Between 1909 and 1913 the hieromonk Inochentie lead in Transnistria (Pridnestrovie) at Balta a “movement” to reintroduce the Romanian language in church. Tens of thousands Moldovans made pilgrimages to Balta where they were addressed in Romanian and were given newspapers in their language. Protected by peasants (60 were killed), Inochentie was caught by Cossacks and imprisoned. Still, the authorities permitted the usage of Romanian language in churches [45].

The time during which we were offered Odessa

In 1914 Austria promised Romania “the entire Bessarabia with Odessa”, a promise which was later on renewed [46]. The presence of Transylvanian and Bucovinean volunteers in Ukraine had a benefic role in awaking the national consciousness of Romanians from the Tzarist Empire. The Romanian officers conducted lively cultural activities, attracting on their side students from Kiev. In Odessa there were 40.000 Romanian soldiers and officers from the Russian Army, which also had a big influence on the students in Odessa and together organized a congress in March 23, 1917. In April 18 in Odessa it took place a Romanian soldiers’ manifestation, where 12.000 Bessarabian and Transnistrian soldiers and students participated. In April 9 the newspaper “Moldovan word” published the program N.M P. (National Moldovan Party) which included, besides others, the national rights of Romanians over Nistru (Dniester), and in April 14 “the Association of Moldovan teachers from Bessarabia and over Nistru” was established [47]. The congress of Romanian teachers from Russia held in Odessa asked for the Transniestrians for divine service, schools, school inspectorate, bishopric at Dubasari, seminar at Odessa, all in the Romanian language.

,,Whom do you leave us to?…”

At the session of Ukrainian Rada, the deputy Ion Dumitrascu (Transnistrian) protested against the claims of Ukraine on Bessarabia [48]. He also, together with Ion Precul and Valeriu Cicate, lead “Desteptarea (Awakening) – a national society of Romanians from Ukraine” established in Kiev in November 26, 1917.

The Moldovan military congress, which took place in Chisinau at the beginning of November 1917, had on the agenda the point 8 “Moldovans over Nistru” and decided that Romanians over Nistru should have 10 mandates in the Sfatul Tarii [49]. Ukraine was asked to provide the Romanians over Nistru, from Caucas, from Siberia with the same rights which Bessarabia provided the ethnical minorities with. Chisinau was also claiming from Transnistrian administrations for notification of the number of school-age Romanian children [50]. At this congress the Transdnestrian peasant, Toma Jalba, asked “And with us, the ones that live on the other bank of Nistru, what will it happen, whom do you live us to?” [51].

In December 17 in Tiraspol it was organized the congress of Romanian trandniestrians, preceded by the preparation meetings held in Tiraspol in November 14 and Griogoriopol in November 21. There it was decided that every village would send 2 delegates. Held under the sign of Tricolor, the congress voted for the creation of national Romanian-speaking schools and the Latin alphabet; the introduction of Romanian language in churches, the legal procedures in the language of natives, Romanian doctors in the villages, Moldovans to do the service in the national Armed Forces and the election of eight representatives in the Ukrainian Rada. It has also been decided that newspapers would be published, estates would be divided and everything possible would be made to join Transnistria to Bessarabia. And as they did not know if Bessarabia would fight for that joining, the Transnistrian second lieutenant Bulat warned that “if we let Ukraine to cut a branch today, another tomorrow, then our tree will transform into a tree-stump” [52]. The delegate of Ukrainian Rada wished in the end “Glory to the free Moldova”

The Romanian National Committee opened [52] Romanian schools, the Ukrainian Rada approved Romanian handbooks printed in Chisinau with Latin letters, the Council Zemstevei from Tiraspol started to introduce both in administration and legal system persons that knew Romanian. Timotei Plesca si Toma Jalba had organized the Romanian Battalion, the soldiers receiving equipment, armament, barracks. The Ukrainian teaching staff was not forced to attend summer courses in Ukrainian, and 30 out of them attended courses in Chisinau. In Lunca village it was even played the “Piatra din casa” (The stone from the house) by V. Alecsandri. As long as the Bolshevik terror was present everywhere, in some places, e.g schools, even in 1919 they sang “Wake up Romanian”.

In January 9, 1918 Ion Precul, a Moldovan from the left of Nistru, in the position of deputy in the Ukrainian Rada, asked for equal rights for his compatriots [53]. There it was planned a general congress of Romanians from Ukraine in June 1918, but only in December 1919 at a National Meeting they claimed for their organization within a national state. In March 21, 1919, being followed by Bolshevik bands, the Romanians crossed Nistru and occupied for a short time Tiraspol and Razdelnaia.

At the peace conference in Paris, Romania did not claim for Transnistria and it remained of the domain of history the reasons why the Romanian brothers had not been abolished of slavery back then, being forced that way to confront another epoch of sufferings, which according to Domninte Timonu (born in Mahala near Dubasari, later on member of the Literary Fund of the Writers’ Union in Romania) was a more “harder and terrible” period [54]. In a speech made in Warsaw in November 1920, Take Ionescu said that “600.000 of Romanians live over the Eastern frontier” [55]. In April 1920, big peasant revolutions began. The revolters led by Tutunica – occupied Balta, the revolt spreading over the counties of Codirna and Ananev (county of which the “Big Russian encyclopedia” said that Moldovans were native inhabitants of). In 1922 under the leadership of Chirsule the revolt had broke out again. After being stifled in blood, the revolters were deported in masses. [56]

Viorel Dolha

http://ro.altermedia.info/index.php?p=2149

 Translated from Romanian by V. Ursu

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NOTES:
[45].Ibid., p.39
[46].A.Boldur, ,,Istoria Basarabiei”, p.512
[47].E.St.Holban, Figuri basarabene (Bessarabian figures), Basarabia, 3/1992, p.89
[48].Ibid., p.91
[49].C.Botoran, M.Retegan, 1918-Faurirea Romaniei Mari (Creating Big Romania), Buc.1993, p.48
[50].I.S.Nistor, ,,Istoria romanilor din Transnistria ”, p.49
[51].A.Chiriac, Mic dictionar al membrilor Sfatului Tarii (Small dictionary of Sfatul Tarii members), Patrimoniu, 4/1991, p.77
[52].St.Bulat, Sedintele Sfatului Tarii (The sessions of the Sfatul Tarii), Patrimoniu, 2/1991, p.140
[53].E.St.Holban, Figuri basarabene (Bessarabian Figures), Basarabia, 12/1991,p.97
[54].D.Timonu, in periodical Basarabia, 12/1992, p.198
[55].XXX 1918, vol.VI, Buc.1986, p.466
[56].I.S.Nistor, ,,Istoria romanilor din Transnistria ”, p.60

(to be continued)