Folk Costume and Embroidery of the Hutsuls, Part 6, Putyla Region

 

Hello all, 

Today I will continue talking about the Hutsul region by adressing the Putyla Region, sometimes called the Vyzhnytsia Region. This lies mostly in Chernivtsi Oblast, consisting of the Putyla and Siret River valleys, and also the White Cheremosh River valley, including a few villages in the south of Ivano Frankivsk Oblast. It extends from Vyzhnytsia in the north to the Romanian border in the south. [It actually should include the Hutsul villages in the Suceava region in Romania].

This group of Hutsuls seems to be the least talked about, after those in Romania. 

The sorochka is cut in the typical Hutsul manner, with the sleeve inset on the side of the body field. The lowland Bukovynian shirt is cut in the same manner.

The shirt is embroidered on the shoulder inset, collar, cuffs, front, and often the sleeve. Embroidery is cross stitch or nyzynka. The sleeve is not gathered into the shoulder inset. If there is embroidery on the sleeve, there is no stripe of monochrome design on the top of the sleeve, as there is in lowland Bukovyna, but a variant of the shoulder design is continued down the sleeve, as in these examples from Yablunytsia. 

and Vyzhenka

On the banks of the White Cheremosh, women generally wear the double apron as in other parts of Hutsulshchyna, but further east, in the Putyla and Siret river valleys, they more commonly wear a wrap skirt, here called opinka. It is wrapped differently by the Hutsuls as compared to the Pokuttians or Bukovynians. They start in the front, [by the leg], as opposed to the side, and gather it on the sides so that there is minimal overlap. Thus they do not need to tuck a corner into the waist. 

The keptar, as usual, is the same for both men and women. In this region, two types are known. The first is called sapianka, and is characterized by curvilinear applique of maroon kidskin.  Here is an example from Vyzhenka. 

Kyselytsi

And Hryniava. 

Often the cut is the same as in other regions, with the seams on the side, but one also sees princess line cuts as here above, there being extra seams on the back. Some more examples. 

This type seems to be characteristic of the northern and western parts of this region. To the south and east, we see the second type, characterized by polychrome floral embroidery. Here is an example from Putyla. 

More examples

The serdak is worn here, as in other parts of Hutsulshchyna, but there does not seem to be any particular distinctions in this region. Less dressy serdaky may be monochrome. 

The Manta, a long overcoat for special occasions is known here as well. It is more common in lowland Bukovyna, however. 

Mens shirts are cut the same as in other parts of Hutsulshchyna, and the embroidery is similar. I have few examples from this region. 

Berehomet

Biloberizko

Hryniava

Other

I have little information on the rest of the costume. It does not seem to differ significantly from that of other Hutsul regions. There is mention of the Hutsuls in this region wearing red pants, like in other parts of Hutsul Land. Kapchuri, postoly, necklaces and zgardy are those typical of Hutsuls. 

I will close with a few more images, mostly of embroidery from this region. 

Berehomet

Biloberizka

In this display, they paired a shirt from Biloberizka with a kyptar from the Verkhovyna region.

Stari Kuty

Roztoky

Ust'-Putyla

Vyzhenka 

Dolishnii Shepit

Stebni

Dykhtynets'

Serhii

Ploska

Rus'ka

Selyatyn

Shepit

More images from the Putyla region. You will notice some assimilation of the lowland Bukovyna folk costume. 

Here we see a Putyla region shirt paired with a kyptar from Kosmach. This type of mistake is all too common. 

Here we see evidence of strong influence from lowland Bukovyna.

Thank you for reading. I hope that you have found this to be interesting and informative. I hope that you might try some of this embroidery for yourself, and keep the heritage of this region and its exceptional embroidery alive. 

Roman K

email: rkozakand@aol.com

Source Material:

Yaroslava Kozholianko, 'Traditional Dress of Bukovyna', Chernivtsi, 1994

Eric Kolbenheier, 'Specimen Embroideries of the Peasant Home Industry in the Bucovina', 1974 Canadian reprint.

A. O. Kratiuk et al, 'The Kolomyja Museum of Hutsul Folk Art', Kyjiw, 1991

Stepan Pavliuk et al. 'Etnohrafixhni Hrupy Ukrajintsiw Karpat - Hutsuly', Kharkiw, 2020

Olena Nykorak et al, 'Hutsul's'ka Vyshywka', Rodovid, 2010

Olena Kul'chyts'ka, 'Narodnyj Odiah Zakhidnykh Oblastej Ukrajiny', reprint L'viw, 2018

Roman Reinfuss, 'Karpacki Swiat Bojkow i Lemkow', Krakow, 2016

Hryhorij Smol'skyj, 'Kosmats'ki Vustawky', L'viw, 2001

Alicja Wozniak, 'Wyrozniemi Strojem - Huculszczyna Tradycja i Wpolczesnosc', Lodz, 2012

Mykola Domashews'kyj, Istoria Hutsulshchyny', Chicago, 1975

Myroslava Shandro, 'Hutsul's'ki Vyshywky', Cherniwtsi, 2010

Iryna Svjontek, 'Hutsuls'ki Vyshywky Karpat, vol 3', Ivano Frankiwsk, 2008

Iryna Svjontek, 'Hutsuls'ki Vyshywky Karpat, vol 4-5', L'viw, 2016

Iryna Karpynets', 'Keptari Ukrajins'kykh Karpat', L'viw, 2003

Eudokia Sorochaniuk, 'Nyzynka - Embroidery of the Hutsuls, Pennsauken, NJ, 2002

V. H. Zabolotnyj et al. 'Ukrajins'ke Narodne Dekoratyvne Mystetsvo', Kyjiw 1956

Tetyana Kara Vasylieva, 'Ukrajins'ka Vyshywka', Kyjiw 1993

Romana Labrosse et al, 'Timeless Treasures', New York, 2018

Yevhen Shevchenko, 'Yevhenia Henyk', Kyiv 2007