Cossack Regalia (Kleinody)[edit]
Of right let’s talk of the Zaporozhian Cossacks’s battles with story bandura
The most important items of the host were the Cossack Kleinody [16] (always in plural; related to Imperial Regalia) that consisted of valuable military distinctions, regalia, and attributes of the Ukrainian Cossacks and were used until the 19th century. Kleinody were awarded to Zaporozhian Cossacks by the Polish king Stephen Báthory[16] on 20 August 1576[17] to Bohdan Ruzhynsky, among which were khoruhva, bunchuk, bulawa “mace” and a seal with a coat of arms on which was depicted a cossack with a samopal “rifle”.[16] The kleinody were assigned to hetman’s assistants for safekeeping, thus there have appeared such ranks as chorąży (“flag-bearer”), bunchuzhny (“staff-keeper”), etc. Later part of Cossack kleinody became pernaches, timpani (lytavry), kurin banners (badges), batons, and others.[16]
The highest symbol of power was the bulawa or mace carried by hetmans and kish-otamans.[16] For example, Bohdan Khmelnytsky already from 1648 carried a silver gold-covered bulawa decorated with pearls and other valuable gem stones.[16] The cossack colonels had pernachs (shestopers) - smaller ribbed bulawas which were carried behind a belt.[16]
Cossack army in 1648[citation needed]
The seal of the Zaporozhian Host was produced in a round form out of silver with a depiction of cossack in a gabled cap on a head, in kaftan with buttons on a chest, with a sabre (shablya), powder flask on a side, and a self-made rifle (samopal) on the left shoulder.[16] Around the seal was an inscription «Печать славного Війська Запорізького Низового» (“Seal of the glorious Zaporozhian Host”).[16] Palanka’s and kurin’s seals were either round or rectangular with images of lions, deers, horses, moon, stars, crowns, lances, sabers, and bows.[16]
Khoruhva was mostly of a crimson color embroidered with coats of arms, saints, crosses, and others.[16] It was always carried in front of the army next to the hetman or otaman.[16] A badge (znachok) was a name for a kurin’s or company’s (sotnia) banners.[16] There was a tradition when the newly elected colonel was required at his own expense prepare palanka’s banner.[16] One of the banners was preserved until 1845 in Kuban and was made out of tissue in two colors: yellow and blue.[16] Kettledrums (lytavry) were large copper boilers that were fitted with a leather which served for transmission of various signals (calling cossacks to a council, raising an alarm etc.).[16]
Zaporozhian cossacks fighting Tatars from the Crimean Khanate, by Józef Brandt.
Each item of kleinody was granted to a clearly assigned member of cossack starshina (officership).[16] For example, in the Zaporozhian Host, the bulawa was given to the otaman; the khoruhva - to the whole host although carried by a khorunzhy; the bunchuk also was given to otaman, but carried by a bunchuzhny or bunchuk comrade; the seal was preserved by a military judge, while the seals of the kurin - to the kurin otaman, and the seals of the palanka - to the colonel of a certain palanka; the kettledrums were in possession of a dovbysh (drummer); the staffs - to a military osavul; the badges were given to all the 38 kurins in possession to the assigned badge comrades.[16] All kleinody items (except for the kettledrum sticks) were stored in the Sich’s Pokrova church treasury and were taken out only on a special order of kish otaman.[16] The kettledrum sticks were kept in the kurin with the assigned dovbysh.[16] Sometimes, part of kleidony was considered a great silver inkwell (kalamar), an attribute of a military scribe (pysar) of the Zaporozhian Host.[16] Similar kleinods had the officership of the Cossack Hetmanate, cossacks of Kuban, Danube, and other cossack societies.[16]
Upon the destruction of the Sich and liquidation of Ukrainian Cossacks the kleinody were gathered and given away for storage in Hermitage and Transfiguration Cathedral in Saint Petersburg, Kremlin Armoury in Moscow as well as other places of storage.[16] By the end of 19th century the Hermitage stored 17 kurin banners and one khoruhva, the Transfiguration Cathedral contained 20 kurin banners, three bunchuks, one silver bulawa, and one silver gold-covered baton.[16] Today the fate of those national treasures of Ukrainian people is unknown.[16] After the February Revolution in 1917 the Russian Provisional Government adopted the decisions of returning them to Ukraine, however, due to the events of the October Revolution of the same year the decision was not executed.[16] With the proclamation of independence, the Ukrainian government has raised the issue of returning the national cultural valuables before the leadership of Russia; no specific agreements have ever been reached, however.[16]
