Ojkanje Singing
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Ojkanje is a tradition of polyphonic folk singing in
Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = " Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capi ...
, characteristic for the regions of the
Dalmatian hinterland The Dalmatian Hinterland ( hr, Dalmatinska zagora; it, La Morlacca or ) is the southern inland hinterland in the historical Croatian region of Dalmatia. The name ''zagora'' means "beyond (the) hills", which is a reference to the fact that it is t ...
,
Velebit Velebit (; it, Alpi Bebie) is the largest, though not the highest, mountain range in Croatia. The range forms a part of the Dinaric Alps and is located along the Adriatic coast, separating it from Lika in the interior. Velebit begins in the nor ...
,
Lika Lika () is a traditional region of Croatia proper, roughly bound by the Velebit mountain from the southwest and the Plješevica mountain from the northeast. On the north-west end Lika is bounded by Ogulin-Plaški basin, and on the south-east b ...
,
Kordun The Kordun () region is a part of central Croatia from the bottom of the Petrova Gora (Peter's mountain) mountain range, which extends along the rivers Korana and Slunjčica, and forms part of the border region to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Within ...
, and
Karlovac Karlovac () is a city in central Croatia. According to the 2011 census, its population was 55,705. Karlovac is the administrative centre of Karlovac County. The city is located on the Zagreb-Rijeka highway and railway line, south-west of Zagre ...
. As described in ''The Harvard Dictionary of Music'': "The ojkanje is a particular style of singing melisma with a sharp and prolonged shaking of the voice on the syllables ''oj'' or ''hoj.''" According to experts, ojkanje is a remnant of pre-Slavic Illyrian singing from the area of ancient
Dalmatia Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see #Name, names in other languages) is one of the four historical region, historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of ...
(today's
Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = " Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capi ...
,
Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...
, and
Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = M ...
). In 2010, it was inscribed as Ojkanje singing in
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
s
List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding UNESCO established its Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage with the aim of ensuring better protection of important intangible cultural heritages worldwide and the awareness of their significance.Compare: This list is published by the Intergover ...
.


Geographical extent

Historically, ojkanje is found in the regions of the
Dalmatian hinterland The Dalmatian Hinterland ( hr, Dalmatinska zagora; it, La Morlacca or ) is the southern inland hinterland in the historical Croatian region of Dalmatia. The name ''zagora'' means "beyond (the) hills", which is a reference to the fact that it is t ...
,
Velebit Velebit (; it, Alpi Bebie) is the largest, though not the highest, mountain range in Croatia. The range forms a part of the Dinaric Alps and is located along the Adriatic coast, separating it from Lika in the interior. Velebit begins in the nor ...
,
Lika Lika () is a traditional region of Croatia proper, roughly bound by the Velebit mountain from the southwest and the Plješevica mountain from the northeast. On the north-west end Lika is bounded by Ogulin-Plaški basin, and on the south-east b ...
,
Kordun The Kordun () region is a part of central Croatia from the bottom of the Petrova Gora (Peter's mountain) mountain range, which extends along the rivers Korana and Slunjčica, and forms part of the border region to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Within ...
, and
Karlovac Karlovac () is a city in central Croatia. According to the 2011 census, its population was 55,705. Karlovac is the administrative centre of Karlovac County. The city is located on the Zagreb-Rijeka highway and railway line, south-west of Zagre ...
, belonging to the Dinaric area, along with several neighbouring micro-regions. Dalmatian hinterland area is considered as main home of the ojkanje style and from there was expanded to other parts of Croatia. Migrations from the Dinaric region during the 16th and 17th century probably introduced this style of singing to Adriatic islands as well migration of
Bunjevci Bunjevci ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Bunjevci, Буњевци, ; sh-Latn-Cyrl, label=, separator=" / ", Bunjevac, Буњевац, sh-Latn-Cyrl, label=, separator=" / ", Bunjevka, Буњевка) are a South Slavic sub-ethnic group living ...
from same area to
Vojvodina Vojvodina ( sr-Cyrl, Војводина}), officially the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, is an autonomous province that occupies the northernmost part of Serbia. It lies within the Pannonian Basin, bordered to the south by the national capital ...
and
Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
. The solo singing type of ojkanje is associated most with the Lika region and surrounding Karlovac, while two-part singing is dominant in the wider area of the Croatian coast and its hinterland. Specific types of ojkanje singing can be found between the rivers of Krka and
Cetina Cetina () is a river in southern Croatia. It has a length of and its basin covers an area of . From its source, Cetina descends from an elevation of above sea level to the Adriatic Sea. It is the most water-rich river in Dalmatia.Naklada Naprijed ...
(Drniška Krajina), in the regions of Ravni Kotari and
Bukovica Bukovica may refer to: Croatia *Bukovica, Dalmatia, a geographical region in Croatia * Bukovica, Sisak-Moslavina County, a village near Topusko * Bukovica, Brod-Posavina County, a village near Rešetari *Nova Bukovica, a village and municipality i ...
, in the Cetinska Krajina between Svilaja and Moseč, and the hinterlands of
Trogir Trogir (; historically known as Traù (from Dalmatian, Venetian and Italian: ); la, Tragurium; Ancient Greek: Τραγύριον, ''Tragyrion'' or Τραγούριον, ''Tragourion'') is a historic town and harbour on the Adriatic coast in S ...
and
Kaštela Kaštela (;) is a town in Split-Dalmatia County. The town is an agglomeration of seven individual settlements which are administered as a single municipality with populations individually ranging from 3,000 to 7,000 residents. The town is locat ...
. The mountainous landscape of Lika the Dalmatian hinterland proved ideal for the cultivation of ojkanje. Similar styles of polyphonic singing can be found throughout the Dinaric region of the Balkans, such as
ganga The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...
, found mainly in
Herzegovina Herzegovina ( or ; sh-Latn-Cyrl, Hercegovina, separator=" / ", Херцеговина, ) is the southern and smaller of two main geographical region of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being Bosnia. It has never had strictly defined geogra ...
and inland
Dalmatia Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see #Name, names in other languages) is one of the four historical region, historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of ...
, and
izvika Izvika ( sr-cyr, извика), Naglas (наглас) or Kajda (кајда) is a traditional polyphonic folk singing in southwestern Serbia, in the Zlatibor region (Užice), although similar styles are also found in Vlasotince Vlasotince ( sr-cy ...
from the
Zlatibor Zlatibor ( sr-cyr, Златибoр ) is a mountainous region situated in the western part of Serbia. Among the most popular places in Serbia for tourism, Zlatibor's main attractions include health tourism, skiing, and hiking and the longest p ...
area in
Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
. These enduring musical traditions show a connecting link among the populations of the mountainous regions. Owing to emigration, ojkanje groups can now be found in western Serbia and to a smaller extent, Bosnia and Herzegovina.


