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WHO IS A SLAV?The Slavic peoples are an ethnic and linguistic branch of Indo-European peoples, living mainly in Central and Eastern Europe. The early Slavs came from various parts of Asia into Eastern Europe about 2,000 BC. Under the pressure of nomadic hoards, the Slavic tribes crossed the Carpathian Mountains and pushed their way down to the Balkans. Others moved westward toward the upper Danube, and still others moved eastward toward the River Dniper and Black Sea. This migration continued from the fourth through the eighth century, giving birth to the Slavic nations that we know today. More than half of Europe's territory is inhabited by Slavic-speaking communities.  The worldwide population of people of Slavic descent is more than 350 million. Modern nations and ethnic groups described as Slavs are considerably diverse both in appearance and culturally, and relations between them – even within the individual ethnic groups themselves – are varied, ranging from a sense of connection to feelings of mutual hostility.
For many centuries, the Slavic tribes used the same common language. Starting with the migration into Eastern Europe some dialectical differences began to develop among the various tribes. Generally, Slavic peoples are classified into three main groups:
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, political and economic tension triggered a wave of emigration from the Slavic nations to America. These hard working people came to form settlements in cities and neighborhoods where jobs and the American Dream welcomed their arrival. Today, millions of Americans and at least 75,000 Valley residents, can trace their family heritage to the Slavic nations (ref. US Census). Celebrations, like the Simply Slavic Heritage Festival, remind us of those roots and the sacrifices made by those who came before us seeking a better life. Could you be a Slav? Many people were identified as “Hungarian” by immigration officers due to their origin of travel from the territory called Austria-Hungary. However, living in the territory ruled by Austro-Hungary were large numbers of Poles, Slovaks, Czechs, Slovenes, Croatians, Ukrainians, Rusyns and Serbians who were ethnically and linguistically Slavic. So if your ancestors arrived before 1918, in actuality, you could be a Slav! Often Mistaken for Slavic Not all people from Eastern and Central Europe are Slavs. Hungarians and Romanians are neither linguistically nor ethnically Slavic people. The language of Hungary is identified by linguists as a member of the Finno-Ugric group of languages. Romanian (and closely related Moldovan) is a Romance language related to French, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. So, although generally a friendly neighbor to all, these two ethnic groups and languages are not considered Slavic. |