Ataman
Part of a series on |
Cossacks |
---|
Cossack hosts |
Other Cossack groups |
History |
Notable Cossacks |
Cossack terms |
Ataman (variants: otaman,
Etymology
This section possibly contains original research. (February 2021) |
The etymologies of the words ataman and hetman are disputed. There may be several independent Germanic and Turkic origins for seemingly cognate forms of the words, all referring to the same concept. The hetman form cognates with German Hauptmann ('captain', literally 'head-man') by the way of Czech or Polish, like several other titles. The Russian term ataman is probably connected to Old East Slavic vatamanŭ, and cognates with Turkic odoman (Ottoman Turks). The term ataman may had also a lingual interaction with Polish hetman and German hauptmann.[2]
Suggestions have been made that the word might be of Turkic origin, literally meaning 'father of horsemen'[3][4] or 'father of men', 'pure blooded father' or 'eldest man'. Considering the '-man' suffix in turkic languages means men, person, pure blooded or most.[5][6] Dictionaries assert that the word comes from the German word 'Hauptmann' which means 'head man', 'headman' or 'chieftain' which entered the Russian language through Polish 'hetman'.[7][8]
Otaman in Ukraine
Otamans were usually elected by the Host Council or could have been appointed, especially during the military campaigns. The appointed otamans were called acting otaman (наказний отаман, nakaznyi otaman).
In the
There were various types of otaman:
- Zaporizhian Host
- Campaign otaman (похідний отаман)
- Kish otaman (кошовий отаман)
- Kurin otaman (курінний отаман), a commander of a kurin;
- chorąży(хорунжий, 'flag-bearer'), this otoman helped the sotnyk in administrative affairs.
- Village otoman (сільський отаман), an administrative rank in the 17th to 18th centuries
- Okruh otaman (окружний отаман), a territorial leader
- Stanytsiaotaman (станичний отаман), a territorial leader
- Khutirotaman (хутірський отаман), a territorial leader
Otamans were also in charge of general- and regimental-size artillery units, as well as any volunteer military formations and the Zholdak cavalry.
20th century-present
Atamans were the titles of supreme leaders of various Cossack armies during the Russian Civil War.
When Ukraine acquired its independence in 1918, the rank took on different value. Among the Ukrainian Sich Riflemen and the Ukrainian Galician Army, it was equivalent to a major, as is the battalion executive officer today. In the Ukrainian People's Republic, the title was of a general rank. Chief Otoman (головний отаман) was the general of the Ukrainian Army who was assisted by his deputies, Acting Otomans.
The head of the army of the Ukrainian People's Republic, in particular, Symon Petliura, was called Supreme Otaman (головний отаман).
Russian-Azerbaijani MMA fighter Rafael Fiziev fights with the nickname "Ataman" as a homage to his mixed Central Asian heritage.
See also
References
- ^ "Otaman" in The Encyclopedia of Ukraine (in English)
- ^ "ataman". YourDictionary. Retrieved 2019-07-17.
- ^ "The Cossacks: A super-ethnos in Russia's ribs". The Economist. December 21, 1996.
- ^ "Ataman". Cossackweb.narod.ru. Retrieved July 6, 2012.
- ISBN 9789231038761.,Golden, Peter (1992). An introduction to the history of the Turkic peoples : ethnogenesis and state-formation in the medieval and early modern Eurasia and the Middle East. Harrassowitz. pp. 213–214..
- ISBN 9783447040198.
- ^ "Ataman". Collins English Dictionary. Archived from the original on 2012-06-07.
from Russian, from Polish hetman, from German Hauptmann (literally: head man)
- ^ "ataman". Definitions.net. Archived from the original on 2012-06-29.
Etymology: [Russ. ataman': cf. Pol. hetman, G. hauptmann headman, chieftain. Cf. Hetman.]
External links
- Encyclopedia of Ukraine main page (in English)