Their history is woven into the very foundation of Russian heritage and folklore. The Cossack’s, a warrior class of Eastern Slavic ethnicity, are simultaneously of Russia and yet at the same time not of Russia. For centuries they proved themselves essential at keeping Russia a prominent power, to be feared and respected, but other times proved a thorn in the side of countless Tsars and generals. The ancient homelands of the Cossack’s are Russia and the Ukraine, there are literally hundreds of stories about their exploits, the most infamous being the Zaporozhian Cossack’s reply to the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed IV, made famous by the painter Ilya Repin.
Following the fall of the Romanov’s in 1917, at the hands of the Bolshevik beast, which would later morph into the all consuming monster of Communism, the Cossack’s lost much of their autonomy and prestige, yet since the collapse of the USSR in 1991, they are steadily gaining back a lost glory, both culturally and socially.
The Zaporozhian Cossacks write a letter to the Sultan of Turkey. 1880–1891 by Ilya Repin.
Today, they exist as small communities dotted across Russia and the Ukraine, in both countries they have regained the respect of governments, becoming part of both the military apparatus and law enforcement, as well as slowly rebuilding prominence at a cultural level. During the Communist years the Cossack’s, although still never losing their steadfast prestige, in the eyes of the population and regime, had slipped into becoming, more or less, cultural curiosities, with films like Vasili Pronin’s ‘The Cossacks’ from 1961, an adaption of Leo Tolstoy’s 1863 novel, which fell in line with the USSR’s promotion of Russian culture.
In the former USSR, the Cossack’s came back into the public consciousness properly in 1999, with the Polish big screen adaption of Henryk Sienkiewicz’ novel ‘With Fire and Sword’. A film which to this day remains one of the most widely watched adaptions in Polish cinema history. The film triggered a rebirth of the Cossack’s as a source of pride, a contemporary force with a vibrant history. ‘With Fire and Sword’ set a precedence, as a romantic and poetic portrayal of Cossack glory.
Aleksandr Domogarov as Ivan Bohun in ‘With Fire and Sword’.
“Who he was, whence he had come, was known to no man. This much was certain,—the steppes, the Dnieper, the Cataracts, and Chertomelik, with its labyrinth of narrows, arms, islands, rocks, ravines, and reeds, had been his cradle. From childhood he had lived and communed with that wild world. He never warmed any place long. Caprice was the motive of his deeds. Some held him to be insane; for he was an unbridled, mad spirit. Why he was living in the world, what he wanted, whither he was tending, whom he served, he knew not himself. He served the steppes, the whirlwinds, war, love, his own fancy.” A description of the Ukrainian Cossack colonel – Ivan Bohun, portrayed in ‘With Fire and Sword’ by Aleksandr Domogarov.
Culturally, the Cossack’s have spread beyond Russia and Eastern Europe, as far as England, Australia and North America. One such group is Cossack’s Show, based in London and lead by Alexy Sharp. It is gaining a satisfactory amount of attention, although, as Alexy told me in our recent conversation, with events occurring in the political sphere, Russian arts and culture were all but dismissed by the mainstream media. Yet the Cossack Show managed to find a spot on the BBC in 2015.
The group was set up by Alexy’s father, as an amalgamation of various Russian and Cossack dance styles. “There’s not really much difference in the styles of dance” Alexy says “there’s specific things like the traditional sabre dance and so on, the variety comes more from styles of costumes.” The only Cossack dance troupe in the country, since emerging on the scene Cossack’s Show has become a favourite among theatre’s and festivals up and down the country, with their carefully choreographed routines. They have accurately fashioned the culture of Cossack dance, down to the very last detail.
With a reputation built on strength, honour and culture, the Cossack’s will forever remain present in some form or another, and with groups like Cossack’s Show bringing Cossack culture to new audiences, there reputation will only grow greater.
Photos courtesy of Alexy Sharp.