Paládi-Kovács Attila: A Barkóság és népe (Borsodi Kismonográfiák 15. Miskolc, 1982)

Attila Paládi-Kovács THE BARKÓSÁG AND ITS PEOPLE (Abstract) 1. The Barkóság is a region in Northern Hungary named after the Hungarian ethnic group that inhabits it. Most likely the Barkó ethnic group came about in the late 18th Century, and the name itself is derived of the name of the commander of a Hungarian hussar regiment. The troops in the regiment were recruited from the region. The earliest reference to the Barkó as an ethnic group dates from 1833, and while the geographical definition of the Barkóság was first set down in 1834 the term was obviously used earlier than that. During the course of the 19th Century a number of Hungarian writers and poets (e.g. Vörösmarty, Petőfi, Jókai and Arany) and many scholars of history, geography and ethnology mentioned the Barkó group. The settlements listed by these authors as a part of the Barkóság can be seen in Map 1. The villages which 20th Century popular opinion includes in the Barkóság are on Map 2. Generally, there are about 50 villages which it is customary to include in the region. The old name of this hilly region was Erdőhát (Erdőhát = Woodback, Forest Prop) which really expresses its geographical appearance. As late as the end of the 19th Century extensive forests covered the hills which rise to a height of 300 to 500 meters, (see Map No. 5.) The inhabitants are uniformly Hungarian and the continuity of this people in this area can be traced back to the 10th or 11th Century. They were not affected by any of the significant migrations, and the same clans and families have lived in the Barkó villages from the Middle Ages to today. The historical continuity of the families can be particularly well traced for the nobility. Many villages of the Barkóság were populated exclusively by the nobility (see map No. 4.). These lesser nobility, who tilled the soil and lived on peasant level, played a determining role in the evolvement of folk culture. Large estates were owned by the Catholic church, principally by the archbishop of Eger and the theological seminary. This is why the reformation of the 16th and 17th centuries did not affect the people of the Barkóság who remained Catholic throughout. This factor played a determining role in the 187