Old and New Armenian Communities

[Guest]

Sweden

by David Zenian

 

Historic Armenian Roots

 

The Armenian community of Sweden as we know it today may be young in years, but its ties with this Scandinavian country go as far back as the 10th century AD.

 

http://www.agbu.org/pages/sweden/ARMCHU~1.JPG

Exterior of Armenian Chapel on the outskirts of Stockholm built by Ohan Demirjian in the 19th century.

 

According to a Swedish legend dating from the 10th century, a navigator by the name of Petrus was so enchanted by the beauty of an Armenian princess, that he travelled to Armenia and married her.

Traces of the Armenian influence are seen in many Swedish literary works and research documents, especially in the Middle Ages. Historians believe that the Swedes borrowed the art of needlework from the Armenians along with some musical tunes during that era.

In the old Swedish language, there is a mention of the word "erik", which means husband in both Swedish and Armenian. The same is true to a certain extent in architecture, especially in the familiarities that exist between the old Armenian khatchkars (stone crosses) and some of the ancient stone engravings found in Sweden.

Some Swedish archeologists often go as far as making a direct link between some of the old jewelry excavated in Sweden to their Armenian origins, and particularly ancient villages in Armenia.

But despite the repeated references to things Armenian, there is little or no mention of any real and continuous Armenian presence in Sweden until the 18th century when better documentation has helped catalogue the ties between Armenians and this Scandinavian country.

Swedish traveler Matson Kioping describes the Armenians as "very famous for their chastity, faithfulness and sincerity to all men." Another famous Swede, a physician, botanist and traveler by the name of Frederick Hasselquist, in a book published in Stockholm in 1757, was full of praise of the Armenians he had met on his journeys to Jerusalem.

Apart from these individual contacts, a group of Armenians from Turkey accompanied Swedish King Karl XII to Sweden in 1714 and stayed on and assimilated into the Swedish society over the years.

It is also a historical fact that many Armenians were employed by the Swedish Embassy in Ottoman Turkey. Among those are Paris University graduate Hagop Tchamichoglu (Tchamichian) who served in the Swedish Embassy in Constantinople in the early 1700's and Hovhannes Mouradgian who held a key position as interpreter at the same Embassy in the mid 1700's.

Notes and documents written by Mouradgian, detailing his activities, are presently kept in the library of Uppsala University and are frequently used as reference material by Swedish researchers. One of his early documents, written in French, carries a footnote in Armenian, authenticating its origins.

Over the years, the Mouradgian family-a name which was later changed to Mouradgea d'Ohsson apparently to make it sound more Swedish-- became closely associated with Swedish diplomatic life in the Ottoman Empire. The senior Mouradgian's son and grandson, Ignatius Mouradgea d'Ohsson and Abraham Constantin d'Ohsson, are well known by Swedish historians. Both Catholic Armenians, they served in key diplomatic posts for many years.

Ignatius d'Ohsson began his diplomatic career at the Swedish Embassy in Constantinople in 1763, was promoted to the rank of charge d'affaires in 1795, and later head of the diplomatic mission-a post which he kept until 1799.

During his tenure, he wrote a number of important books on the history, religion and customs of the Ottoman Empire. One of the books, which took 20 years to complete and consisted of two massive volumes, was first published in French and later translated into German, English and Russian. A third volume was completed just before the author's death and was later published by his son, Abraham Constantin d'Ohsson who had already followed his father's footsteps in diplomacy and research.

Abraham Constantin, who was educated in France, served in the Swedish diplomatic corps and at various times was posted in Spain, Holland and Germany. He died in Berlin in 1851. Like his father, the young Abraham Constantin was also involved in historical research, but his forte was Mongolian studies - a field in which he is still considered by many Swedish historians as a leader and prime authority. His major work, History of the Mongols, based on Arab, Persian and Turkish primary sources, includes several chapters on the Mongol rule over Armenia.

