It started out so innocently. A person on a Ukrainian Facebook page was traveling to Ukraine for the first time, and asked what gifts to bring to her family. The suggestions came fast and furious, some practical and worthwhile, some outdated and even bizarre.
Somewhere along the way, someone replied, mentioning “Uki,” “Uke” and “Ukie” in the message. A person asked, “What is the expression ukie?” The reply – “A ukie is a Ukrainian whether diaspora or native.” Then all “peklo” (hell) broke loose, going off madly in all directions, way beyond what the original discussion and idea had intended. A tempest in a “chainyk” (teapot).
“Maybe in your opinion [it’s not negative]…” “Never heard it in Ukraina ever.” “Ukrainians in Ukraine never use it!” “Ukrainians in Ukraine have no need to use it, unless they’re speaking in English and know what it means.” “I find it almost derogatory.” “We use Ukie here as endearment. We call each other Ukies.” “Ukie – used in N. America – all over. Nothing to get offended or excited about. It’s just there.” “There is the excellent website http://www.infoukes.com/.” “We went to ukie school, ukie camp, ukie dances. We ask if any other ukies will be there. We have T-shirts that say ‘Ukie Power’!”
“I love to say Ukie, not offensive in the least to me.” “I love to say Ukie power, Ukie strong/strength etc., etc, as well. Sounds cool.” “Here in the Philly and South Jersey area we have used that term forever. No one as far as I know was ever offended. It was and is never used in a mean-spirited way.” “I don’t recall any offensive use of Ukie or Uke, at least not in Michigan, where I live. Maybe it was different elsewhere. To me, it was a term used by our group to describe ourselves – Ukie school, Ukie festival, etc.”
“I don’t think Ukie/Uke fits into the [derogatory] category you mention. It was not ‘thrust’ upon Ukrainians by others. They themselves invented it – most probably the youth. Other than a few from the ‘older’ generation and the newer immigrants from Ukraine – the Ukrainians in N. America use the term as a regular endearing word for themselves.” “I’ve always called myself a Uke or talked about going to Uki dance practice. It’s always been a shorthand in the Ukrainian community here in the Twin Cities, as far as I’m aware. Perhaps it’s different elsewhere.” “I grew up and lived in Ukraine, so I learnt the term ‘Ukie’ quite recently. I don’t think it’s offensive, I would rather say it’s diminutive.” “Ukie has always been a term used within the Ukrainian community not outside of it. …It is a diminutive, an endearment. Anyone who doesn’t like it is free not to use it.”
Somehow the terms – sometimes capitalized, sometimes not – were so misunderstood as pejorative and offensive, that a few people started discussing a comparison to the n-word and to “hunky” and “bohunk.” Even the Canadian team name “Canucks” got into the discussion (irrelevantly, it turned out).
“In my opinion, this whole discussion about being called ‘Ukie,’ ‘Ukes’ is ridiculous. Do we have to get the P.C. Police out on this now?? These terms have been around forever in my 56 years of lifetime and part of our Ukie American culture. End of sentence, period. Just let it be… Please do not start an issue when there was never one, especially in this ‘political correctness gone amok’ era!!” “People shorten words and use nicknames all the time.” “We use ukie here as endearment. We call each other Ukies.”
Totally missing the point that the term does not exist in the Ukrainian language was the comment, “In modern Ukrainian and in Ukraine “Ukie” is not used.”
Gerry Kokodyniak of the website InfoUkes.com commented: “We took a lot of heat from people when we created the InfoUkes website in 1997 & Ukes List in 1991 – same arguments – amazing that nothing has changed. LOL I think there are more important issues going on such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine.”
Other online “Uke” sites include: “Ukes.In.Print,” a book fair organized in Toronto by Ukrainian National Federation in 1998; http://www.ukemonde.com/ about the Ukrainian community in Montreal; and http://ukefestmontreal.org/ for the Montreal Ukrainian Festival.
Sports entered into the discussion, too. I checked with Jars Balan of the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies (CIUS) in Edmonton: “…[the term] is older than the 1960s, as the NHL Bruins ‘Uke line’ was given its nickname when Boston traded for [these players] in 1957, and they were together as a unit until 1961. If you google ‘Uke Line,’ you’ll catch a very interesting video clip of Bronco Horvath (and Bucyk) talking about how the line came together – especially interesting is Horvath’s joking remark about them being a bunch of ‘ukuleles.’ Earlier there was a Kraut line and a couple of French lines in hockey. By the way, some sources claim that Horvath was Croatian, but Petro Melnycky has a reliable source which establishes that his background and family identity was Ukrainian. The origin of ‘Ukes’ may be earlier, but there can be little doubt that the ‘Uke Line’ [Bronco Horvath, Johnny Bucyk and Vic Stasiuk] popularized it.”
Hockey legend Terry Sawchuk was born in raised in East Kildonan, now part of Winnipeg, the son of a tinsmith from Ukraine. He was signed to a professional contract in 1947 as a goalie for the Detroit Red Wings and led them to a Stanley Cup in 1950. His hockey career spanned 21 seasons. He was nicknamed “The Uke” by his teammates.
Composer/songwriter Stepan Pasicznyk of the English band “The Ukes” wrote: “Also used in England. Ukies, Ukes, just like Brits…” His band plays traditional Ukrainian music in a folk rock style.
The Ukrainian Weekly certainly has no problems with the term “Ukes.” There is a youth page called “UKELODEON for the Next Generation” and “Generation UKE.” So far, no protests have erupted. Columnist Ihor Stelmach wrote about the NHL: “Our 1998-1999 preview theme: ‘The good, the bad and the Ukes.’” Anisa Handzia Sawyckyj wrote the column “Uke-Eye,” featuring reactions to a variety of different questions by a cross-section of the Ukrainian American community.
Brama website owners Max Pyziur and Hanya Krill covered the Ukrainian community in California with the article “Sunny Ukes – The San Diego Ukrainians.” The journal Foreign Policy featured Jeffrey Lewis’ article “The Ukes and Their Nukes” on March 24, 2014.
It was amusing and fascinating to follow this unexpected discussion over an innocent and innovative endearing name for Ukrainians. The gulf between the North American Ukrainians and the ones from Ukraine about a simple contraction and new word was obvious.
Sofika Zielyk of New York summed it up, “How can it be derogatory if we invented it?”