Journal of Ethnography 4/1999

The main theme of Národopisná revue (the Journal of Ethnography) 4/99 is the ethnic minorities at large. A general study by Petr Kaleta entitled The Huculs of the Carpathian Mountains deals with the history and culture of this group. Eva Pavlíková writes in her article of the Czech minority in Poland and of the Czech national stereotypes. Eva Krekovičová analyses the cultural and ethnic identity of the Slovak minority in Hungary, using as an example the relationship of identity and folklore at a community of Malý Kereš. Bohuslav Beneš looks in details at books which specialize in the German folk culture in southern Moravia. The articles are followed by a photo supplement on the life of the Czech minority in the Banat in Romania.

The Looking Back column offers portraits of two outstanding personalities: the ethnographer František Rehoř (1857-1899) and the sculptor Franta Úprka (1868-1929). The Society's Chronicle remembers life anniversaries of two exceptional performers of folk songs: Jarmila Šuláková (born 1929} and Josef Laža (born 1939). The 85th birthday of the organologist and ethnographer Ludvík Kunz is mentioned, as well as the birthday of the pedagogue and folk song collector Václav Stuchlý. The obituary of Vilma Volková (1903-1999), the writer and folk story-teller, closes the column.

Other regular columns deal with conference and exhibition news, the 1999 folklore festivals reports, CD and book reviews, and the ongoing discussion on the character and message of folklore festivals. In the supplement you will find the Czech bibliography covering ethnography topics of the 1995-1997.

Národopisná revue (Journal of Ethnography) 3/99 is devoted to the traditional handicraft. In his study of The Tradition and Contemporary State of the Folk Handicraft in the Czech Republic, Josef Jančář focuses mainly on an audio-visual project in progress called the Folk Crafts and Folk Art in the Czech Republic. Other articles deal with specific types of handicraft, such as the embroidery in Slovakia in the second half of the 20th century (Juraj Zajonc), a production of skewers in the Vsetín region (Eva Urbachová), hand made textile fibers in the Valašsko region (Jarmila Pechová) and a production of traditional gingerbread (Olga Florianová). The articles are followed by the Overview of Legal and Other Measures to Protect Original Craft Items published by UNESCO and the International Trade Centre.

The Transforming Tradition column brings the history of a preserved water mill. The Society's Column opens with a note on the 60th birthday of Karel Fabel, editor of Umění a řemesla (the Art and Crafts) magazine. A note follows on the 90th birthday of Professor Gerhard Heilfurth, an outstanding German ethnologist. The obituaries in the column commemorate Zdeněk Galuška (1913-1999), writer and narrator, and František Bonuš (1919-1999), ethnochoreologist. Other regular columns deal with conference news and folklore parades reports; a discussion on the character and message of folklore festivals; and book and CD reviews. The final information brings the results of a survey concerning the most effective activity in the Czech ethnography in 1998.

Národopisná revue 2/99 focuses on the folk culture which has been used commercionally and in tourist industry. Josef Jančář deals with this issue in the terms of theory in his article (Folklorism and Commercionalization). Other writers are interested in specific features of this tendency, such as Hana Kyseľová in her description of a folklore festival in Slovakia which is open to tourists (The "Hontianska paráda" - a Non-traditional Festival of a Traditional Culture). Běla Minaříková deals with the state of folk crafts and art after the cancelling of an organization for the folk arts production, the ÚLUV (Business is Business). Marta Šrámková analyses the contemporary production of the collections of folk legends and tales (Is the Folk Legends Publishing Inevitably Commercional?). Jaroslav Štika shows how the folk foods have been used in the tourist industry of various European countries (Folk Foods and the Open-air Museums), and Hana Dvořáková presents a portrait of a non-professional statue maker whose garden has been a tourist attraction of the region (Let's Go to a Safari...).

The Transforming Tradition column offers an article on the custom of Easter carolling in contemporary society. The south Valachia boys go carolling through the villages of their region with various wooden instruments. Another article remembers the anniversary of the folklore ensemble Bejatka from Silesia. The Society's Chronicle column brings the life stories of Alena Jeřábková and Jiřina Langhammerová, ethnographers, and Věra Šejvlová (b. 1919), ethnography activist. These are followed by obituaries of doc. Karel Fojtík, an outstanding Brno ethnographer, and František Třetina, songwriter.

There are regular columns on folklore festivals, ethnography conferences, exhibitions, and publishing activities. A hot topic is a discussion on the character and vocation of folklore festivals. The Looking Back column brings material on the Ukrainian researcher Volodymyr Suchevyc. It also offers notes and comments on the essays of the folk culture of the Kopanice region, and on an ambiguous personality of a priest Josef Hofer of the same region.

Národopisná revue 1/99 focuses on sacred architecture in material folk tradition. There are articles by Olga Florianová (Minor Sacred Building Types in the Strážnice Region), Jitka Matuszková (Minor Sacred Building Types in the Podluží), Věra Kovářů (Belfries and their Fates in the Žďár Region) and Richard Jeřábek (Do Sacred Rural Building Types Belong to Folk Architecture?). The main theme of the issue is supplemented by Martin Mešša in his article on The Art of Icons in the Northeastern Slovakia.

The   Tradition   Transformation   column   follows contemporary state of belfries in the Znojmo region.

The Society's Column presents articles on 60th birthday of Jiří Košík, musician and instrument maker; the 60th birthday of Martin Hrbáč, musician of the Hornacko region; the 70th birthday of Radomil Rejšek, pedagogue of folk dance; and Josef Kobzík, leading violinist from the Podluží region. There are obituaries commemorating Antonín Jančík (1931-1998), former radio editor from Brno; Karel Bimka (1907-1999), folksinger; and Svetozár Švehlák (1938-1999), Slovak folklorist.

Other regular columns bring conference news, exhibition and festival news, and reviews of books and CDs.