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OST people of the ari vine in their own countries,

freely spoke,
language.

studied, wrote and sang in the native
‘they were not compelled to struggle for the

recognition of their language, nor were they compelled to
Struggle for the equality of their culture and arts in the

family of nations, -

But it was not so with the Uk-
vainian people. True, the Ukrain-
lans -had their own state about
70 years ago, but not for long.
For whole centuries, the lands of
Ukraine were divided and domin-
ated by several other states. Tsar-
ist Russia, Poland, later Austria,
then again Poland, Hungary and
Romania. In the thirteenth cen-
tury the full brunt of the tartar
Mvasions fell upon Ukraine and

“Smothered the incipient democ-

Tacy of the Kievan state. The Uk-
Taine became the “border mar-
of the Golden Horde.

. In protecting Europe, however,
the Ukraine itself lost its nation-
hood, It was in this period that
& class of warriors, the Cossacks,
rose. For centuries these Cos-
Sacks fought against the tartars,

8gainst the increasing strength of
feudalism, against the impoyer-

ishment of the peasants, against
of surrounding

18th century when Catherine of
Russia destroyed the stronghold
of the Dnieper Cossacks and re-

duced the Ukraine to serfdom.

The life of the peasant was be- —
_ Coming

prograssively harder.
More and more land was becom-
ing concentrated into the hands
°f a few great landowners. A
ruthless policy of social and na-
tional oppression of the Ukrain-
jan people was. pursued. The
People were not allowed the use
of their own language. They
Were denied their own schools.
krainian culture—songs, music,
literature, theaters—was stifled.
Despite this, the
yiople lived, fought, created and
believed there would come a day

“When they would be free and un-

tted, and masters of their own
lands. And all this while, their
elk song and music were a very
Mportant factor in keeping alive
heir hopes and aspirations. Thus

_ We find in Canada the years 1891

to 1913 were the period of greatest
Stowth, When the Ukrainian
People migrated to this promised
pad they brought with them the
allads that were sung by their

‘“obzars or wandering minstrels

Memory of their Cossack free-
eom,

URan1anian folk songs were
Created and developed by the

People themselves. They were not

Written by poets. On the contrary,
hey became a fathomless well of
'SPiration for poets and compos-
he All‘the finest Ukrainian poets
i ‘aras Shewchenko,- Ivan Fran-

Lesia Ukrainka—have infused

* on, My call:

‘Ukrainian

these folkesongs into their mag-

nificent creations. The dramatists ©

based their work on folk songs.
Ukrainian composers wrote their
best pieces, even operas, on the
basis of the themes of Ukrain-
ian folk songs.

' It was a tragedy for many Uk-
rainian writers, composers, sing-
ens and dramatic artists that they
could not grow and develop in
the language and culture of their
own people. Many of them left to
perform for cultures of other na-
tions: they sang in Russian, Ger-
-man and Swedish operas, they
became the pride of other peoples,
while the culture of their own

people in their native land was -

oppressed.
That is why the Ukrainian peo-
/ ple cherish their songs, music and
Gances. That is. why they ,revere
their great national figures—writ-
ers, poets, composérs, drama-
tists, artists—for they stayed by.
their people and worked to pro-
mote their culture. In Canada
there: are many Ukrainian socie-
ties which carry the name of Ivan
Franko, Why? Because this great
Ukrainian poet, educationalist,
publicist, and statesman wrote:
“IT am aon of the people who.
will rise, even tho’ shut in pris-
labor, happiness
and freedom. I am a son of the
people, a prologue and not an
epilogue.”
e
N search for a better life, the
new Canadian West called,
and from the Ukraine came thou-
sands of men and women bidding
farewell to their loved ones and
to their native‘land and braving
the oceans and the wilderness to
hew out this new life of land and
freedom and work and progress
for themselves and their enpess 2
on Canadian soil. -
_ In Canada, “the problem of
‘adaptation was indeed complex
for these new arrivals who came,

poverty stricken and calumniated, ©

to this new land with their own
traditions, language, institutions
and arts, which they were unwill-
ing to surrender immediately, es-
pecially since nothing was sub-

stituted. “y

The greatest obstacle to the
Canadianization of these settlers
was not their clinging to their old.
traditions but rather the atti-
dudes towards them of other
groups who had preceded them
in settlement: those who looked
askance upon the newcomers as
“jenorant, irresponsible foreign-
ers in hordes,” creatures of need
who must at all costs be made
over in the nga British pat-
tern.

by PACIFIC TRIBUNE—JULY 16, 1948—PAGE 5

\ poverty stricken,

By JOHN DUBNO and J. CHITRENKY

. ‘tt is

The

Ukainians’
contribution

not birth thet makes people Canadians.
It is what they do, how they contribute to the whole

community, how they link their lives and their whole
being with the country that counts.’ a

The Ukrainian immigrants on

arriving in the New World, had
no consciousness of themselves

as citizens of a European country
known as “Ukraine,’\ The Ukraine
at that time of greatest migra-
tion, was not a politica] entity, nor
were the people who lived there
permitted to call ithemselves “Uk-
rainians.” The majority of immi-
grants to Canada came from the
over-populated
provinces of Galicia and Bouko-
vina, the former under the domin-
ation of Austria, With their home-
land divided and under the rule
of yeveral great powers, the Uk-
‘rainians were not even sufficient-
ly aware of their
ity to call themselves Ukranians.
Result—a great confusion in no-
menclature. In so low esteem
were the Ukrainians in Canada
held that the word “Galician” be-
came almost a term of reproach.

