Collecting Kolomyjky in Alberta

By Vincent Rees

Students of the Ukrainian Folklore Program at the University of Alberta in Edmonton organized a Folk Song Sing-A-Long, hosted at the St. John’s Institute in Edmonton Alberta on November 27.

The idea for the event came from one of the courses offered at the undergraduate and graduate levels in Ukrainian Folklore.  In this course, taught by instructor Nadya Foty of the popular Ukrainian Canadian vocal trio Voloshky, students were encouraged to do relevant fieldwork in the community.  This entailed talking to people in the community about the Ukrainian songs they like to sing, where they sing them and what these songs mean to them.

Many of research projects undertaken as part of this course deal with the life-cycle (birth, wedding, death) songs and calendar-cycle (Christmas, Easter, Kupalo, Obzhynky) songs.

The large Ukrainian settlements around Edmonton and throughout east-central Alberta provide a valuable resource for students interested in leaning about Ukrainian folklore.  Graduates of this program not only gain a greater understanding of Ukrainian culture but also grasp the patterns of cultural transmission, adaptation and flow that are present in many cultures around the globe.  The skills reaped from this program can be applied to many disciplines and graduates find jobs in museums, government, culture and even film.

Some students decided to work together and look at one of the most well-known Ukrainian folk songs; the kolomyjka.  Many sing-a-longs occur at family gatherings, especially weddings, as well as at youth camps and retreats, at banquet hall parties and Ukrainian festivals.  The songs that are sung vary but kolomyjky always crop up.  The students wanted to collect as many verses of the song as possible that exist within contemporary oral tradition.  Though many verses have been written down, many exist only in memory and are sung in the context of spontaneous sing-a-longs. 

In conducting their research students found that spontaneity became an issue as those interviewed had a difficult time recalling and generating the verses outside the specific context.  Therefore, the students decided to host a sing-a-long so the community could come and sing verses in a simulated natural environment.  Local Ukrainian folksong activist Lesia Pohoreski encouraged the group to sing all kinds of rousing popular Ukrainian songs.  Anna Zwozdesky brought her mandolin as well as her personal collection of wedding kolomyjky she has been collecting for years.  Still others brought their guitars and songbooks, and the number and variety of kolomyjka verses that were sung exceeded all expectations.

During and leading up to the event, many individuals submitted verses to what has become known as the “Kolomyjka Kollection.”  Clever though the name may be, some of the verses sung at the Sing-A-Long were much cleverer.

The kolomyjky sung were categorized into three groups: kolomyjky originating in Ukraine, kolomyjky originating in Canada but still in the Ukrainian language and finally Canadian-made half-na-piv or all-English kolomyjky.

The half-na-piv verses are uniquely Canadian due to the fact that the humour is a result of a “play on words” achieved by mixing Ukrainian and English words.  This mixing of languages is called macaronic verse.  The resulting humour would be incomprehensible to Ukrainians who do not understand English and to Canadians who do not speak Ukrainian.  Therefore, it is clear that these verses are uniquely Ukrainian Canadian and reflect a unique experience.

The Sing-A-Long itself was thwarted by the Canadian Grey Cup game, which went into double over-time.  Students were shocked when the CFL wouldn’t move the game to accommodate the Sing-A-Long!  Nevertheless, overall, the event was a success and the “Kollection” will “kontinue!”  Plans are in place to host another Sing-A-Long in the near future.

The Ukrainian Folklore Centre was pleased with the success of the Folk Song Sing-A-Long and encourages its students to take on interesting projects that engage the community and their own creative thinking.  Under the keen direction of Dr. Andriy Nahachewsky, the Ukrainian Folklore Centre has become a beacon for cultural studies in the community.  Initiated years ago through the vision of Dr. Bohdan Medwidsky, a self-declared U.F.O. (Ukrainian From Ontario), the Centre now includes a strong undergraduate and graduate program, (the third-largest folklore program in Canada as a matter of fact); the Bohdan Medwidsky Ukrainian Folklore Archives;  and two chairs.  One is held by Dr. Andriy Nahachewsky and the other was recently filled by Dr. Natalka Kononenko. 

For more information about the Ukrainian Folklore Centre visit their website at www.arts.ualberta.ca/~ukrfolk/

Vincent Rees is currently in his second year of his M.A. studies in Ukrainian Folklore at the University of Alberta. Originally from Victoria, Vincent has been involved in the Ukrainian stage dance community for many years both in his hometown and in Edmonton since 1992.