Ćiribirci iz prigodničarskih ladica

Prije neki dan istarski župan Ivan Jakovčić susreo se s rumunjskim veleposlanikom u Zagrebu, s kojim je, među ostalim, razgovarao o Istrorumunjima u Sušnjevici i okolnim selima, odnosno Žejanama, uz dogovor da će se kontakti nastaviti i produbiti te razviti suradnja i razmijeniti posjeti. Oni koji prate te kontakte znaju da je tako nešto svaki put zaključeno prilikom obilaska rumunjskih diplomatskih predstavnika Sušnjevice i da se najdalje stiglo do dijeljenja knjiga na rumunjskom jeziku koji naši Ćiribirci, odnosno Vlasi, ne razumiju. Njima smeta što ih se tada tretira kao Rumunje, što oni nisu u svjetlu današnjeg identiteta te nacije, kao što im smeta svojevrsni patronat iz te zemlje. To ne znači da se ti kontakti i susreti ne trebaju održavati na raznim razinama, uključujući moguće gospodarske, ali i znanstvene kontakte. Ne treba zaboraviti da se prije stotinjak godina najpoznatiji Istrorumunj Andrea Glavina školovao u Rumunjskoj i za Italije, kad je Sušnjevica postala općina, u tamošnje škole uveo govor te etničke zajednice.

Više od toga, pogotovo inzistiranje na njihovoj rumunjskoj nacionalnosti, jalov je posao, isto kao što se od gradišćanskih ili moliških Hrvata želi učiniti »prave« Hrvate. Zaboravlja se pritom da su oni ipak prije svega Austrijanci i Talijani, svjesni svog porijekla i korijena, o čemu svjedoče neka prezimena, običaji ili arhaičan govor s mnoštvom njemačkih ili talijanskih riječi.

U tim zemljama postoje udruge koje prije svega čuvaju i njeguju tu tradiciju, ne bježeći od kontakata s njihovim praprazavičajem, a takve udruge u Sušnjevici nažalost nema. Istina, pod okriljem IDS-a ona je bila osnovana prije desetak godina, ali od početka je bila ispolitizirana i bez pravih namjera da se radi ne samo na očuvanju baštine te zanimljive etničke zajednice, čiji broj stalno opada, već i poticanju njihove afirmacije i samopoštovanja. Danas Općina Kršan, a ni Istarska županija, ništa ne čine za očuvanje njihova identiteta, govora, odnosno usporavanje neminovne asimilacije ili izučavanje prošlosti. Minimalno što bi se moglo očekivati od Kršana jest da se postojanje te zajednice i njene posebnosti utvrdi u općinskom Statutu te da nazivi na ulazu u Sušnjevicu i nekoliko okolnih sela budu dvojezični. Zanimljivo je da su u svim tim elementima Istrorumunji mnogo više organizirani i samosvjesniji u Italiji i New Yorku, gdje ih danas ima više nego u rodnoj Istri, a svatko koga zanima povijest Istrorumunja naći će hrpu zanimljivih podataka na internetu. I to posebno na portalu Istrianet.org, koji godinama vodi Marisa Ciceran, podrijetlom također Istrorumunjka.

Ciribiri the Istro-Romanians

 Several days ago there was an encounter between the Istrian governor Ivan Jakovcić and the Romanian ambassador in Zagreb, with whom he spoke about Istro-Romanians in Sušnjevica and surrounding villages, i.e. Žejane, among other topics, where they agreed that the contacts will continue and they will develop cooperation and exchange visits. Those who follow these events know that every time they conclude a similar agreements when Romanian diplomats visit Sušnjevica, the farthest they ever came was to distribute books in Romanian which our Ciribiri or Vlahi do not understand. They are disturbed that during these occasions they are treated as Romanians, which they do not accept in light of the current identity of that nation, and also they do not like the feeling that they are being patronized by that country. That does not mean that these contacts should not be continued on certain levels, which would also include economic and scientific exchange. Let’s not forget that over a hundred years ago one of the most noted Istro-Romanian, Andrea Glavina studied in Romania and during Italian rule when Sušnjevica became a county seat, he was able to introduce the Istro-Romanian ethnic speech into local schools.

Furthermore, to insist on their Romanian nationality is a moot point; similarly, it is fruitless to try to make Gadish and Molish Croatians into “real” Croatians. On forgets that they are first of all Austrians and Italians, but still cognizant of their origin, which is also noticed in their last names, customs, and ancient speech containin many German and Italian words.

In these countries exist Croatian social groups, which are preserving and maintaining these traditions and keeping contact with their homeland; however such a social group in Sušnjevica does not exist. True, under the sponsorship of IDS one was established ten years ago, but from the very beginning it was politicized and without real intention to work on the preservation of the heritage of this interesting ethnic group, whose numbers continuously diminish, but also on promoting their affirmation [identity] and respectability. Today the county of Kršan and the Istrian regional government are  doing nothing to preserve their identity, speech, or slowing down the inescapable assimilation, or to study of their past. The minimum that the county of Kršan should do is to acknowledge the existence of this ethnic group and its uniqueness and put this in their Statute so that the names at the entrance to Sušnjevica and surrounding villages are bilingual. It is interesting that Istro-Romanians are much more organized and aware, in all these ethnic elements, in Italy and New York, where you can find more of them than in their native Istria, and anybody who is interested in the history of Istro-Romanians will find a heap of interesting information on the Internet. Specifically, on the Istrianet.org website, which for years now has been administered and lead by Marisa Ciceran, herself an Istro-Romanian by origin.

Kod nas su za populariziranje Ćiribira ne samo pionirski, već i kapitalni posao učinili akademik August Kovačec i pulski sveučilišni profesor Goran Filipi izdavši dragocjene rječnike njihova govora. Više nego mnogo, ali ne i dovoljno da se i službeno promijeni odnos prema toj maloj zajednici, koja je prije 150 godina bila mnogo brojnija, dopirući na Labinšćini i do danas opustjele Skitače. Prvi potez bi nakon svega, uz podršku Istarske županije, ipak trebala poduzeti kršanska Općina.

Marijan MILEVOJ

In Istria the biggest effort to popularize the Ciribiri was made by the academician August Kovačec and the college professor from Pula Goran Filipi by publishing valuable dictionaries of this speech. This is a lot, but still not enough to force an officially change of the relationship towards this small social group, which 150 years ago was much more numerous, extending up to the Labin’s environs all the way to the village of Skitača. The first step, in conjunction with the support by the regional government, should be taken by the county of Kršan.

Translation by Pino Golja for Istrianet

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