The Ruthenian People or Rusyns

There has been discussion in a thread about the Russian invasion of Ukraine of the Ruthenian people. I happen to have done some research into this group a few months ago in an effort to pin down where a branch of my own family originated in what is now eastern Slovakia and what was once the Hungarian controlled part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. I compared the designs on the Easter bread of the Rusyn people described and the Easter bread made by the part of my family that I know originated in the area that has Carpatho-Rusyn people and Greek Catholic churches. I found a very helpful website that discussed the different people that existed in Ukraine (not where my family was from) as I was doing my research.

The people in the branch of my family most likely to be Rusyn vigorously denied being Rusyn, claiming to be Slovak.

The website below shows the absolutely enormous range of opinions about what it means to be "Rusyn" held among Europeans.

I accept any post you make about this.

Unequivocally.

Thx.

@Rogue Valley wrote in another thread:

"Today, the Carpathian area of southeastern Ukraine and northwestern Hungary is commonly referred to as 'Ruthenia'."

I respect this poster's knowledge of the area in question and thus accept that there will be a large number of people who now use that definition. It is not the only definition in use, however. I have visited websites of English speaking genealogists and members of the Carpatho-Rusyn Society who use alternative definitions. Some Americans trace their geneology and even their DNA to the Rusyn people who migrated from Europe to the United States. Although their paperwork may list "Austria-Hungary" or "Poland" as their country of origin, these people are Rusyn according to the definition used here.

The links below are simple but helpful.