Herald of the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Ethnology
This volume deals with the folk culture, customs, and traditions of all peoples in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Bibliografija naučnog savjetnika dr. Vlajke Palavestre
Copyright (c) 2026 Herald of the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Ethnology) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Etnolog - muzejski savjetnik Radmila Kajmaković-Toska
Etnolog Radmila Filipović-Fabijanić, muzejski savjetnik
Susreti sa ljudima. Iz etnografskog terenskog dnevnika
Book Review: Ljiljana Beljkašić-Hadžidedić, Susreti sa ljudima. Iz etnografskog terenskog dnevnika.
Life and customs of the Muslims of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Book Review: Antun Hangi, Life and customs of the Muslims of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Edited for the press and written epilogue by Aiša Softić).
Some aspects of family and social life in Kraljeva Sutjeska
This paper sets out various aspects of family and social life in the Kraljeva Sutjeska area from World War II to 2008. The research was based mainly on discussions with interviewees born in the early or mid 20th century. The paper consists of four thematic sections: the rural community, family structure, marriage and marital relations, and legal issues.
Intangible cultural heritage. Theoretical definition and current state of intangible cultural heritage protection in Bosnia and Herzegovina
This paper is one chapter from a master’s dissertation entitled “Models of presentation of the intangible cultural heritagewith a view to the development of cultural tourism in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” in which the author examines the relations between models of presentation of the intangible cultural heritage (folklore festivals) and of cultural tourism development. It starts from the premise that models of presentation of the intangible cultural heritage are not only attractive but are an end in themselves, and that the fundamental aim of presenting the intangible cultural heritage is associated with the programmatic content rather than their organization. As a result, little attention is paid to increasing visitor numbers and other socio economic effects relating to the sustainable developmentof cultural tourism. With a view to demonstrating this premise, the study researched cultural policy and tourism in practice and the current state of intangible cultural heritage protection and presentation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, along with the country’s existing organized models of intangible cultural heritage presentation. This part of the dissertation sets out a definition of the intangible cultural heritage and its elements, along with models for the presentation of this type of heritage in line with the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Bosnia and Herzegovina signed the Convention in 2008, and in this connection the paper provides an overview of the statutory and institutional frameworks for the protection of this type of heritage. By signing the Convention, states parties seek to introduce into their statutory and institutional frameworks the best possible model for the protection and preservation of this form of cultural heritage, a model that Bosnia and Herzegovina has yet to identify.
elements of the intangible cultural heritage
statutory and institutional protection of the intangible cultural heritage
Folk medicine and folk beliefs in Kraljeva Sutjeska
The paper is based on the material gathered during field research in 2008 as part of the project entitled Ethnological Folklore Studies of Kraljeva Sutjeska and Environs conducted by the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It seeks to supplement the material already gathered on folk medicine and folk beliefs and to determine the present-day view of the methods used in folk medicine.
Basic characteristics of textile articles in Prusac and Kraljeva Sutjeska
This paper sets out the results of short-term studies of textile articles in the Prusac and Kraljeva Sutjeksa areas. A few surviving examples were found of traditional household textiles (various linen textiles, or less commonly hemp, cotton or wool textiles, rugs, decorative articles and bed linen) or articles of clothing, as well as many contemporary household textiles, most of which were for interior decoration. In both areas, weaving various kinds of linen fabrics and woollen cloth for articles of clothing, as well as weaving and making household textiles, was still an everyday practice in the early and mid 20th century. During the latter half of the 20th century, new materials and techniques began to be used for hand-made articles, with embroidery and crochet now the principal techniques. Weaving became less common as people increasingly wore clothes of factory-made fabrics, but the traditional production of bed linen and floor rugs was maintained.
A view of the oral poetry of Prusac based on new material
This paper considers the poetic and folkloristic features of oral poems recorded in the latest ethnology and folklore studies of the Prusac area. The poetry consists of a few love poems and family, wedding, humorous and religious poems, but mainly of short, usually decasyllabic lyric couplets, known in the literature as “bećarac.” This paper also considers three fragments belonging to certain lyric narrative poems, and one ballad. The classification of the poems is based on the poetic features (principally their themes and motifs) of the recorded material.
The paper sets out the historical development of the haberdashers’ craft in Sarajevo. Separate sections describe the way haberdashery articles were made, the tools used in the process, the materials used, and the types of haberdashery articles produced. It also deals with how the craft was learned and with women haberdashers, and concludes with a list of names of haberdashers in the early 20th century.
Some experiences of textile conservation
In this paper is presented approach in conservation of textile objects. Procedures during the process of conservation are shown as follows: object decomposition, chemical analysis of the material from which the object is made, proposal of the planed conservation work as well as the report on undertaken conservation work. In addition to this, it is shown a way of storing objects and method of preventive conservation.
Costumes worn for the religious cultural events in Prusac (Ajvatovica) and Kraljeva Sutjeska (St John the Baptist)
The aim of this paper is to depict what Bosniacs and Croats wear at two religious cultural events – Ajvatovica in Prusac, and the patron saint’s day of the parish of St John the Baptist in Kraljeva Sutjeska.