A man with diverse interests, Abraham Constantin (1779-1851) completed his education at Uppsala University in Sweden, studying Swedish literature, history, mythology and culture. He graduated in 1798. From 1805 to 1834, Abraham Constantin, besides holding a number of key diplomatic posts including that of Cabinet Secretary of Sweden's Crown prince, worked closely with famous Swedish scientist John Berzelius and became an honorary member of the Scientific Union of Uppsala in recognition for his research in chemistry.

But the Mouradgea d'Ohssons, who were decorated by the royal family and given their own coat of arms in appreciation of their work, were not the only people involved in the Swedish diplomatic life. Jean Anastasi, an Armenian merchant from Damascus, served as Swedish Consul General in Egypt from 1828 to 1857. Paul Serphino (Sarafian) held a similarly important post at the Swedish Embassy in Constantinople.

The trend continued over many decades. Ohan Demirjian, the son of Stepan Bey Demirjian who served as the Foreign Minister of Egypt from 1844-1853 and was instrumental in the opening of the Suez Canal, established close ties with the Swedish royal family.

Demirjian, who settled in Sweden and was granted citizenship in 1867, is well known in Swedish academic circles as the author of two books on the commercial relations and contacts between European countries of the era and the Orient. According to recent research, Demirjian built a small chapel on the outskirts of Stockholm. The building still stands and architects familiar with Armenian church structures are convinced that its interior style, especially its arches and altar-like section, is very close to that seen in Armenian churches worldwide. Presently a group of young Armenians are actively involved in efforts to restore the structure to its original state and even its use as an Armenian chapel.

http://www.agbu.org/pages/sweden/GRAVES~1.JPG

Tombstone in Stockhilm of missionary Alma Johansson (1881-1974) who served in Armenia for 30 years.

 

 

The list of Armenians associated with Swedish academic and political life is as long as that of Swedes who were involved with Armenian affairs. Henrich Brenner (1669-1732), a Swedish philosopher and diplomat from Uppsala, translated from Armenian sections of Movses Khorenatsi's fifth century book The History of Armenia. Another Swedish scholar and theologian from Uppsala Olav Celsi (1670-1756) not only wrote extensively about the history of the Armenian church, including the works of Khorenatsi and Nersess Shnorhali-12th century scholar and Catholicos at Holy Etchmiadzin-but also the structures of the Armenian church hierarchy.

Maybe it was this interest in Armenian religious institutions and history that attracted Swedish missionaries to Armenia.

The first Swedish missionaries to appear on the Armenian scene were Lars Erik Hogberg and N.F. Hoijer who visited the Transcaucasus in 1886. They were followed over the years by many others like Elin Anna Charlotta Sundvall (1853-1921) who worked for 30 years in Etchmiadzin, Yerevan, Shushi and other Armenian towns and villages, and Alma Johansson (1881-1974). Armenians gather at Johansson's gravesite at Stockholm's main cemetery once a year for memorial services in appreciation of her work with Armenian orphans of the 1915 Genocide.

Reports by other missionaries appeared in Swedish publications, thus keeping the Swedish people aware of the hardships facing the Armenians, especially at the end of the 19th century and during 1915-1923 when 1.5 million Armenians were massacred at the hands of Ottoman Turks.

With a growing Armenian presence, the Swedish interest in things Armenian has not faded.

http://www.agbu.org/

 

 

[This message has been edited by MJ (edited February 13, 2001).]

 

[This message has been edited by MJ (edited February 13, 2001).]

[Guest]

A Journey Through Poland

by David Zenian

The Armenians of Poland:

The Oldest Armenian Community in Europe

 

http://www.agbu.org/images/Old.jpg

Rozalia and Josef Donabidowicz with daughters Maria and Anna just before WWI.

 

 

The Armenians of Poland are very proud of their heritage. After all, they have been part of the Polish landscape for nearly 800 years, and despite assimilation, many still see themselves as Armenians or at least Poles of Armenian origin.

Historians differ on the date when the first Armenians began settling in what was once called Red Ruthenia which later became Poland. The difference, however, is only a matter of decades—between the middle of the 11th century and the early part of the 12th century.

