Kozak Mamai

    The Kozak-Mamai (Cossack Mamai) was a prominent Ukrainian folk art figure in the 17th-20th centuries.  Although he had been around in various incarnations before then, the Kozak-Mamai rose to popularity in the 17th century, appearing on wood, canvas paper, many household objects, such as dishes, tiles, and even the walls, doors, and windowsills of Ukrainian homes.  Paintins of the Kozak-Mamai were completed by icon artists or students, which were then replicated by peasant artists with slight variations, adding local details to their recreations.

    As a generalized representation for the Ukrainian Cossacks, Kozak-Mamai became the national symbol for the Ukrainians, especially after the Russians invaded and conquered most of Ukraine and disbanded the Zaporizhzhia Cozzacks.  Kozak-Mamai also became the subject of many works of literature and drama.

    Except for the slight variations local artists add, the Kozak-Mamai is generally painted in peaceful sitting pose smoking a pipe a playing a bandura, while his horse stands at the ready, nearby.  The Cossacks were guerrillas and adventurers, but the Kozak-Mamai is never shown in battle, instead his peaceful pose evokes ideas of strength, colletiveness, and readiness - a Cossack ready to fight.

    Every object that appears alongside Kozak-Mamai has some symbolic significance.  The horse is one of the main elements.  Cossacks were adapt horsemen, but even deeper than that, the horse represents notions of destiny, loyalty, love of freedom, and selflessness in Ukraine symbolism.  In folklore, the horse represents fire and light, protecting its master against evil.

    The Ukrainian musical instrument, the bandura, often held by Kozak-Mamai, is equally important.  It symbolizes love of songs and music, wisdom and dreaminess, whimsicality and belief in ultimate victory.  Cossacks expressed their world-views, feelings, thoughts, and aspirations through songs.  When a Cossack died, his last words were said to his bandura.

    The various cups, bowls, and goblets that can be seen in various paintings represent the life-giving force, the female essence.  Powder-flasks were illustrated as horns, which were symbols of male strength.  The spear behind Kozak-Mamai symbolize Cossack respect for the dead and mourning.

    The read for the widespread popularity of Kozak-Mamai in paintings is unknown, but it quickly became accepted as the national symbol of Ukraine.  He embodies the ideals and morals of the Cossacks, and later became the reminder of a heroic past after the Cossacks were overtaken by the Russians.  The image of the Kozak-Mamai is the result of years of interactions of local Ukrainian ethnic groups and the cultural traditions.  It can now be seen as an artistic representation of the Ukrainian people’s thoughts regarding their ethnic identity and values.

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