On May, 12-16 at the National Center of Folk Culture "Ivan Gonchar Museum" Pavlo Tychyna Uman State Pedagogical University scientific and research laboratory "Cherkassy region ethnology" work exhibition and presentation took place in Kyiv in the research, preservation and promotion of historical Uman district traditional folk culture branch. Exhibition guests and visitors were impressed by the content, quantity and variety of exhibits submitted by the laboratory workers. And it really was a lot, because laboratory "Cherkassy region ethnology" (Head: prof. N. Syvachuk) was established in 1998 and is one of the most powerful centers of education and cultural activities in the Cherkassy region.











Director of the National Folk Culture Center "Ivan Gonchar Museum" Petro Gonchar opened the exhibition.

In the opening statement, the rector of the university professor N. Pobirchenko underlined the actuality and eccentricity of the event. Because historical Uman district, which was explored by the laboratory staff and philology students, except Uman district includes part of Cherkassy region Mankivka, Talne and Monasterysche districts. Just on its territory, about seven thousand years ago worldwide known Trypillya culture has been prospering and has left a unique imprint on modern material culture of this district specimens. Moreover, the geographical location of Uman district, which, as saying in the nation is, "where three roads from the Crimea are: one from the Crimea, and the second - from Herson, third - straight to Moscow", promotes close cultural interference from various regions of Ukraine. Therefore, according to the rector's words, Uman district requires special research, as on its territory a unique and rich traditional cultural fund was formed.


About the work of "Cherkassy region Ethnology" laboratory, aimed at solving current problems of studying ethnology, visitors were informed of its head - candidate of pedagogical sciences, professor, head of the Ukrainian literature and Ukrainology Chair Natalia Syvachuk. She noted that the laboratory works on such key directions:

  • Collection, study, research and popularization of historical Umandistrict folklore;
  • Research culture and life history of Uman district;
  • Arts and crafts of historic Uman district and its reproduction in the process of teaching students;
  • Tribe, family and family education in the tradition of historical Uman district;
  • Ukrainology in the modern educational area.

The laboratory staff and students of Ukrainian Philology Department engaged in search and forwarding activities in the villages of historic Uman district. Currently, the majority of villages in the region are surveyed. Content of search expeditionary work covers all sections of folkloristic and ethnographic science. Also the information about the history of a village, its famous people, folk memory carriers is collected and recorded.

All material collected in the villages of historic Uman district, constantly replenishes funds of "Cherkassy region Ethnology" laboratory. In recent years, the scientific archive of the laboratory (17 thousand cards) was composed, which are used by scientists, students, teachers and pupils.

A collection of historical Uman district old towels and a significant number of antiques were collected by laboratory staff and students, a rich audio and video archive was created.

The achievements of research centers and workshops which function in the laboratory were presented. Among them - a student research center named after Khrysanf Yaschurzhynskyi (Head - Natalia Syvachuk), Student Scientific Society named after Gnat Tantsyura (Head - Valentina Goncharuk), "Word theatre" (Head - Inna Snigur), "Song theatre" ( Head - Vasyl Semenchuk), "Ukrainian folk toys" and "Ukrainian folk embroidery" "(leader - Nataliya Mamchur),"Ukrainian Dance Studio" (Head - Inna Tereshko), "Theatre of national drama" (Head - Natalka Dudnyk), and folk amateur groups performances "Gonta" and "Sofiya".


At various times, "Cherkassy region Ethnology" laboratory was visited by great number of famous Ukrainians. Some of them came to this exhibition and presentation in order to contribute to historical Uman district cultural memory preservation. Warm words to Uman Pedagogical University direction, teachers and students were said by:

  • Academician of the Ukrainian National Academy of Pedagogical Sciences, professor Olga Sukhomlynska,
  • Doctor of Philosophical Sciences, writer, Ukrainian Minister of Culture Advisor Viktor Zhad'ko,
  • Ukrainian poet, translator, scriptwriter, playwright, state and public figure Ivan Drach,
  • painter, sculptor, director of the National Center of Folk Culture "Ivan Gonchar Museum" Petro Gonchar and his deputy Tetyana Poshyvailo,
  • Doctor of Philological Sciences, professor, head of Folklore study chair of Institute of Art, Folklore and Ethnology named after Maksym Rylskyi Ukrainian National Academy of Scienc, writer Mykola Dmytrenko,
  • Ukrainian historian, archaeologist, culture expert, writer, ideologist of one of slovyanofilstvo modern variant Yuri Shylov,
  • Deputy Director of Taras Shevchenko Institute of Literature Ukrainian National Academy of Sciences, Honored Worker of Ukrainian Culture, literary critic, executive director of the Ukrainian Association of Museums Sergyi Galchenko,
  • People's Artist of Ukraine, professor, conductor of the National Opera of Ukraine Ivan Gamkalo
and many other guests that were attended the presentation.




Kyiv people and the capital guests will long remain impressed by what they saw and heard, under the power of the light mood, which gave them Uman people. Unforgettable that "Ivan Gonchar Museum" located at the Pechersk, in the neighborhood of the Kiev-Pecherska Laura, and therefore all action was accompanied by monastery bells melody... Well, let the God gives to all who works in the name of Ukrainian culture preservation, strength, power and grace of the Holy Spirit for many years!