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European Cossack Communities. 2.

Cossacks 1945 cossacks 4

 Fighting skills of  the white European Zaporozhye Cossacks.

Zaporizhian cossacks.

We wanted to do an article on the European Cossacks because we greatly admire their resilience and their respect for national identity and culture.  We urge European  Nationalist in all European countries to learn from the Cossacks and consider building Cossack organizations.  There are Cossack groups in many countries such as South Africa, Australia, Europe and the United States, if you are interested in becoming involved.

Some people say the Cossacks have a Turkish origin but there is also evidence to suggest that many Russians a long time ago, helped form the group that is known as the Cossacks.  The Cossacks were not originally a tribe or a separate ethnic group but instead, from their history through a shared service to the Tsars in Imperial Russia.

Originally, the Cossacks were free mercenaries who resided in a no man's land.  They eventually became a part of the Russian military with the main objective being to defend their motherland - Russia.  They quickly became renowned for their ferocity and loyalty in battle.

Cossack Boy

The Bolsheviks (mainly Russian communist, false Jews, controlled Government), tried to exterminate the Cossacks because they fought against Communism and stayed loyal to the Tsar even after the last of the royal family was assassinated.  Between the advent of Communism, and then following the loss of Russian national identity in the early 21st Century, due to the 'corruption' of their values with Western ideals, it is amazing their beliefs and values have survived.

In a census conducted in 2002, around 7 million Russians identified themselves as Cossacks, but according to Brian Boeck, an expert on Cossack history and culture, the Cossacks have been largely extinct since the 1920s.  In 2010, some 68,000 identified themselves as ethnic Cossacks, showing there is great variance in the statistics and figures we have on this population.   There are some Cossacks who could trace their family history back many generations and there are many Cossacks today with no genealogy, however, they believe in their way of life and traditionalism.  

Some Cossacks live in a Stanitsas and each Stanitsas is run by an elected leader called an Ataman who has a general circle of other outstanding citizens who help organize and run their communities.  They have strong musical traditions with groups who perform their songs and dances.  Children are brought up in a very traditional manner and they all have a strong culture of law and order with military patrols quickly stopping the slightest evidence of discordance.

Any person in Russia can become a Cossack, all they need is to be loyal to the country and be of the Orthodox Christian faith.  Their culture implies a deep knowledge of Russian history and a strong understanding of the important role the Cossacks played in it.  They have a devout respect for Cossack traditions, loyalty to the state and a deep love of freedom.

Useful Links and Videos

The Cossack Rebellion 1648

Ukrainians Restore National Culture Through Ancient Cossack Dance Hopak

The Cossacks Out In Force At Sochi

Russia:  Cossacks Comeback | European Journal

Guns and cookery:  The Russian military school for girls

Russian Women in the Military

Belaya Kalitva Platov Cossack Cadet Corps

Russia:  Cossacks Comeback | European Journal

21/09/2016

 

 

 

Read 27222 times Last modified on Saturday, 05 November 2022 09:54