ABSTRACT
The beginning of Cossack revival has been traced to the 1970s with the popularity of Cossack folk music in the repertoires of Russian revivalist ensembles.10 While it is likely that even without this start Cossacks would have engaged in a political movement for independence during glasnost, the performance of Cossack folk traditions by folk revival groups provided a source of important symbols of Cossack culture. The Pokrovsky Ensemble’s heavy reliance on Cossack music in its repertoire – and its use of Cossack costumes and swords in concerts – was extremely significant. Pokrovsky denied, however, that his work was meant to advance the cause of Cossack revival or of other nationalistic movements: ‘In dressing up like Cossacks and singing their songs, we’re not trying to suggest that we’re part of their independence movement.’11
