MINELRES: Moravia: Nation within a nation (The Prague Post 2001)

[MINELRES moderator]

Original sender: Avinty Lanaikey <tandit.in@worldonline.cz>


This is an article about the Moravian nation, presented in The Prague
Post in 2001. It's obsolete enough but, in view of the fact that the
situation of our nations - Moravian and Silesian - has not been resolved
yet, it can still be up-to-date and the information can be of some
value.
Taken from:
http://www.morava.nu/

Yours sincerely,

Avinty Lanaikey


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The Prague Post Nation within a nation 14.03.2001

Felice Wilson
Nation within a nation

Moravians lay claim to a land of ancient empires and heroes

The 17th-century bishop and educator Jan Amos Komensky (known to the
world as Comenius) said he was Czech by language but Moravian by birth.
Five hundred years later, his fellow patriots feel the same. In the
ninth century, the first Central European state of Velka Morava emerged
in what is now the eastern region of the Czech Republic. Mindful of
their land s ancient eminence, Moravians proudly distinguish themselves
from their Bohemian kin, despite a shared tongue. I consider Moravians
to be a separate nation," said Ivan Ziegler, head of the Moravian
Association, a cultural organization. The 1.3 million people who claim
Moravian as their nationality agree. But if you ask a Czech, he'll say
it s nonsense," Ziegler said. That's what former Human Rights
Commissioner Petr Uhl said when he refused to introduce Moravian as an
ethnic group on the 2001 census.

In reply, the Moravian Democratic Party (MDS) filed suit against him for
abuse of power. MDS party chairman Ivan Drimal accused Uhl of violating
the right to freely decide one s nationality. Uhl denies the charge. He
said Drimal was mixing the terms "nationality" and "ethnicity" in an
attempt to establish Moravians as a minority group eligible for state
handouts. As it did in 1991, the census form includes a blank field for
nationality. The lawsuit was the latest flare-up of Moravian
nationalism, which raged in the early 1990s as a movement for regional
autonomy. Advocates want to restore self-administration, abolished under
communism. They blame the region's poor economic transition on Prague
centralism. Resentments can be deadly. Last year, a group called the
Moravian Land Army (MZA) threatened to assassinate President Vaclav
Havel for hoarding power in Prague. "This has caused the collapse of
Moravia's economy," the group said in a written death threat. "Every
sixth Moravian is jobless and every third lives at the subsistence
level."

Great Moravia

Most Moravians do not share Drimal's zeal or the MZA s bitterness. They
define identity in terms of culture rather than politics. "We strongly
identify with our region and culture and feel our roots," said Tomas
Harabic, founder of the Wallachian Kingdom, a tourist destination in
northern Moravia. "People here are more hospitable," he said of the
region, "But I don't think Moravians are a separate nationality. We have
the same language and a similar history. The only difference is that the
first state in this region's history, Great Moravia, developed here."
For some, that's a big difference and the basis for claims of national
distinc
tness. "Aristocratic states formed earlier in Moravia than in Bohemia,"
said Charles University history professor Zdenek Benes. "Their
development was autonomous to a certain extent."

In the seventh century, Slavic tribes and warrior societies settled in
the Moravian and Danube river basins. Their leaders formed a princely
dynasty that organized the first state in Central Europe, referred to by
the Byzantine Emperor Constantine Porphyrogennetos as Great Moravia. A
short-lived rival of the Byzantine Empire, Great Moravia brought
Christianity to what is now the Czech Republic. At the invitation of
Prince Rostislav, Byzantine missionaries Cyril and Methodius brought the
faith to the Slavs, developing the Cyrillic alphabet. Moravian identity
is anchored in the heritage of Great Moravia, of Rostislav and of Cyril
and Methodius," Drimal said. It is connected with Christianity and the
creation of a new language, a new script and new liturgy." In contrast,
St. Wenceslas, the 10th-century patron saint of Bohemia, is the
pre-eminent symbol of Czech national identity. Some historians say the
greatness of Great Moravia is a myth, as little else is known about the
state. There aren't enough written documents because Romans were never
here," said Oleg Su*a, a Charles University historical sociologist. The
stories are reconstructions, fantasies, romantic histories...