But they all agree that the Armenians came as friends, often to help the region’s local Polish kings and rulers against foreign invaders.

One of the early recorded military missions dates to 1241, when a battalion of 40,000 Armenian officers and soldiers marched from the Crimean city of Kaffa, or Teodossia in present-day Crimea, to Kamieniec (Kamenets) to defend the region’s Armenian population against the Mongol invasion.

One wave after the other, Armenians came from the Crimea and later Armenia proper establishing viable communities in and around the city of Lvov, then part of Poland and today in the Ukraine.

The early immigrants included not only officers and soldiers, but also artisans, traders and builders who helped fortify the city which became their home away from home for many centuries to come.

Polish King Casimir, in a letter dated June 17, 1356, names the Armenians among his loyal subjects. Other historical documents indicate that the Armenians had their own church in Lvov in 1303 or even as early as 1183.

While Lvov is considered the main center of Armenian habitation in Poland, thousands of Armenians also settled in a number of smaller towns and villages in the region, including Vladimir, Lutsk, Tchichnov, and others.

By the mid-14th century the number of Armenians in Poland had increased so much that the Armenian Apostolic Church in Armenia found it necessary to establish a separate Diocese and sent Archbishop Krikor to Poland in 1346.

It was this core that continued to attract more immigrants over the years and new Armenian communities were established in Balta, Var, Berejni, Broti, Virmeni, Korodenka, Toupno, Zamosk, Bajkov, Stoutianitsa, Stanislaw, Dismenitsa and a score of other towns and cities.

There are no concrete details regarding the number of the early Armenian settlers, but the 200,000 figure often appears in the historical documents of the era.

The Polish kings and Dukes regarded the Armenians not only their loyal subjects, but at times an elite segment of the population, giving them special privileges—including self rule.

Polish historians, describing the behavior of the Armenian immigrants, say “these people, who came to these lands carrying with them small bags of soil from their native land, soon became the salt of their adopted homeland. The credit for the luster of some Polish towns like Lvov and Kamenets goes to a great extent to the Armenians.”

In a letter addressed to the Polish Armenian community in 1410, Catholicos Hagop refers to his fellow Armenians as “My dear priests, barons, seniors, doctors, traders, land owners, farmers and artisans.”

Each segment of the Armenian population has played an important role in the life of the Polish nation, and yet, as a community never neglecting its own needs, establishing schools and helping its own poor and less fortunate members.

Over the years, Armenians gained prominence and prestige. According to records regarding the development of the city of Lvov, especially during the period between the 15th and the 18th centuries, the Armenians were single-handedly responsible for the gold and silver industry that flourished during that era.

Also famous were the Armenian businessmen, who over the years turned the region into a major trading center between east and west, selling European products in the east and importing such items as spices, Persian carpets and other goods into Europe.

Maybe it was this wealth and the special status in the Polish marketplace that gave the Armenians certain privileges, including a tax exemption and the right not only to get involved in foreign trade, but also in wide scale commercial activity within Poland as well.

During the 16th century, out of the 38 trading houses in Lvov, 22 belonged to Armenians. Later in the 17th century, all except two of Lvov’s trading houses were owned by Armenians who also maintained similar trading posts (offices) in Istanbul, Smyrna, Esfahan, Moscow, Amsterdam and other major cities.

Some were so rich, that on more than one occasion, they made major financial gifts to the Polish kings of the era. One anecdote speaks of an Armenian merchant by the name of Avedik Bernatowicz who was approached by King Wladyslaw II (1632-1648) to lend him 100,000 Ducats, the currency of that period.

According to historians, Avedik asked the monarch if he wanted the specified sum to be given in gold, silver or copper coins. The reply was “in all three”, to which Avedik responded by giving the king 100,000 Ducats in gold and the same amount in both silver and copper.

It was this special relationship that paved the way for the Armenians to be granted an autonomous status in 1350, a privilege which gave them the right to establish their own courts of law and deal with their own community issues without interference from the Polish rulers.

