Bojkowie (Boykos)

Boykos - descendants of ancient Vlachs

 

Ethnographers and historians associate the appearance of Boykos in south-eastern Poland with the migration of Balkan shepherds called Vlachs. From the second half of the fourteenth century to the sixteenth century, they managed to settle the area of the Bieszczady Mountains, the western arch of the Carpathians towards the Low Beskids, Sądecki, and fragments of the Foothills, all the way to Moravia. The Vlachs, who settled in these areas, were not a homogeneous group. The blood of Balkan nomads, southern Slavs and Ruthenians was flowing in them. Their character was shaped by a long journey from the territory of Moldova and today's Romania in search for a new home for their families and animals. It was thanks to their strength and endurance that they managed to travel such a long way to settle in the wild area of the Bieszczady Mountains. It must be remembered that the preparation of mountainous terrain for cultivation and grazing was not easy at all, as it required deforestation, defense against predators and the survival of severe and long winters. Under these harsh conditions, the strict culture of the Bieszczady highlanders was developed. The Vlachs slowly blended into the new social landscape, assimilating with the communities they encountered, but at the same time cultivating old traditions and customs, giving rise to a group later called Boyki.

 

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