The Eighth Hungarian Tribe, 1983 (10. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1983-04-01 / 4. szám
FALSIFIED HISTORY “The New Pioneer”, a clandestine quarterly publication of the Rumanian government in Cleveland, Ohio, declared recently in an editorial that “Transylvania is the cradle of the Rumanian people, it belongs to Rumania on historical and ethnographical grounds, also by right of self-determination of its people. Most of the rivers, mountains and towns have Rumanian names, and the “union” of Transylvania with Rumania was the result of the unanimous decision of the Transylvanian National Assembly at Alba Julia on December 1, 1918.” We must remind the editors of THE NEW PIONEER, that according to documented facts 1. The “cradle” of the “Rumanian people” was situated on the Balkan peninsula, next to Albania. They were known as “Vlachs” or “Wallachs” and recorded as such in several documents. Migrating slowly northward with their sheep herds they reached the lower Danube during the 10th century A.D. The first groups of migrant Vlachs were recorded in Transylvania in the 13th century, when Transylvania was already a prosperous part of the Hungarian Kingdom and, according to Greek chronicles, inhabited by Hungarians. The two Vlach principalities joined together in 1866, forming a new country called “Rumelia”, later changed to “Rumania”. The word “Rumanian” was invented about one hundred years ago. 2. It can be proven by old maps and historical documents that there were only 28 names of mountains in the entire land of Transylvania which were of Vlach origin. All the Transylvanian towns, villages, rivers and mountains had Hungarian names from the first known map of 1363 to the very last published in 1912. After the Rumanian occupation in 1918 the geographical names were all changed, mostly by translation from Hungarian into Rumanian. 3. The “assembly” at Gyulafehervar, meaning “the white fort of Gyula”, a Hungarian leader of the 10th century, and translated into Rumanian as “Alba Julia” was nothing more than a farce. The war was still raging in the western and northern parts of Transylvania, and only a few Rumanians from the nearby villages were brought into town by the Rumanian army and ordered to yell: “long live Great Rumania!” In no way can this act be regarded as a plebiscite. The New Pioneer claims furthermore that “there is a considerable number of Rumanians living in Hungary today” and that “the Hungarian minority in Transylvania received much better treatment than the Rumanians in Hungary.” The truth is, that there are only about 12,000 Rumanians in Hungary. They have their own churches, their own schools and libraries, as well as the free use of their language. On the other hand, there are 3 million Hungarians in Rumanian - occupied Transylvania, who are treated as third class citizens, persecuted, discriminated against and forbidden to use their mother tongue. The New Pioneer is right only in one thing: indeed the spirit of justice which has motivated the actions of the United States of America will prevail in the case of Transylvania also, and will be based on the truth and not on falsehood and deceit. ☆ ☆ VOICE OF THE CATACOMBS: “WE DEMAND THE RIGHT TO LIVE!” Under the above title we shall publish in our next issue the complete text of a distress call sent by the Transylvanian underground to the governments of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Spain and the Republic of Austria. The document was signed by Hungarian as well as Rumanian writers and contains a memorandum to the participants of the Madrid Conference, listing the grievances and demands of the Transylvanian people. These grievances and demands are basically the same as those published by the Transylvanian World Federation on the front page of this Quarterly. Though the writers and editors responsible for this message were arrested, tortured, and some of them are probably dead by now, their voice, the voice of the Transylvanian catacombs, can be heard all over this world and is resounding in the hearts of free men everywhere. TO ALL PERSONS OF HUNGARIAN ANCESTRY Learn about your Hungarian Heritage: Read the EIGHTH TRIBE magazine. Especially printed for those who do not understand the Hungarian language. Published monthly: $10.00 per year. P. 0. Box 637, Ligonier, Pennsylvania 15658. THE TRANSYLVANIAN QUARTERLY VU