Consisting of 12 elders chosen by the community, the courts exercised their authority, and had their own civil code which was approved by the Polish authorities, especially those in the city of Lvov and its surrounding towns and villages where the majority of the Armenians lived.

This special status continued until 1476, when one after the other of these privileges began diminishing until they were totally abolished in 1784. But this did not mean that the Armenians had lost all their clout.

Labor unions had already begun taking shape, which not only dealt with the welfare of their own members, but also established an Armenian bank to help the needy and poor in the community.

As much as the Armenians cared for their fellow-Armenians, they never neglected their obligations toward the host country, Poland. In 1444, Armenian volunteers joined their Polish “brothers” in fighting the Turkish forces. Armenian volunteers were also involved in similar encounters during the Polish-Turkish war in 1621 and again in 1672, further strengthening the bond between the Polish and Armenian people.

Already integrated into Polish society, Armenians were soon to be appointed to key government positions. During the 15th century, an Armenian by the name of Hagop was sent on key diplomatic missions to Persia, Arabia and Tatarstan. Another Armenian by the name of Christapor Seropowicz was given the rank of ambassador. Yet others were given such royal titles as Duke and Prince.

Polish Armenian ties were so strong that in 1696 the ruling Polish monarch offered to send 35,000 soldiers to help the Armenians under Ottoman rule regain their independence.

But the stronger these ties became and the greater the trust between the Polish Armenians and the native Poles, so did the dangers of assimilation. Ethnic Armenian names began changing. Torosian became Torsowicz, and the traditional “ian” endings were soon replaced with the Polish “wicz”, which means the son of.

The Polish influence was was soon to also make its way into the Armenian Apostolic church.

Despite the objections of the Armenian community, Deacon Nicholas (Nigol) Torosewicz, the 22-year-old son a of a rich merchant, was elevated to the rank of Archbishop in 1627. He later initiated the Union with Rome and embraced Catholicism in 1635—thus renouncing all ties with Holy Etchmiadzin and paying homage to the Vatican.

For more than 20 years, the community resisted the move into Catholicism and thousands left Poland to start new communities in nearby countries like Bulgaria, Romania and Moldova.

The Armenians of Poland tried to oust Torosewicz by various means and take the Armenian church away from him, but the battle was lost—mainly because of the rich Armenian merchant class whose financial interests were closely linked to the Polish Catholic society and leadership.

In 1664, the Vatican sent two Catholic monks who soon established a number of schools and seminaries to train new Armenian Catholic clergymen, and in effect spreading the Catholic faith within the community.

By 1820, the Armenians of Poland had lost most of their clout. Their numbers had decreased to such an extent, that only 100 families remained in Lvov and even less in some of the other towns and cities of the region.

http://www.agbu.org/images/Society.jpg

Wojciech Zachariasiewicz, Father Cezary Annusewicz and Armenian Society members.

 

The Polonization process was moving fast. One hundred years after the arrival in Lvov of the two Catholic monks from the Vatican, the Armenian language had disappeared almost completely from all official documents, while Grabar, the classical form of the Armenian language, was confined to the liturgy.

The final blow to the Armenian language came in the middle of the 19th century when the separate Armenian schools were closed. The process of the Polonization of the Armenians was complete.

But this did not destroy the community’s Armenian roots and heritage.

True, Armenians of Poland today do not speak the native tongue of their ancestors, but still call themselves Armenians or at least Poles of Armenian origin.

History may still repeat itself. As the continuous influx of new immigrants energized the Armenian settlers in the early years of the community, the arrival of tens of thousands of people from Armenia is rapidly changing the face of the Armenians of Poland today and the tide of total assimilation may soon be a thing of the past—another chapter of the 800-year-long history of one of Europe’s oldest Armenian communities.

http://www.agbu.org/

 

 

 

[This message has been edited by MJ (edited February 13, 2001).]

[Guest]

Integrating into Dutch Life

Newcomers Find Liberal Holland a Challenge to Old Traditions

by David Zenian

 

The life of a new immigrant is never easy, even if the adopted country is one of the most tolerant and liberal in the world. It takes more than just time to adjust.

