Celebrating Ukrainian-Canadian Ritual in East Central Alberta Through the Generations

HISTORIC SITES AND ARCHIVES SERVICE SVIETO: CELEBRATING UKRAINIAN-CANADIAN RITUAL IN EAST CENTRAL ALBERTA THROUGH THE GENERATIONS. Occasional Paper No. 21 ROBERT B. KLYMASZ March 1992 edited by Radomir B. Bllash /dbcrra CULTURE AND MULTICULTURALISM SVIETO: CELEBRATING UKRAINIAN-CANADIAN RITUAL IN EAST CENTRAL ALBERTA THROUGH THE GENERATIONS . ROBERT B. KLYMASZ edited by Radomir B. Bilash Historic Sites And Archives Service Occasional Paper No. 21 March 1992 Prepared for: Published by: Historic Sites And Archives Service Alberta Culture & Multiculturalism Historical Resources Division © 1992 Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Alberta Abstract By 1930, the Ukrainian population of east central Alberta was several generations old. The boundaries between daily and special events that were distinctly Ukrainian or Canadian in origin were progressively less distinct. Yet, in the area of ritual celebrations, the Ukrainians of east central Alberta continued to maintain certain values and methods that were unknown in other parts of Canada. Some of these events were influenced by climate, others by district of origin in Ukraine. Religious denomination, while usually Ukrainian in origin, did not guarantee a homogeneous response to customs and celebrations, either. The Ukrainians had become Ukrainian-Canadians, and this was reflected in the transformation of the early 20th century Ukrainian folklore complex in Canada from one of Old Country peasant lore, to New World immigrant folklore, to Canadian Ethnic folklore. n PeaiOMC flo 1930-oro pOKy, yxpaiHCbKe HaceJiCHHH cxi^Hbo-iêHxpajibHoi AjibSepxH spocjio Ha KijibKa noKOJiiHb Bi;^ CBOix noâxKiB b 1890-hx poKax. LHoêHHHM no6yT xa cneiîajibHi CB5ixKyBaHHJi nepecejieHiîB yKpa'mcbKoro noxo^JKCHHa xa i'x Hain,a^KiB B:ace xoro Macy sjimjihch 3 noî6HHMH Kana^cbKHMH npHKMexaMH. Ajie, yKpaiHiî cxi;],Hbo-Li,eHxpajibHoi Ajib6epxH me ni^xpHMyBaJiH ncBHi SBHâi* xa pHxyajibHi cnoco6pi, Koxpi 6yjiH yHiKaJibHi b KaHa;],i. TaKi npHKMexH hk, HanpHKJia;:^, Kana^cbKHH KJiiMax i perioHajibHi Bi^MiHHOCxi yKpaiHn,iB âcy eMirpauîi âjibme MajiH bujivlb b Kana^CbKOMy oxoMeHHK). rio^îSHO, BapiaHXHicxb y ix BipOBHSHaHHio xaKO>K ni/],KpecjiHJTO, iiô o6p9ipîi xa 3BHMai yKpaiHCbKnx nepecejiCHuîB He MajiH o^HOpi^HHH xapaKxep. IJ,i yxpaiHCbKi nepecejienu,! cxajiH yKpaiHCbKO-Kana^HâMH, a ix cJ)OJibKJiopHHH KOMnjieKC nepeMiHHBCH: 3 cxapoKpaeBoro cejiHHCbKoro SHannn b iMirpanxcbKHH c})OJibKJiop HoBoro CBixy, a xoî — b CKJiaÔBHH ejieivieHx Kana^^CbKoro exHiHHoro cJ)OJibKJiopy. m The Historic Sites Service Occasional Papers are designed to permit the rapid disseminaton of information resulting from Historical Resources programmes of the Department of Culture & Multiculturalism, Province of Alberta, Canada. They are intended primarily for interested specialists, rather than as popular publications for general readers. In the interests of making information available quickly for these specialists, normal production procedures have been abbreviated. IV TABLE OF CONTENTS UST OF FIGURES vii FORWORD viii PREFACE ix INTRODUCnON 1 A. GENERAL THEORETICAL APPROACH 1 1 . Customs in operation 1 2. The larger matrix 1 3 . An internalized binary code 2 4. Sensorial features 3 B. METHOD OF PROCEDURE AND RESEARCH GOALS 3 1 . Historic-geographic variables 3 2. Process of change 3 3 . Fieldwork and Sources Used 4 4. Problems Special to the Project 4 5. The informants and their general characteristics 5 ENDNOTES 8 PART ONE "JUST LIKE IN THE OLD COUNTRY" OLD WORLD VARIABLES IN A NEW WORLD SETTING INTRODUCTORY NOTE 11 CHAPTER I: CLIMATE 13 ENDNOTES 15 CHAPTER E: POPULATION DENSITY 17 ENDNOTES 19 CHAPTER m: THE CALENDAR OF CUSTOMS AND CELEBRATIONS 21 A. A Dualistic Pattern 22 B. A Reductive Trend 22 ENDNOTES 25 CHAPTER IV: REUGION AND THE CHURCH 26 ENDNOTES 28 PART TWO A TRADITION REMEMBERED SELECTED CASE STUDIES INTRODUCTORY NOTE 31 CHAPTER V: THE FOLKLORE OF PEASANT IMMIGRANTS AND PIONEERING FARMERS 33 A. SOME EARLY ARRIVALS (1901-1914) 33 1. KATHERINEORLECKI 33 2. MAGDALENA MELNYK 42 3. MARYCHARUK... 46 4. MARIA CHILIBECK 50 5. TILUEBARANYK 56 COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS 61 B. LATECOMERS (1924-1930) 63 1. ANTONIABASISTIUK 63 2. EWDOKIAWOYTKIW 71 3. MIKEFEDEC 75 4. ANNAMARTYNIAK 78 5. BARBARA BABYCH 83 V COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS 91 C. THE CANADIAN-BORN 93 1. GEORGE PAWLUK 93 2. FROSENA GELECH 96 3. THE YOUZWYSHYN FAMILY JACK, MARIIA, AND OREST 99 4. MIKE WYNNYCHUK AND WILLIAM WYNN BROTHERS 110 COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS 115 CHAPTER VI: FOLKLORE AND OTHER, NON-FARMING PURSUITS 119 A. BLACKSMITH'S WIFE 1. MARY KREKLYWICH 119 B. STORE-KEEPER AND PART-TIME MUSICIAN 2. BENNIECHEKERDA 122 C . STORE-KEEPER AND PAYER 3 . ANNIE SHYDLOWSKI 125 D . A B UDDING MERCHANT 4. ALEC MANDRUK 128 E. SCHOOLTEACHER 5 . MICHAEL TOMYN 132 F. TEACHER'S