в Молдове и Украйне. Кишинев, 1993,: c. 3).
This related to Bulgarians, Swedes, Greeks, Slavoserbs, as well as Luterans and Menonites, amongst others. Ethnic names were used to indicate personal or group identity. Bulgarians were described as Bolgari (Bulgar, Bulgari) and Turkish subjects, Bolgari Turkish subjects from Rumelia or migrants from Rumelia. (Archive, f. 6)
For example, the administration received personal petitions for settlement where the applicants were for example: Bulgarian Nikolai Hristoforov, a Turkish subject from Rumelia, or Bulgarian Petar Serbinov (Odessa city archive f .6, a.u. 127, 1–6; f. 6, a.u. 194, 1–5). Many other documents note the ethnic origin of the colonists. In the towns, ethnic identity became associated with having a Bulgarian family name: Todor Bolgar and Petr Bolgar in Bolgrad , were registered in 1826– 1827 (OA, f. 6, a.u. 1914, p. 3), Malii Buialuk was a “Greco –Bulgarian colony” and it remained ethnically mixed in the 20th century, when N. Derzavin studied Bulgarian colonies. He stressed the mixture of family names: some Greeks used Bulgarian names and some Bulgarians – Greek families’ names (Derzavin, 1914: 101).
For example, in the document of 1st of April 1835 a colonist Ivan Ivanovich Shop in Kiruitnia (Korten) village was registered (Novakov & Chervenkov, 1980: 74). Shopi was and still is a famous regional group in west Bulgaria. Such regional and local names, refl ecting the places of colonists’ origin in Bulgaria are found in the ethnological study of Bulgarian colonies in Russia at the beginning of 20th century. In the village of Ternovka , near the town of Nikolaev, Bulgarians divided and described themselves regionally as Shopi, Ruptsi, and by their local descent: Turnovtsi, Liaskovtsi, Vaisaltsi and so on ( Derzavin, 1918: 14), refl ecting regional and local (village) names , preserved until today in Bulgaria.
I also visited the villages of Viktorovka, Valiaperza, and Kirsovo in Moldova and Suvorovo, Banovka and Ternovka in Ukraine. The last village is outside Bessarabia. It is a part of the town Nikolaev, Nikolaevska oblast, Ukraine.
Sava Novakov is the Bulgarian name of this prominent Bulgarian intellectual. He was famous in the public sphere with his Russian name: Savelii Zaharovich Novakov.
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In the same statistic 81,7% of Bulgarians in the Odessa region identifi ed Bulgarian as their native tongue, 16,6% Russian, and 1% Ukrainian (Naulko, V. I. Op. cit., p. 146).
Waves of migration peaked in 1801–1802, 1806–1812, 1829–1833, 1856–1858, 1861–1863.
The reception of foreign emigrants was part of a deliberate imperial policy to populate the lands reclaimed from the Ottoman Empire. In 1844 87,000 Bulgarian colonists lived in the territory between the Prut and Dnieper rivers, along the cost of the Sea of Azov; by 1897 this figure had reached 170 000 (Derzhavin, N. Bolgarskie kolonii v Rossii: Tavricheskaya, Hirsonskaya i Besarabskaya gubernii. S., 1914, 1–27).
The study of Bulgarian songs in Bessarabia by N. Kaufman in 1970s was an exception: Kaufman, N. Narodni pesni na balgarite ot Ukraynska i Moldovska SSSR. T. 1–2. S., BAN, 1982.
I have visited the villages of Korten, Tvarditsa, Viktorovka, Valiaperza,and Kirsovo in Moldova and Suvorovo, Banovka and Ternovka in Ukraine. The last village is outside Bessarabia.It is a part of the tow Nikolaev, Nikolaevska oblast, Ukraine.
In Russian Statiatics of 1897 90.4% Bulgarians lived in villages (Derzhavin, N. Op. cit., p. 51). In 1926 6.4% of all Bulgarians in Ukraine were town residents. (Atlas bolgarskih govorov v SSSR. Red. S. B. Bernshteyn. M., Nauka, 1996, 97); in 1959 the town population increased to 25,6% and in 1989 – 42.6% (Naulko, V. І. Op. cit., p. 146). By way of comparison, in Moldova only 18% of Bulgarians lived in towns in 1989 (Novakov, S. Problemы yazыka, istorii i kulyturы bolygarskoy diasporы v Moldove i Ukrayne. Kishinev, 1993,: c. 3).
This related to Bulgarians, Swedes, Greeks, Slavoserbs, as well as Luterans and Menonites, amongst others. Ethnic names were used to indicate personal or group identity. Bulgarians were described as Bolgari (Bulgar, Bulgari) and Turkish subjects, Bolgari Turkish subjects from Rumelia or migrants from Rumelia. (Archive, f. 6)
For example, the administration received personal petitions for settlement where the applicants were for example: Bulgarian Nikolai Hristoforov, a Turkish subject from Rumelia, or Bulgarian Petar Serbinov (Odessa city archive f .6, a.u. 127, 1–6; f. 6, a.u. 194, 1–5). Many other documents note the ethnic origin of the colonists. In the towns, ethnic identity became associated with having a Bulgarian family name: Todor Bolgar and Petr Bolgar in Bolgrad , were registered in 1826– 1827 (OA, f. 6, a.u. 1914, p. 3), Malii Buialuk was a “Greco –Bulgarian colony” and it remained ethnically mixed in the 20th century, when N. Derzavin studied Bulgarian colonies. He stressed the mixture of family names: some Greeks used Bulgarian names and some Bulgarians – Greek families’ names (Derzavin, 1914: 101).
For example, in the document of 1st of April 1835 a colonist Ivan Ivanovich Shop in Kiruitnia (Korten) village was registered (Novakov & Chervenkov, 1980: 74). Shopi was and still is a famous regional group in west Bulgaria. Such regional and local names, refl ecting the places of colonists’ origin in Bulgaria are found in the ethnological study of Bulgarian colonies in Russia at the beginning of 20th century. In the village of Ternovka , near the town of Nikolaev, Bulgarians divided and described themselves regionally as Shopi, Ruptsi, and by their local descent: Turnovtsi, Liaskovtsi, Vaisaltsi and so on ( Derzavin, 1918: 14), refl ecting regional and local (village) names , preserved until today in Bulgaria.
I also visited the villages of Viktorovka, Valiaperza, and Kirsovo in Moldova and Suvorovo, Banovka and Ternovka in Ukraine. The last village is outside Bessarabia. It is a part of the town Nikolaev, Nikolaevska oblast, Ukraine.
Sava Novakov is the Bulgarian name of this prominent Bulgarian intellectual. He was famous in the public sphere with his Russian name: Savelii Zaharovich Novakov.
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