The Carpathian Mountains in Western Ukraine are some of the traditional homelands of the Hutsul peoples. Although their roots extend back hundreds of years, the term “Hutsul” first appears in written sources in 1816, when it was used by outsiders — in fact, the term’s etymology, although uncertain, might derive from the critical words for “outlaw” (in Romanian), or “nomad” (from the Slavic “kochul”).
Hutsul peoples still exist today in very small numbers, but historically their language blends Ukraine with Polish and the lesser-known languages of the Lemkos and Boykos peoples, and thus they probably arose from a blending of different ethnic groups. Their way of life mixed nomadic pastoralism, which focused on sheet and cattle breeding, with forestry. These livelihoods are symbolized in two ways featured in the first and third images here.
One is the creation of a breed of horse known as the Hutsul/Hucul or Carpathian pony, which is a very hardy workhorse that can withstand very the very cold temperatures of their homeland. The other is the use of the “bartka,” or Shepherd’s ax, which has a very long handle and can be used either to chop wood or as a cane.
The Hutsuls had a distinctive attire that features intricately beaded embroidery. There are specific names for the traditional garments, such as the tunic featured in the second image, which is a “keptar”.
Sources: Keptar is from the collection of the Yosafat Kobrynsky national museum of Hutsul Land and Pokutta folk art in Koloymia city. @greenukraine, blog “Hutsuls and their horses,” 4/7/2021. Wikipedia.
