Rooted. Trees in Ukrainian Folk Culture
The project was created by the Ivan Honchar Museum in partnership with WWF-Ukraine
Ancient forests live in remote corners of the Carpathians, Polissia and the Crimean mountains. Dozens of generations of our ancestors could be inspired by them, and for hundreds of species of animals and plants – it is a home. Old-growth forests are the oldest forest ecosystems. They used to cover almost the whole territory of Europe, but today they are under threat due to large-scale logging and human activities.
Trees are the main characters of this exhibition. In the "Rooted" project, we propose to look at tradition and folk art as a manifestation of Ukrainians' love for nature and to recollect where this love comes from.
Through the images of trees in folk culture, we propose to understand where this love comes from. We hope that the exhibition will remind not only of our origins, but also become a source of inspiration to be more environmentally conscious.
Embroidered show towel (1830/1870) by The author is unknownNational Center of Folk Culture "Ivan Honchar Museum"
A tree that saw the beginning of the world
The roots of trees can reach tens of meters. The roots of this story go back to the creation of the world. Our ancestors believed that when there was neither heaven nor earth, there were only the blue sea and the world tree. We can hear it in the oldest Ukrainian carols.
What did we have from the beginning of the world?
There was nothing, just water,
There one tree on that water.
On that tree is a silk nest,
And in that nest three doves, -
Not three doves - three angels…
The tree is one of the fundamental symbols for the primitive culture of mankind. It originated in the late Paleolithic era and still exists in folk ornaments and folklore.
For humans, the image of a tree was a prototype of space, it combined its ideas about time, expanse, life and death.
Old-growth forests, in a sense, are also space, because they have undergone minimal human impact and have preserved their natural structure to this day.
People's painting "Deer and birds"National Center of Folk Culture "Ivan Honchar Museum"
Tree as the center of the world
In the expanse of Ukrainian Christmas carols and songs, the tree is a sign of the center of the world. In these song lyrics, trees most often appear in the owner's yard, marking it as the center of the world and endowing the events with holiness and universal status.
Tree of life
In Ukrainian culture, the “World Tree” is presented as the “Tree of Life” — lush, majestic and even fairy-tale-like. It always blooms wildly and its flowers are different in size, splendor, and condition. The “Tree of Life” usually sprouts from a “flowerpot”, a symbolic representation of the first ancestor.
Ceramic tile (1701/1900) by The author is unknownNational Center of Folk Culture "Ivan Honchar Museum"
Fantastic bird
Birds are inseparable from the “Tree of Life”, just as trees are in the real world. In Ukrainian culture, they represent the image of a solar deity. They were depicted near the tree alongside flowers, stars, and the sun in the same fantastic way.
Paradise
On Easter eggs, the "Tree of Life" is decorated with petals, fabulous flowers and fruits, and the largest flower or sign of the sun, moon, and stars is always placed on the top.
Birds, snakes and fish are depicted next to the tree. Together, these symbols embody the image of the world order, as well as the forest, which is the concentration of all possible forms of life. The older and more inviolable it is, the more life flourishes in it.
Family Tree
Over time, the tree as an image is reduced to a family scale, symbolizing the "Family Tree", and already exists as a rite.
The tree accompanied a person in all important stages of their life cycle, such as the wedding "branch" - the so-called "Paradise tree". This tree was considered sacred, and its creation was approached with special solemnity.
The stylized image of a tree on a dukach (ornament) that you are about to see could have been a talisman of family and personal life for a girl or woman.
Dukach with a bow (1850) by The author is unknownNational Center of Folk Culture "Ivan Honchar Museum"
Our ancestors expressed their worldview through the images of trees, their leaves and fruits in household items and folk art, songs and rituals. Often in the tradition we find references to oak, pine, birch, willow, maple, linden, spruce, beech, aspen, and hornbeam. It is these tree species that have been forming our natural forests since the glacier melted about 8-10 thousand years ago.
Ceramic plate (1850/1901) by The author is unknownNational Center of Folk Culture "Ivan Honchar Museum"
The tree motifs on carpets were geometrically stylized, and the elements of the pattern were rhythmically arranged along the entire carpet. Ethnographers believe that perhaps in this way “the carpet weavers wanted to represent a grove with birds of paradise.”
Woven carpet Woven carpet (1901) by The author is unknownNational Center of Folk Culture "Ivan Honchar Museum"
Powerful tree
Oak is the most revered tree in Ukrainian culture. Folklore interprets it as a sign of strength and power. This is no coincidence, because the oak is a long-lived tree. 500 years is an easily achievable age.
Oak forests can be found all over Ukraine, mostly in the Forest-Steppe and Polissia. This is where the embroidered shirts you see here are from.
Embroidered woman's shirt Embroidered woman's shirt (1901-01-01/1949-12-31) by The author is unknownNational Center of Folk Culture "Ivan Honchar Museum"
The oak tree was often depicted alongside the figure of the Cossack Mamai as a symbol of masculinity, representing strength and durability.
Picturesque landscapes of dense groves often decorated the interior of the Ukrainian house of the second half of the 20th century.
Before human intervention in nature, the squirrel could run through the trees, from Lviv to Cherkasy, without touching the ground.
Halya carries the water (Early 1950s - Late 1980s) by UnknownNational Center of Folk Culture "Ivan Honchar Museum"
We can feel the awareness of space and connection with nature to the fullest extent in the harvest songs, which are the basis of generations of Ukrainians. So, as we close the exhibition, we invite you to take a short trip through old-growth forests to an authentic performance of a harvest song from Polissya. This rare footage, was filmed in the oldest and most valuable forests of Ukraine by the WWF-Ukraine.
Thanks for watching!
If you want to share your impressions and thoughts about trees, Ukrainian culture and the exhibition, add the hashtag #Rooted_UaTrees 🌿
The project was created by the Ivan Honchar Museum in partnership with the WWF-Ukraine.
Learn more about the value of old-growth forests and how to preserve them for the future on the WWF-Ukraine website 🌳
Learn more about the beauty of Ukrainian folk culture on the official Ivan Honchar Museum website ✨
Idea, text, curator: Y. Novoseltseva
Scientific support: P. Honchar, T. Poshyvaylo, M. Vertiuk, V. Kutsuruk, H. Koshmanenko, O. Storchai, H. Bogomaz, L. Slominska, M. Maksymenkova T. Kuras, H. Shendryk, I. Danyleiko, O. Yukhymenko, Y. Stepanchenko, K. Demerza, Y. Patlan, L. Holovnia, V. Kovalenko, R. Kostyna, B. Telychuk
Photos and retouching: A. Telikova, O. Vashchevska
Graphics animation: I. Tereshchenko
Translation: GDIP Media Center
Legal issues: L. Fedorenko, N. Komisarova
Music
Kyiv Ethno Trio
My Ukraine. Bervy / Ukrainian folk art project
UNESCO Collection of Traditional Music of the World
The story is based on the research works of Fedir Vovk, Vadym Shcherbakivskyi, Mykhailo Selivachov, Yevhen and Tetiana Prychepiy, Maria Mayerchyk, Ihor Poshyvaylo, Yurii Melnychuk.
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