The Eighth Tribe, 1977 (4. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1977-08-01 / 8. szám
August, 1977 THE EIGHTH TRIBE Page 11 SECOND ANNUAL HUNGARIAN FESTIVAL THE MAGYARS IN HISTORY Sponsored by Churches and Organizations of the Hungarian Civic Association New Brunswick, New Jersey Saturday, June 4, 1977 Gala happening again on the pedestrian mall created specially for this occasion by some thirty churches and organizations comprised a cooperative venture repeated because of last year’s American Bicentennial celebration held as a joint American-Hungarian community event. The current festival’s preliminary planning and preparation were done by the Hungarian Civic Association, whose Board of Directors consist of: Reverend Julian Fuzer, Chairman; Reverend Imre Bertalan, President; Frank C. Timko, Executive Director; Michael Hegedűs, Treasurer; Miss Yolan Varga. Secretary; other members are the Reverends Frank Eles, Joseph G. Bodnar and Dr. Henry Austin; Professor August J. Molnár; Mrs. Walter Deutsch; Messrs. Julius Belső, Edward R. Boylan, George Dózsa, Paul Fekete, John J. Hatt, William J. Kukor, Russell Locandro, Joseph Orvos, Zoltán Racz, Ernest Stankovits, Joseph Staudt, Andrew Szegesky, and Joseph Teszar. A partial listing of the membership in the above mentioned Association is as follows: St. Ladislaus Roman Catholic Church, Magyar Reformed Church, St. Joseph’s Byzantine Catholic Church, Bayard Street Presbyterian Church, High Street Baptist Church, Ascension Lutheran Church, Magyar Savings and Loan Association, American Hungarian Foundation, Hungarian American Athletic Club, New Brunswick Hungarian Churches Redevelopment Corporation, Golden 62 Corporation, American Hungarian Democratic Club, Republican Hungarian Organization, Hungarian Alumni Association, Hungarian Scouts (Boys and Girls), William Penn Association, Hungarian Reformed Federation of America, Hungarian Senior Citizens, Hungarian Press, Mayor’s Advisory Committee, Hungarian Freedom Fighters Association, Uptown Senior Citizens, St. Peter’s Church, Fifth Ward Community Improvement Committee, and Hungarian Folk Art & Associated Crafts. During the opening ceremony, introductions were made by Professor August J. Molnár of the American Hungarian Foundation, coordinator of this Second Hungarian Festival; acknowledged were various dignitaries, such as the City Councilmen of New Brunswick as well as the Democratic Committee Chairman of Edison, Anthony Yelen— continued — CHAPTER VIII THE ECONOMY AND SETTLEMENTS OF THE CONQUERING MAGYARS (How Did They Live?) by S. B. Vardy, Ph.D. Professor of History Based on scanty evidence, past historians have generally claimed that the conquering Magyars of the late ninth century were nomadic people, who had no permanent settlements, and who knew nothing about agriculture and other sedentary occupations. This view — which was also fed by Hungarian romantic historians, who prided themselves on the military feats of their equestrian (horse-riding) ancestors — is no longer tenable. Recent archeological evidence, coming from largescale excavations in Hungary and Southern Russia, points to a completely different way of life of the conquering Magyars. Although remaining horsemen and retaining elements of nomadism, their economy and way of life was already largely sedentary, which had evolved under the influence of the so-called “Saltovo Culture” of the eighth and ninth centuries. The Saltovo Culture was centered on the Lower Don and the Donets Rivers, and its geographical extent coincided at least partially with Levedia, which used to be the homeland of the Magyars from the early seventh to the early ninth century. Being the product of the combined effort of the Sarmatian (Iranian) Alans and a number of Turkic peoples of the area (e.g. Bulgaro-Turks, Onogurs, etc.), the Saltovo Culture contributed much to the make-up of the civilization of the Khazar Empire, and also to the culture of the conquering Magyars who had lived within this empire. As revealed by nearly three-hundred excavations, the Saltovo Culture was basically a sedentary agricultural civilization, with an admixture of manufacturing and commerce. Its inhabitants lived mostly in small villages, made up of mud huts that were partially sunk into the ground. Their tribal chiefs, however, lived in walled stone fortresses, from where they controlled the countryside. The “Saltovians” were engaged in agriculture, viniculture (raising grapes and making wine), gardening and animal husbandry. They used two types of plows, both of which were reinforced by iron shoes. They 42