No one knows how this state was organized or geographically delineated."
But myths are important, Su*a added: Myths preserve Moravian identity."
After the empire s decline, Moravia passed from Hungarian to Polish
hands before Bohemian princes, the Premysl, annexed it in 1025. It was
the first era of Prague-centered rule over Moravia. A diarchy of Moravia
and Bohemia arose in the 12th century and lasted in various forms until
1918. In the 17th century, Brno was established as the Moravian capital.
Today it is the second-largest city in the Czech Republic, with about
400,000 inhabitants. After World War I, Moravia became one of three
constitutional nations of the Czechoslovak Republic, alongside Bohemia
and Silesia. Moravian-born Toma* G. Masaryk led the newly independent
country, leaving a democratic legacy that is a source of great pride for
Moravians. Communism ended the region s self-administration in 1949,
centralizing power in Prague. In 1960, authorities redrew the boundaries
between Moravia and Bohemia and divided Moravia into northern and
southern regions. Ziegler is nostalgic for the Masaryk era, but opposes
the idea of a Slovakian-style Velvet Divorce from Prague. Czechs and
Moravians belong together; they are inseparable," he said. We work and
live together in the same house in the heart of Europe - the Czech
Republic."

Recent political trends might render the movement for Moravian autonomy
obsolete. Prague has taken steps to decentralize power by establishing
14 regions, and European Union membership will strengthen their power.
Each region of the Czech Republic, and of every other country, will get
more independence," Harabi* said. It will be important for all regions
to promote themselves and establish cooperation with other regions of EU
countries." Ziegler recommends investigation and introspection. I would
appreciate unbiased study of the development, culture and traditions of
the Moravian nation," he said, which should be recognized in our
beautiful country, shared by Czechs and Moravians."

Moravian folklore festivals celebrate and vividly display the region s
heritage. Dressed in brilliantly decorated costumes called kroj,
Moravians sing, dance and re-enact stories of a bygone empire. Matching
brilliant red and crisp white fabrics with black and blue, kroj differ
in design from region to region. All are richly embroidered and trimmed
with ribbon. There are different kroj for every occasion: for holy
communion, weddings and funerals; for dancing, working and celebrating.
A thread linking generations, kroj are passed down from parent to child
to grandchild. It s said that wearing one is like shaking hands with
your ancestors.

A history

Seventh century: Moravian warrior societies from northern Persia settle
in the Danube River Basin.


Ninth century: Great Moravia emerges.

822: The first recorded mention of the Moravians, whose emissaries
visited Emperor Louis the Pious 
in Frankfurt.

863: Cyril and Methodius bring Christianity to Moravia, introducing the
Slavic liturgy.

10th century: Hungarian tribes break up Moravian power.

11th century: Moravia is included in the Polish Empire under King
Boleslav the Bold.

1025: Premysl princes annex Moravia.

12th century: The Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barabarossa establishes
the Margraviate of Moravia. 

1642: Brno becomes Moravia s capital city.

1918: Under the Republic of Czechoslovakia, Moravia is made a
constitutional nation, alongside Bohemia and Silesia.

1927: Moravia merges with Silesia to form a self-administered unit
within Czechoslovakia.

1938-45: German occupation.

1949: Communism centralizes political power in Prague.

1960: Moravia is divided into northern and southern regions. Its
historical border with Bohemia is redrawn.

Great Moravians

* Toma* G. Masaryk, 1850-1937: First president of Czechoslovakia. Born
in Hodonin.

* Frantisek Palacky, 1798- 1876: Historian and leader of the Czech
National Revival, known as the father of the modern Czech nation." Born
in Hodslavice, near Novy Jicin.

* Jan Amos Komensky, (Comenius) 1592-1670: Educator and bishop of the
Unity of the Brethren church. Born in southeastern Moravia.

* Gregor Mendel, 1823-1884: Augustinian monk whose experiments with pea
plants in Brno led to Mendel s Laws of 
Heredity. Born in Hyncice.

* Sigmund Freud, 1856-1939: Founder of psychoanalysis. Born in Pribor