WIFE 6. GEORGINA TOMYN 136 G. BASILL^N PRIEST 7 . B ERNARD DRIBNENKY 140 COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS 145 PART THREE THE FOLKLORE COMPLEX AS MOSAIC CHAPTER Vn: THE FOLKLORISTIC IMPLICATIONS OF DISLOCATION 153 ENDNOTES 155 CHAPTER Vm: COMPENSATORY MECHANISMS AND SHIFTS 157 A. Reinterpretation 157 B. Privatization 157 C. Consolidation 159 D. Regenerative phenomena (revivals) 160 E. Substitution and other 162 ENDNOTES 163 CHAPTER DC: DIVERSITY WITHm THE COMPLEX 165 A. Variations influenced by time period 165 B. Variations influenced by settlement district 165 C. Variations influenced by regional origin in Ukraine 167 D. Variations influenced by denominational membership 169 ENDNOTES 170 CHAPTER X: FROM PEASANT TO IMMIGRANT FOLKLORE 171 ENDNOTES 173 APPENDIX A: QUESTIONNARIE FOR GENERAL FOLKLORE STUDY OF EAST CENTRAL ALBERTA FOR THE PERIOD ca. 1890-1930 175 APPENDIX B: LIST OF INFORMANTS 189 APPENDIX C: GLOSSARY 195 APPENDIX D: MAPS 225 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY 237 VI LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Easter singing games (haivky) in Western Ukraine before 1878. (from an illustration in lA. F. Golovatskii, Narodnyia pesni... ) 18 Figure 2: Haivky at Radway Orthodox church, ca. 1921. (Provincial Archives of Alberta, UV series, Acc. 81/91.37.) 24 Figure 3: Katherine Orlecki, Two Hills, 1984. (Photograph by the author) 33 Figure 4: Antonia Basistiuk in Mundare, 1984. (Photograph by the author) 63 Figure 5: Mary Kreklywich in Vilna, 1984. (Photograph by the author) 119 Figure 6: "Praznyk v Monder" [the holiday at Mundare] (caricature published in Harapnyk no.4, 1930. ) 148 Figure 7: Mundare, aboutl930 (Public Archives of Canada, Devlin collection) 148 Figure 8: A pioneer Ukrainian wedding in east central Alberta, around 1920. (from Pride in Progress. 1982) 153 Figure 9: Parade float — Ukrainian Dancers, Vegreville, Alberta, 1927. (Ukrainian Cultural and Educational Centre, Bobersky Collection Ba431) 161 Figure 10: Drama group, Vegreville, 1919. (Provincial Archives of Alberta.) 161 Figure 11: A Galician Wedding, Western Ukraine, about 1875. (from an illustration in lA. F. Golovatskii, Narodnyia pesni... ) 166 vn FOREWORD In its original form, this report was prepared in 1986 as part of a contract between the author and the department of Alberta Culture, Province of Alberta. Reflecting the culmination of several years of field analysis and archival research by the author (to 1986), it was a scholarly working document primarily intended to contribute to the research and interpretation programmes of the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village. After some review, numerous stylistic changes were introduced subsequently by Jaroslaw Iwanus, and Ruta Lysak-Martynkiw provided additional technical assistance in the preparation of this publication. Final content review and editting was generated by Radomir Bilash, coordinator of the project. The report contains Ukrainian language terms that were relayed during field interviews. Many reflect the ancestral dialects of the informants, as well as the more formal forms found in dictionaries of the Ukrainian language. Consequently, any words considered to be part of the Ukrainan-Canadian language of the people interviewed appear in italic form. We are grateful to the many people interviewed by the author for their permission to pubHsh the reminiscences herein. Radomir B. Bilash Senior Research Historian Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village March. 1992. vm PREFACE The report that follows does not seek to present an inventory, collection, or outline of Ukrainian folk customs, beliefs and rituals in east central Alberta. The instability of the Ukrainian folklore complex as it existed before 1930 in Alberta precludes the kind of descriptive ethnography that would suit a firmly established folk tradition; such a work would cloud and distort the critical nature of the changes encountered by the tradition within a relatively brief period of just under four decades — from 1892 to 1930. This report, then, focusses on the tradition's response to change and the mechanisms that triggered this response. The prime source of information is provided by a collection of interviews conducted in 1984 with over a hundred individuals who had personal knowledge of the folk tradition as it obtained a half century earlier. Oral testimony such as this can never duplicate what actually happened. Nonetheless, from the vantage point of the present, it is possible to detect and trace the germination of factors that, in later years, became instrumental in the re- structuring of the heritage into a streamlined, modem-day folkloric phenomenon. The report is composed of three main parts. Part One begins at the threshold of development and belies the popular assumption that Ukrainian traditions in Alberta could obtain "just like in the

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