Description

The main significance with ojkanje is that it is not simply a genre of singing, but a very specific voice-shaking technique originating from the throat. Ojkanje has been described as "free beat singing" that is created deep in the throat and has been steeped in the culture of various local communities. There are two main ways of performing: individually, or more commonly, with a group. Lyrics usually cover topics such as love, social or local issues, and politics. *Solo singing, also known as "travel singing" (putničko, kiridžijsko) or "solitary singing" (''samačko'') has several different variants depending on the region. One example from the
Konavle Konavle () is a municipality and a small region located southeast of Dubrovnik, Croatia. It is administratively part of the Dubrovnik-Neretva County and the center of the municipality is Cavtat. Demographics The total municipality population wa ...
region is the ''ustresalica'', a shaking type of singing which has died out amongst the community. In Lika, the ''rozganje'' type of singing was popular, and is currently kept alive by local folklore groups in the
Karlovac Karlovac () is a city in central Croatia. According to the 2011 census, its population was 55,705. Karlovac is the administrative centre of Karlovac County. The city is located on the Zagreb-Rijeka highway and railway line, south-west of Zagre ...
region. *Two-part singing can be performed by men or women with two or more people. It is prevalent in the area of the Croatian coast and the Dalmatian hinterland . In group singing, the song lasts as long as the lead singer can hold their breath. The name ''ojkalica'', which is the name used for this type of singing in the area in the hinterland of Šibenik and the villages of Vrlika and Kijevo. Further along the Dalmatian hinterland there are various traditional vocal styles of Ojkanje singing. In Ravni Kotari and
Bukovica Bukovica may refer to: Croatia *Bukovica, Dalmatia, a geographical region in Croatia * Bukovica, Sisak-Moslavina County, a village near Topusko * Bukovica, Brod-Posavina County, a village near Rešetari *Nova Bukovica, a village and municipality i ...
, the local style of singing is called ''orzenje'' (the Serbian Orthodox population calls it ''orcenje'', ''orcanje'' or ''groktanje''). Furthermore, when performed by men, the singing is known as ''treskavica,'' or ''starovinsko'' ("old-style") today, and when performed by women it is known as ''vojkavica''. Treskavica is also used in the hinterlands of
Trogir Trogir (; historically known as Traù (from Dalmatian, Venetian and Italian: ); la, Tragurium; Ancient Greek: Τραγύριον, ''Tragyrion'' or Τραγούριον, ''Tragourion'') is a historic town and harbour on the Adriatic coast in S ...
and
Kaštela Kaštela (;) is a town in Split-Dalmatia County. The town is an agglomeration of seven individual settlements which are administered as a single municipality with populations individually ranging from 3,000 to 7,000 residents. The town is locat ...
, but is called ''grgešanje'' in
Grebaštica Grebaštica is a village in Šibenik-Knin County, Croatia. It is located by the Adriatic Sea, 15 km south of Šibenik and 15 km north of Primošten. The main economic activity is tourism. Main sights Except beaches, there are other s ...
, a village north of
Primošten Primošten (; it, Capocesto) is a village and municipality in Šibenik-Knin County, Croatia. It is situated in the south, between the cities of Šibenik and Trogir, on the Adriatic coast. Demographics The total population of the municipality is ...
. In northern Poljice the locals continue to perform the ''kiridžijsko'' style of singing.