The common laborers on the
construction of the Grand Trunk
Pacific were for the most part
Ukrainians. These naive, trust-
ful, bearded giants, worked like
elephants, laughed! like children,
and asked no questions. They
were shamelessly exploited and
ruthlessly robbed. Those who did
not like it could get out (at their
own. expense) for there was a
never-ending stream of new
serfs, shanghaied by the mass
procurement agencies of the Hast.
Propaganda was not necessary,
for discontent and hatred were
rampant. The Ukrainians were
held in check by the small Anglo-
Saxon element, who, being de-
cently treated, were always ready
to put down with fist,eclubs and
even guns, any outbreak of the
“Bohunks,” The experience of
strikes on extra gangs was valu-
able for the Ukrainian immigrant
in educating him in labor stand-
ards and ccdes, since they had no
traditions of organized labor in
the old country, to judge whether
or not they were being exploited.

Similar methods of exploitation

were. also applied in the mining |

dustry. The first parties of Uk-
rainian immigrants to the mines
were sometimes used as strike
breakers or as “reserves” to be
thrown in, in case of a strike, Oft-
en they were paid only half what
the other workers were paid.

_This created hatred and grudges.

A hacking cough tugs at his
chest,

His eyes swell up, and his
face turns sesogaase: aban
night,

And from his heart swells a

’ sea of grief; :

wn national-

Then ask, brother, which is
the greater suffering—
_ In the old ‘world or the new.

A “heap source of labor was
provided, swindling and racket-
eering flourished in the markets
where shopkeepers took advan-
tage of their ignorance to jack
up prices, and land sharks who
sold them worthless lands, some-
times out in the wilderness of
Athabasca. The result of this, and
other such ill-advised incidents,
was to draw the Ukrainian set-
tlers closer togethér in the form
of “national blocs” which were
to develop into major political
influences among them nas sev-
eral Pog: get

e

gate local cultural-education-

al clubs grew into national
societies; From smal] beginnings
emerged the great cultural-edu-
cational association of Canadian
citizens of Ukrainian origin, the
Ukrainian Labor-Farmer Temple
Association.

By 1939 ‘this Association had
constructed 120 cultural centers
through dint of voluntary labor
of its numbers and through fin-
ancial contributions by many
lovers of music, songs and folk
dances. It sponsored over 500
string orchestras, choirs, drama-
tic circles and dance schools. It
established libraries and reading
rooms; conducted adult classes of
the English language, offered
physical training for its sport en-
thusiasts.

The culminating point of these
cultural activities was the huge
all-Canadian Ukrainian Musical
Festival, held in the Mutual Street
Arena, Toronto, in July, 1939. All
critics acclaimed this as one of
the outstanding musical achieve-
ments in Canadian history.

This great work of the ULFTA-

has been carried forward by the
Association of United Ukrainian ©
Canadians. Under the joint aus-
pices of the Association of United
Ukrainian Canadians and the So-
ciety for Canadian Soviet Friend-
ship, an Eastern Canadian Festi-
val of Ukrainian song, music and
Gance was held in July, 1945 in

. Toronto. One of the most out-

standing of such festivals was
held in Edmonton, July 27, 1946.
Here. again it was widely ac-
claimed and filled the air with >
radio waves from the CBC net-
iy aches :

“Thus it is clear that, in addi-
tion to their contribution to Can-

ada’s industrial and agricultural

‘makes people Canadians.

development, the Ukrainian Can-
adians have also given a stimulus
to the growth of Canada’s cultural
“life. As for example, right across
Canada the Association of United _
‘Ukrainian Canadians has estab-
lished to date 210 string ensem-
bles, 120 choruses, 170 dramatic
circles, six brass bands, 150 danc-
ing classes, 42 gymnastic groups.
Today there are some 300,000
Ukrainian Canadians in the four
Western provinces. The majority
are Canadian-born, their’ roots
planted firmly in this, not only
their adopted, but their native
land. Ukrainiams born in Canada
are already rearing grandchildren.
We are Canadians. 7 Ukrainian
Canadians. _

It is not birth in this land that |
TE ig.
what they do, how they contrib-
ute to the whole community, how
they link their lives and their
whole being with the country
that counts.

Does the countryside of north-~
ern Alberta, of entire districts of
Saskatchewan, of the interlake
area of Manitoba, flourish and
.yield. harvest and Tear sturdy
men and women?

This is the fruit of the toil of
Ukrainian pioneers and their chil-
dren and their children’s child-
ren, And scattered all over the
west from the Fraser Valley to
the Ontario border, among our
hardy, enlightened, enterprising
farming folk, Ukrainians are to.
be found everywhere.

There is not one railroad Hine
but a whole network knitting our
communities together in the vast
west. Since the nineties a large —
portion of the workmen who laid

rails and tamped ties have come —_—

from the Ukrainians, They help to
dig the mines and bring the —
earth’s treasures in Flin Flon, in

Estevan, in the Crow’s Nest Pass, _

Drumheller, Coal Branch, in Trail _
and in Nanaimo and in Anyox..
They fell trees on Vancouver Is-
land, pack beef in Edmonton,
they build houses in Regina, make
railroad cars in Transcona. |

We have taken our part in all:
the features of Canadian life, in

all the advances of our land. Our)
boys and girls wore their coun-

try’s uniform with courage and

distinction in the great‘waF for

Canadian siege ain world free-

‘ dom. 2
We of Ukrainian ori-
gin are here making our modest —
contribution to the spiritual and
cultural life of Canada, as we
have done and are doing in all

other spheres. :