Arriving in Holland from the "old world", Armenian families were - for the first time in their lives -- confronted with a culture of "anything goes" that was alien to their upbringing.

Holland is one of the most open societies in Europe. Amsterdam had long been known as "one of the pleasures of the flesh capitals of the world."

The so-called "coffee shop culture", a haven for soft-drugs, legalized prostitution and the abundance of sex shops and brothels were too much for the new immigrants to fathom.

"I was thrilled with the help provided by the government to the immigrant families, but I was afraid that all that sex and drugs which had become synonymous with Holland would destroy our youth," said an Armenian father who settled in the Amsterdam area 30 years ago.

 

http://www.agbu.org/images/holland/almelo.gif

The building housing the Yerevan Cultural Association in Almelo. It was a gift to the community from AGBU.

 

His fears were shared by many.

For the first time in their lives, the new immigrants had to deal with issues like a liberal attitude toward soft drugs and prostitution, plus unemployment, welfare, housing shortages and the other ingredients of a Western society.

There was the issue of crime, including narcotics and theft, especially for the children of new immigrants from such conservative countries like Turkey and north Africa.

"At first we were afraid to send our children to school. But over the years, this has changed. Now we prefer sending them to private Christian schools which are safe for our children," an Armenian parent said.

Adjustment was an uphill battle. There was a new language to learn, comprehend the ways of a new society, preserve the family structure, maintain the Armenian heritage and integrate enough to start new careers as Dutch-Armenians.

 

http://www.agbu.org/images/holland/Akaz.gif

Ijri Aykaz, A community leader in Almelo and one of the early immigrants to Holland.

 

Despite the ancient links between the Dutch and Armenian people, the Armenian community in Holland only started taking its present shape in the 1950's with the arrival of a small contingent of Armenian immigrants from the Dutch Indies, which is today's Indonesia.

This group had previously settled in Indonesia at the turn of the century. They had moved there from what was then the pre-dominantly Armenian town of New Julfa in Iran .

For them the adaptation process was relatively easy, given the fact that they had already started the integration process with Dutch colonialists in Indonesia.

Dikranouhi Galsdian, who celebrated her 90th birthday this year, was only seven years old when her family moved from New Julfa to the Indonesian coastal town of Surabaya.

That was in 1916. Her father was already in Indonesia where he owned a private business in transportation and trade.

"One early morning we saw large formations of military troops on hills outside New Julfa facing our town. We first thought it was the Turkish Ottoman army, and we were terrified," she said in a recent interview at her small assisted-living apartment on the outskirts of Amsterdam.

"We knew that Armenians were being massacred in eastern Turkey at the time, and we decided to leave before the Turkish army entered our town. But despite the fact that the troops on the hills were Russian soldiers, we did not want to stay. We were afraid," she said.

The youngest of seven children, Dikranouhi lost her father a year after the family was re-united in Surabaya, where she grew up in a small Armenian community. She married a Dutch businessman, who was a friend of one of her brothers.

She was only 17 at the time. "The marriage was arranged by my older brother," she said.

But Indonesia was soon to become an independent country and the Dutch colonialists had to leave. For Dikranouhi it meant yet another move - this time to Holland in 1946.

"There were maybe a few Armenian families in Amsterdam when we arrived, but we had no contact with them," she said.

Over the years, Dikranouhi, who later became known as Rika among her Dutch friends, raised a family of her own. None married Armenians.

"It is difficult to maintain your heritage in a place where there is no active community. This was the case with my family, but things are very different now," she said.

The same was true for all the Armenian immigrants from Indonesia. With no Armenian community to fall back on, they assimilated into the Dutch society.

But is it easier now for the later immigrants?

Dikranouhi Galsdian, An early immigrant from Indonesia.

 

A few at a time, Armenian families began moving to Holland in the early 1960's and continued until the early 1980's, mainly from Turkey and later from Iran after the Islamic Revolution, Iraq after the Gulf War, Lebanon to escape the civil war, and other parts of the Middle East in search of a better and more secure life.