Patron Saint of the parish of St John the Baptist
Contribution to knowledge of the economic situation in Prusac in the twentieth century
The purpose of this paper is to present certain details of the economic situation in Prusac in the twentieth century. The data was obtained in 2008 during an ethnological study by experts from the Ethnology Department of the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The research was con ducted during a two-week period in Prusac by direct obser vation and interviews. The informants were mainly older people whose memories extended back to the period between the two world wars. This ethnological folklore research of Prusac was the first of its kind in this old town, which is rich in history. This, and the hospitality of its residents, contributed to the extensive data on various aspects of life in Prusac gathered during the research, which was designed as a field study.
This paper is based on the oral traditions recorded in Prusac during field research in 2008 and 2009. It seeks to highlight the specific local features of the area’s oral traditions as well as the way they relate to internationally widespread themes and motifs.
Echoes of the secular and religious musical practices of the Prusac area in our time
Prusac is one of the few places in Bosnia and Herzegovina that can be said to have retained features of the traditional life in which the speed at which we now live has not to any great extent displaced established cultural patterns. Even now, in the 21st century, Prusac is a place that cannot be described as either a town or a village. It is a homogeneous environment with a hundred per cent Muslim population, where religious is still widely practised. As a result, religious music is still very much present, thanks in considerable measure to the Ajvatovica ceremony, the largest and most significant event in this area. Secular music is also fostered in Prusac, as is evident from surviving musical expressions as well as from accounts of those that live on only in the memory of the people of Prusac. It was therefore possible during field research in the area to trace the echoes of both secular and religious music still present among its people. The recording of musical practice in this area was based solely on the results of field research, in the form of statements by interviewees.
This paper deals with the huge wave of out-migration from Central Bosnia, and specifically from the little town of Kraljeva Sutjeska, which began in the 1990s and is still continuing. The two ethnic communities living there, Croats and Bosniacs, are faced with the problem of depopulation, which has reduced the residents to about a quarter of their pre-war numbers. Major events and celebrations in Kraljeva Sutje ska are the occasion for gatherings that are emotionally and socially significant both for those still living there and for those who come for the celebrations. The middle-aged and older generations wish and plan to return to their birthplace, but the younger generation has no thoughts of returning.
Narodne umotvorine (Iz Dervente i okolice)
Prikaz knjige: Narodne umotvorine (Iz Dervente i okolice), prir. Nirha Efendić, Sarajevo: Slavistički komitet i Zemaljski muzej Bosne i Hercegovine, 2018. 674 str.
A contribution to the knowledge of social and family life in the area of Prusac
The aim of this paper is to present certain segments of social and family life in the area of Prusac, based on a short-term research conducted in 2008 and 2009. The material collected in the fieldwork indicates that the area of Prusac was a well-organized local community with developed forms of social, economic and cultural life. The paper is divided into several thematic units describing social relations in the village community, family community, as well as marriage and marital relations. The ethnological-folkloristic research, or rather reconnaissance of the terrain, was carried out as part of the project “Ethnological-folkloristic characteristics of Prussia and its surroundings” which was implemented by the Department of Ethnology of the National Mu seum of Bosnia and Herzegovina during 2008 and 2009. The goal of my research was to gather information about social and family life in the area of Prusac, in an effort to get a picture of the social and family life of the residents of Prusac, viewed through the historical prism, as well as the prism of relations to general social flows. There are no written records about social and family life in the area of Prusac, and due to the scarce historical sources and a short stay in the field, it was necessary to rely on oral tradition and the statements of tellers, which had an impact on the valorisation of the collected and measurable data. In the absence of written, historical sources and relying more on oral tradition which does not go back very far, it was not possible to dwell deeper into the reconstruction of certain aspects of social life, and especially not in its entirety. The time limitation of the fieldwork played a very important role, because collection of the material itself, as well as constant valorisation of the collected data, would require a much longer stay and more direct contact, as well as inevitably a much more systematic intervention with a significantly larger amount of comparable and measurable data. Using previously published research in the area of Prusac, other published literature on family and social life, and questionnaires of the Eth nological Society of Yugoslavia (1963), I created a questionnaire with questions related to social and family life. Data collected in the field were collected using the methods of conversations with interviewees and direct observation. Most of the interviewees were elderly, born in the first half or middle of the 20th century. During my research, I stuck to a clearly defined time period - from the World War II to 2008.
Досадашња истраживања народне ношње Срба на планини Влашић у периоду 18–20. вијека, истакла су постојање два препознатљива типа народне ношње која су именована као имљанска и травничка народна ношња. Водећи се налазима претходних истраживача, који су истакли да је планина Влашић јединствено етнографско подручjе подијељено на више административних области, теренским истраживањем имало се за циљ утврдити как ве трансформације је ова народна ношња претрпјела током времена и да ли су издвојени типови народне ношње специфичност, или посљедица развоја народне ношње током вре мена. С тим у вези, у складу са налазима истраживања, рад даје препоруку да се народна ношња Срба на Влашићу презентује као влашићка народна ношња, као јединствен назив за све типове и варијанте њеног развоја у различитим временским периодима.
