Female, born 1931

Female, born 1931 

Female, born 1931 

An interview with a native and permanent resident of the village Barysh, now Buchach district of Ternopil oblast. The woman complains of her poor memory on many occasions, and some interview questions remained not answered. The conversation started with the detailed description of the history of the narrator’s family, whose mother, after becoming a widow, married an older local Pole, whose family was later evicted to Poland. The woman mentions that interethnic marriages were common for their village. She tells about the Polish lord (didych) of the village, his manor and household, the fate of the owner and his property. The woman tells in detail about the Jews of Barash: their places of residence, occupations, certain personal data, religious life, the attitude of the villagers, stereotypes. Not being a witness to the events, the woman only briefly retells the story of shootings of Jews in Buchach and Barysh. A separate conversation thread is the second arrival of the Soviet government, collectivization, religious life in the underground, eviction of Poles to Poland, post-war arrests and repressions. The woman witnessed a massacre of Poles by the Ukrainian nationalist underground in Barysh in February of 1945, which she vividly describes using the example of the killed family Ukrainians made part of. Recorded in Barysh. The interviewer – Marta Havryshko.