Horváth Attila – Solymos Ede szerk.: Cumania 2. Ethnographia (Bács-Kiskun Megyei Múzeumok Közleményei, Kecskemét, 1974)
Ortutay Gy.: Előszó
PREFACE Although I feel it a privilagc to write the recommendation in the genre of a preface for this volume, rich in content, a copious introduction would not be justified. The volume does not require any apology. The almanacs of the museums have become more and more rich and of high professional level in the past years; the dissertations, published in these volumes could well fit into any Academy journal. The pejorative epithet „provincial", proclaimed so often in the past, has become entisely unjustified. The almanacs — their number is increasing now — are like scientific journals of the provinces, they arc of high level, and it is also important that their range of subjects is more and more concrete, better circumscribed. Matters of the restricted homeland came into prominence, interpretations and reviews of newly unearthed archeological finds, elaboration of unexplored archival, historical material, dissertations on art history and ethnography examine the field of museums and archives. Beside the social campaign of „know your country" collection, this scientific shop w T ork, this high level professional examination is of considerable value in itself; moreover, it helps to raise the level of the „know your country" work, it can be educative for this collection work, which is getting more and more powerful but which is still not properly controlled. In this line of almanacs the series of CUMANIA is a new and remarkable launching. The good, systematizing principle of the compilation is the volume-wise publication of material, pertaining to a homogenous scientific discipline. The preceding volume dealt with several archeological problems of the district and one dissertation is devoted to the lifework of a noted researcher, János Banner. The present volume takes from the ethnographical, folkloristic material of the county. We could almost say that Bács district's material, which still can be exploited and systematized, is examined from nearly all ethnographical fields and by nearly all approaching systems. At most, we folklorists could request the ethnograpic researchers of the district, that they should pay more attention to the material of folklore, particularly to the collection and publication of folk-poetry. 1 know that the folk-poetry material of Bács county is not negligible and particularly in the area of scattered farms and in the smaller villages there still can be found „nice-voiced" taletellers, singers, who know good melodies and texts. In the course of the recent collection we have rather neglected Bács; it would be a pity to keep up this state. The debate starts again and again: whether the theoretical, methodological studies are more important or the collection work. There is no doubt, the way of putting the question is not correct. Both types of work are needed, but where we can collect, where memory still preserves old traditions, from primary place-names to richly streaming tale-treasure, there we must definitely collect and record. This cannot and does not mean the negligence of theoretical work: collection and theoretical, methodological generalization arc correlative, dialectically linked scientific works. The presently published volume of CUM ANIA is anequally fine example of collection work, theoretical elaboration and stringent stock-taking. I sincerely wish that the consistent assertion of the compilation principle should present the district with further volumes : it is my conviction that out of these operations volumes of such competent, scientific monographs will result, which give a clear idea about the history, culture, complicated ethnic composition of Bács county. Gyula Ortutay 10