Etnolog - muzejski savjetnik Ljiljana Beljkašić-Hadžidedić (1928-2015)
Cleuna, Časopis Franjevačkog muzeja i galerije Gorica - Livno
Prikaz knjige: Cleuna, Časopis Franjevačkog muzeja i galerije Gorica - Livno, 2019, 237 str.
Prikaz knjige: Šehović et al., Telling the Story of Bosnian Music, Sarajevo: Academy of Music, University of Sarajevo, and The Swedish Music Agency, 2021, 221 str.
Peace, Reconciliation and Social Justice Leadership in the 21st Century
Prikaz knjige: H. Eric Schockman, Vanessa Hernandez, Aldo Boitano (eds.), Peace, Reconciliation and Social Justice Leadership in the 21st Century, Emerald Publishing, 2019, 312 str.
Processes of Change in Ethnographic Museology
In recent decades, ethnographic museology has been rapidly expanding the field in which the contemporary environment recognizes the value systems of members of a folk culture that no longer exists today. Processes of change in conceptualizations have enabled museums to become active participants and creators of social changes. The exhibition project of the Belgrade Ethno graphic Museum, entitled Plastic Nineties, posed several questions and gave avant-garde answers to them. The question was about the anthropological “ethnographization” of the immediate past in the mirror of today’s undoubted permeation of urban, rural, and suburban communities, at the same time communicated through polymerized objects, the so-called plastic materials. In this way, the unwritten rules of ethnographic museology on the exclusive musealization of objects older than half a century, which are entirely made of natural materials, technologically processed in home, manufacturing or artisan production conditions, were challenged.
Sevdalinka - od prve vijesti do savremenih pjevača
Prikaz knjige: Nirha Efendić, Sevdalinka - od prve vijesti do savremenih pjevača, Sarajevo: Zemaljski muzej Bosne i Hercegovine, 2022, 93.
Jelena Dopuđa is known in the world of folklore as the first ethnochoreologist in Bosnia and Herzegovina, an excellent connoisseur of the dance tradition and practice of Bosnia and Herze govina. In addition to ethnochoreological work, both at the Institute for the Study of Folklore, at the congresses of the Association of Yugoslav Folklorists, and in folklore amateurism. Dopuđa’s contribution in the field of vocal tradition is almost unknown. Namely, Dopuđa was extremely familiar with the folk music tradition through vocal forms which, based on her singing/narration, were written down and remained on paper. In that way, she found herself on the other side of the field and left behind a large number of songs, primarily from the Sarajevo – Romanija region, where she comes from, and beyond. In this paper, the above songs, ie. narrations, which are mostly stored in the Folklore Archive of the Ethnological Department of the National Museum in Sarajevo, in the legacy of Cvjetko Rihtman, ie. Institute of Musicology of Academy of Music, University of Sarajevo, and in several separate editions of collections of wedding and children’s songs of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Most of her repertoire is presented in this paper and interpreted on the basis of musical notation and some additional notes in the manuscripts themselves, most of which belong to the rural tradition, as well as several examples of urban practice. There are no major differences in the rhythmic patterns between the village and the city, while the differences are more noticeable in the tonal sequences and relationships that are characteristic of them. Un fortunately, there are no sound recordings left behind Dopuđa that would complete the picture of her vocal expression and style with the existing detailed notes with all the necessary information. However, what remains as a lasting memory is her multifaceted work and commitment to folk art, and the wide and selfless application of knowledge, skills, and abilities from the rich folk music and dance tradition of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Such Dopuđa’s activity expressed through (re)interpretation of different traditional songs and singing styles is of great importance and it is important to present it because based on the recorded tunes we can make their analysis and observe them from different aspects. Some of the ways of analyzing the mentioned material are the presentation of the musical characteristics of songs, the context of their learning or adoption, performance and recording of singing, types and forms, but also the possibility of comparative and further research, which certainly provides additional value for studying such vocal forms. Through this presentation, from the examples used and the analysis done, it can be established that Dopuđa (in addition to songs from her region) in many cases sang tunes that she had previ ously heard in other contexts and from other narrators. In that case, the real value of the songs and their presentation, apart from recording for recording in accordance with the then methodol ogy of fieldwork and research, gives us the assumption that the records of her singing primarily served as a way to record what were not possible to writing from various reasons. This primarily refers to songs picked up along the way, in informal situations, then by (older) people who may not be able to perform certain tunes, etc. at the time of research, but also as a way of expressing both individual and collective identities through the interpretation of such folk art. On the other hand, we assume that Dopuđa herself was aware of the importance of recording various folk vo cal musical forms, even in the form of statements, and found herself on the other side of the field as a narrator and not as a researcher, thus giving the opportunity to further research and different approaches to the overall material.
The scent of Quinces: Selected traditional love songs (Miris dunja: Odabrane sevdalinke iz Bosne i Hercegovine)
Prikaz knjige: The scent of Quinces: Selected traditional love songs (Miris dunja: Odabrane sevdalinke iz Bosne i Hercegovine), odabrala i prevela Masha Belyavski-Frank: Univerzitet u Sarajevu - Institut za jezik i Zemaljski muzej Bosne i Hercegovine, 2018, 368 str.