History

Ojkanje singing originated in its form in the Dinaric region. It especially thrived among the rural population of the Dalmatian hinterland and surrounding regions. Ivan Lovrić (1756—1777) mentions ''ojkanje'' as part of Morlach culture. In the beginning of the 20th century, the
Croatian Peasant Party The Croatian Peasant Party ( hr, Hrvatska seljačka stranka, HSS) is an agrarian political party in Croatia founded on 22 December 1904 by Antun and Stjepan Radić as Croatian Peoples' Peasant Party (HPSS). The Brothers Radić believed that t ...
began organizing folklore festivals which focused on rural traditions through their charitable wing. Traditional dancing, music, regional costumes were the main focus, especially in the 1920s and 1930s, with Ojkanje singing being an important addition. In 2008, ''ojkanje singing'' was nominated by the
Croatian Ministry of Culture The Ministry of Culture and Media ( hr, Ministarstvo kulture i medija) is a ministry of the Croatian government in charge of preserving the country's natural and cultural heritage and overseeing its development. The ministry in its present form w ...
for inscription on the UNESCO Urgent Safeguarding list. 2010, it was inscribed in
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
s
List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding UNESCO established its Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage with the aim of ensuring better protection of important intangible cultural heritages worldwide and the awareness of their significance.Compare: This list is published by the Intergover ...
as representative of Croatia.


Modern day

Over the years, Ojkanje singing was passed down from generations, with singers learning directly from their accomplished predecessors. However, the last century has seen significant changes in the traditional rural life, with younger generations migrating to cities and modern ways overtaking certain traditional practices, resulting in the decline of Ojkanje singing. Many folklore groups have been performing to keep Ojkanje singing alive. A prominent group, "KUD Promina" from Oklaj was formed by five locals from the area to preserve and perform their region's local Ojkanje singing, and their success insured them an appearance in the official video on UNESCO's website. Other cultural groups (KUDs) noted by UNESCO that are active in preserving Ojkanje are "Sveta Magareta" from Velika Jelsa near
Karlovac Karlovac () is a city in central Croatia. According to the 2011 census, its population was 55,705. Karlovac is the administrative centre of Karlovac County. The city is located on the Zagreb-Rijeka highway and railway line, south-west of Zagre ...
, "Gacka" from Ličko Lešće, "Radovin" from Radovin, "Sveti Nikola Tavelic" from
Lišane Ostrovičke Lišane Ostrovičke is a village and a municipality in Croatia in the Zadar County. According to the 2001 census, there are 764 inhabitants, 93% of which are Croats The Croats (; hr, Hrvati ) are a South Slavic ethnic group who share ...
, and notable people from Srijane (near
Trilj Trilj (, it, Treglia, la, Pons Tiluri) is a municipality and town in inland Dalmatia, Croatia. It is located northeast of Split. Population The total population of the municipality is 9,109, with 2,076 in Trilj itself and the rest in small vi ...
) and Kokorici (near
Vrgorac Vrgorac (, it, Vergoraz) is a town in Croatia in the Split-Dalmatia County. Demographics The total population of Vrgorac is 6,572 (census 2011), in the following settlements: * Banja, population 202 * Dragljane, population 52 * Draževiti ...
). Croatian public television has aired numerous programs on ojkanje groups and reviving the custom among young people. Examples of other groups include "KUD Petrova Gora - Kordun" Beograd, and "KUD Kordun - Inđija", formed by ethnic Serbs from the
Kordun The Kordun () region is a part of central Croatia from the bottom of the Petrova Gora (Peter's mountain) mountain range, which extends along the rivers Korana and Slunjčica, and forms part of the border region to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Within ...
region of Croatia, but now perform throughout
Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
. There are numerous festivals and cultural events throughout the region that display Ojkanje singing to the public. The village of Prigrevica in
Sombor Sombor ( sr-Cyrl, Сомбор, ; hu, Zombor; rue, Зомбор, Zombor) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the West Bačka District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. The city has a total popula ...
, Serbia, and other places in
Vojvodina Vojvodina ( sr-Cyrl, Војводина}), officially the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, is an autonomous province that occupies the northernmost part of Serbia. It lies within the Pannonian Basin, bordered to the south by the national capital ...
settled by
Military Frontier The Military Frontier (german: Militärgrenze, sh-Latn, Vojna krajina/Vojna granica, Војна крајина/Војна граница; hu, Katonai határőrvidék; ro, Graniță militară) was a borderland of the Habsburg monarchy and l ...
smen has the musical tradition of Ojkanje.


See also

*
UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists UNESCO established its Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage with the aim of ensuring better protection of important intangible cultural heritages worldwide and the awareness of their significance.Compare: This list is published by the Intergover ...
*
Klapa Klapa music is a form of traditional a cappella singing with origins in Dalmatia, Croatia. The word ''klapa'' translates as "a group of friends" and traces its roots to littoral church singing. The motifs in general celebrate love, wine (grapes), ...
, a capella style from maritime
Dalmatia Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see #Name, names in other languages) is one of the four historical region, historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of ...


References


External links

* * * {{UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding Croatian folk music Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity Polyphonic singing