The largest group, however, came from Shirnak, a small Kurdish village along Turkey's southeastern border with Iraq. Today the so-called Shirnak Armenians form the largest single Armenian immigrant group in Holland.

For them integration was a very slow process. The difference between the old and new cultures went far beyond the language barrier.

Coming from a cloistered society where the family elders prevailed in every decision, the immigrants from Shirnak found themselves in a country where liberalism and freedom had dimensions very different from their way of thinking.

Arriving as refugees, they were first settled in special camps, given monthly subsidies and time to adjust. They spoke no Dutch, or English which is the second and most widely used language in Holland.

The majority also spoke no Armenian, which they had lost after living for generations in a small village which had a Kurdish population.

One of the early immigrants from Shirnak was Ijri Aykaz, now 58 but at the time a 25-year-old tailor whose only contact with "Western civilization" was a three-year stay in Istanbul-two of which were spent as a soldier in the Turkish army.

Born in Shirnak, he came to Holland in 1966 to live a "free and dignified life", and with the determination to preserve his Armenian identity. He is now fluent in Dutch, has built a successful private business, retired and remains closely involved with the Armenian Church in the Dutch city of Almelo.

"Life is becoming more difficult these days. The outside pressures are great and keeping the family sanctity is hard work. Maybe it was easier to remain Armenian in Shirnak than here in Holland," he said.

"As a very small minority in Shirnak, we kept our identity. We were different than the local Kurdish population. Our integration was complete in the market place, but at home, we were Armenians," he said.

The immigrants from Shirnak, after decades in Holland, still remain aloof. Integration still does not mean total assimilation, even for the younger generation.

Some speak with pride that they only socialize with people of similar background. Others say their only contact with the Dutch people is in the workplace.

"We have taught our young daughters discipline. In our town of Almelo, our girls never stay out past 7 p.m.," Aykaz said.

But how long will this "protective barrier" last. Aykaz is not sure.

"In a free society like Holland, assimilation is a major threat. Today, we enjoy the respect of the younger generation, but times are changing. Our grandchildren will not be the same.

"Our elders were a blessing for our generation. They kept us together. We are trying to follow in their footsteps," he said.

Aykaz's generation has purchased an old school and converted it to an Armenian Church which they view as the focal point of the community. "Nothing else will keep us together," Aykaz says.

But not everyone thinks like him.

Later Armenian immigrants, especially those from Iraq who settled in Holland after the Gulf War, look at community life from a different perspective.

"We also need our clubs and social life. Today's youth needs more than the church," said a young immigrant from the Iraqi town of Mosul.

This group is active through a number of youth programs which include a boy scout troop, a club, Armenian language classes, sports activities and social functions.

One such club, located in Almelo, is the Yerevan Cultural Association which is housed in a three-story building purchased by the Armenian General Benevolent Union in the 1980's.

The AGBU took the initiative to help the new immigrants after being approached by a Dutch humanitarian organization which was involved in the resettlement program. The building was purchased for close to $200,000 and put under the disposal of the new immigrants to use as a community center. The club now offers special Armenian language classes, the only one available for Almelo Armenians, organizes social events, lectures and other community activities.

Its membership consists mainly of a younger generation of Armenians who describe themselves as "less traditional" and "more open to change."

Many also come from different demographic backgrounds, are fluent in Armenian, and take a more secular approach to community life.

"The church has its special place, but we also need to modernize and integrate. We have nothing against the older generation, but change is very important to us and our children," a young father said. The fears of the early immigrants are still there, but progress is inevitable.

"Our children who were born here are not going through the same culture shock as we did. For them liberal Holland is no longer a threat to their character. On the contrary, they see themselves in a land of opportunity and turn a blind eye at what we consider foreign to the traditions of our heritage," a young father said.

As the community settles down and begins to prosper, a younger generation of Armenians is finding out what it means to be a Dutch-Armenian.