The Eighth Tribe, 1977 (4. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1977-09-01 / 9. szám
September, 1977 THE EIGHTH TRIBE Page 9 made them much-feared fighters. And because of their high regard for their horses, most high-ranking Magyars, and even women of rank, had their horses — or rather the skulls and the legs of their horses — buried along with them. In light of the signifance of the bow as a weapon of war and peace, bowmakers were perhaps the most highly regarded craftsmen, But saddlers were not far behind them. Magyar saddles were made of hardwood, leather, with iron parts added, and their construction and appearance is almost modern. Because the Magyars had rarely put any food into the graves of their deceased, and because village sites have yielded mostly fragmentary material, we know much less about the work of the potters than we should. But we do know that they used hand-driven, slow-mowing potter’s wheels, and that most of their pottery was made from rolled clay ropes. The so constructed pots then were smoothed down and decorated with weavy grooves. A typical and often used pot was the large cooking cauldron that held between ten to sixteen quarts of water. While most tenth-century Magyar pottery cannot be distinguished from the pottery of those who were there earlier, this large cauldron appeared in the Carpathian Basin simultaneously with the Magyar invaders, and thus it is undoubtedly Magyar. They also had enamelled amphorae (jars), which were made in imitation of Byzantine models, and were sold on the market filled with the local wine. The blacksmiths, who originally were called vasverő (iron beater), had considerable prestige in early Magyar society. This may have been due to the Turkic tradition according to which the craft of the blacksmiths was of divine origin. Some of the Turkic ruling families held themselves to be descendants of blacksmith ancestors and called themselves Tarchán (smith). In a slightly altered form, this term also became the name of one of the conquering Magyar tribes (Tarján). The workshops of Magyar blacksmiths were usually in large yurts, with the fire itself in a clay-walled enclosure in the center. Though these blacksmiths used simple instruments, they also used the bellows, and were able to turn out finely tempered knives, arrowheads, stirrups, bridle-bits, as well as other implements. Some of the less accomplished among them were also involved in iron smelting. And because the need for iron was great, by the end of the tenth century several significant centers of iron smelting have developed in Hungary. One of those uncovered was in the country’s north-central section (Borsod County), and the other one in Transdanubia (Vasvár—Iron Castle). Our Heritage in America Column Editor: Joseph Széplaki HUNGARIANS IN AMERICA (continued from previous issues) Reprinted from: The Hungarians in America 1583-1974; by Joseph Széplaki. The book can be ordered from the editor. 1861 One of the first Hungarian volunteers, Geza Mihalotzy, organized the Chicago Lincoln Riflemen composed of Hungarians and Bohemians. Special permission was given by President Lincoln to name the unit in his honor. When the company merged with the 24th Illinois Infantry Regiment, Mihalotzy became colonel of the regiment. He died in 1864 of a war injury at Chattanooga, Tennessee. Fort Mihalotzy on Fameron Hill was named in his honor. May 23. George Utassy organized the New York Garibaldi Guard, part of the 39th New York Infantry Regiment. He became the first colonel of this unit. A Hungarian flag was presented to it in addition to the American and Garibaldi flags, since half of the men in the Garibaldi Guard had been born in Hungary. October 25. Major Charles Zagonyi’8 “death-ride” routed the Confederates and cleared the nearby town of Springfield, Missouri, of the enemies, thus saving Missouri, claimed by both sides, for the Union. General Fremont had commissioned Zagonyi to organize and command a cavalry unit which became known as Fremont’s Body Guard. Thirtieth Anniversary of Service The Norridge United Church of Christ—Chicago West Sidei Magyar Ev. és Református Egyház will honor the Rev. Dezső Parragh on November 6th, 1977 for his thirtieth year service at the same church. 49 The former Hungarian hussar officer selected the horses for the cavalry personally and designed its dashing uniforms. The “deathride” was a cavalry charge led by Zagonyi against 2000 Confederate soldiers defending a hill at Springfield. Upon learning that the defending force was nearly seven times larger than he had been led to believe, Fremont wanted to cancel the attack but was persuaded by Zagonyi to permit it against overwhelming odds. The result is
