Rusens (Liptekans)
The Liptekans also known as the Rusen or Rutheno-Balkan are an ethnoreligious group originating from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, specifically from the Podolian region, found across the Balkans, with a small percentage in the Levant. They natively speak Rusen, aka Tivirsi Rusen, which is the last living true dialect of Ruthenian, not diverging enough to be considered a separate language by linguistic researchers.
Etymology[edit]
The name Liptekan came from the Ruthenian word "Липкий" literally meaning "Sticky" but meant untouchable. This word was used by Christianized Ruthenians to describe the left over Pagans that did not yet convert and was used in the context of Liptekans to describe their rural, pagan-stemming way of life and "improper", "vulgar", and "rural" speech.
Origins and Language[edit]
The Rusen's lineage traces back to the Ruthenian community in the Kameniec Podolski and Braclaw voivodeships, particularly the southern regions of the Podolia region within the Kingdom of Poland. Linguistically, they speak Tivirsi Rusen, the last living true dialect of Ruthenian, making it one of the only two East Slavic languages present in the Balkans, alongside Pannonian Rusyn. It is related to Ukrainian and Belarusian, as well as Russian and Rusyn. After the Christianization of Vladimir the Great, a big population of rural Podolia hadn't been christianized. Once his troops came to christianize them, they revolted and the troops retaliated. His troops came several times to these villages to try to convert them, but in 1012 he forcefully converted them, although they practiced in secret. Then in 1528, The Grand Duchy of Lithuania sent most to the Republic of Venice as slaves, but around 10,000 escaped to the border areas of Italy, Slovenia, and Croatia but by this time they adapted the local Friulian and Venetian languages, and made the Rimskiy language. The Rimskiy language later added in extra vocabulary from the countries they were expelled into while still retaining the Liptekan language, which by now became a koine dialect form of Old Ruthenian. Throughout this time, they also retained their pagan religion which now became a syncretic religion with Catholicism but still retaining most if not all rituals and prayers. The Rusen language is related to the Ukrainian, Belarusian, and Rusyn languages due to their shared Old Ruthenian ancestry. Rusen is the last living true dialect of Old Ruthenian which did not diverge enough to be considered a separate language.
Rusen (руская мова, рускїй ęзіку) is an exonymic linguonym for a closely related group of dialects of Old Ruthenian spoken by the Rusen community. Regional distribution of those varieties, both in their literary and vernacular forms, corresponded approximately to the territories of the modern ethnolinguistic group, the Rusens, who were subsequently expelled from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and sold into slavery to the Venetian Republic, who later expelled them to their modern locations, the Balkans . By the end of the 18th century, the Ruthenian language gradually diverged into regional variants, which subsequently developed into the modern belarusian, ukrainian, and rusyn languages while Rusen did not develop further, and stayed as a dialect of High Ruthenian. In the Austrian and Austro-Hungarian empires, the same term (german: ruthenische sprache; hungarian: rutén nyelv) was employed continuously (up to 1918) as an official exonym for the entire Rusen language body within its borders, spoken by the Liptekans across the Balkans under Austrian or Austro-Hungarian rule.
Lipteka Slave Trade[edit]
The Rusen's historical narrative unfolds against the dark backdrop of enslavement. It commences in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, where they faced expulsion and subsequent sale into the Republic of Venice. The Liptekans would end up being expulsed into the Ottoman Empire (and its areas of suzerainty), as well as Habsburg Monarchy. The only Rusens who were not expelled from the republic of Venice were the Istrian Lipkas, who were runaway fugitives of the Republic of Venice. Yet at their arrival, the Rusens who settled in the Ottoman Empire were sold into slavery, but rarely anywhere else that wasn't the Balkans, but there is a noticeable community of Rusens of 100,000 in the cities of Cairo, Aleppo, Konya, and Damascus (called the Jakala Rusens) who speak a creolized version of Rimskiy, but have lost the Rusen language. The Liptekan slaves were only sold in the Balkans besides the few that were sold into the Ottoman-ruled Levant. The Rusens of the Habsburg Monarchy also faced persecution and were often put into Indentured Servitude if they managed to escape Ottoman Slavery (yet strangely enough not by the Monarchy, but by the people). The monarchy treated Rusens well and the Rusens refugees who escaped slavery were given free homes in the rural country for the only fact that they had to grow agriculture, but were paid a good amount. This is why the Danubian and Dalmatian Lipkas are often said to be quite wealthy but yet still rural.
Traditions[edit]
Rusen's folk traditions paint a vibrant tableau of cultural richness. Culinary traditions, rooted in agrarian practices, feature staples such as Kutja and bread. Musical and vocal expressions, distinct from neighboring South Slavic cultures, illuminate polyphonic styles. Rites of passage, exemplified by Pohoron-Maraj, amalgamate pre-Christian customs with spiritual beliefs, illustrating a unique synthesis of tradition.
Religiously, the Rusen adhere to Dvojederij, an indigenous belief system with a pantheon including Mata Zemlij, Perun Elija, and Maraj. The coexistence of two parallel traditions, Volosvera and Perunevera, highlights the diversity within Rusen spirituality. The linguistic panorama extends beyond Tivirsi Rusen, encompassing creole languages like Rimskiy and various dialects spoken by distinct Liptekan communities.
Architecturally, the Rusen exhibit a blend of influences, from rustic rural dwellings to structures reflecting their diverse diaspora in countries such as Italy, Austria, and the Balkan nations. This architectural diversity mirrors the adaptive nature of the Rusen community as they traversed different regions and epochs.
