Scythians may become a native ethnic minority in Hungary

It may sound surprising at first, but there are citizens living in Hungary who would identify themselves as belonging to the Scythian ethnicity, if they could. The National Election Committee (Nemzeti Választási Bizottság, NVB) recently discussed an initiative during its Tuesday session. A new proposal asked to recognise Scythians as an ethnic minority that is native to Hungary.

According to the author of the plea, the Scythian minority meets the conditions set forth in the Minority act and ask for Parliament to recognise them as such. The National Election Committee verified the initiative, submitted by private individual Dr. Alfréd László Pócs, aiming to declare the Scythian ethnic group as a native ethnic group, with 15 votes in favor and 0 against, Helló Magyar writes.

Who are the Scythians?

In ancient times, these nomadic horse-riding peoples inhabited the grassy plains of Europe and Asia, mainly north of the Black Sea. They are generally regarded as the courageous eastern people who are considered the common ancestors of the Hungarians and Huns. There are several theories about the origin of the legendary nomadic horse riders, but opinions agree that they flourished between 700 BC and 200 BC.

Interestingly, Science Alert, a scientific news website, reported on a new study claiming that the analysis of Scythian bones suggests that their highly mobile, nomadic lifestyle does not entirely correspond to reality. In fact, some of the peoples classified as Scythians often settled down and engaged in agricultural lifestyles and urban centres.

Minority recognition in Hungary

Unfortunately, neither the initiative nor the decision of the National Election Committee clarified how many people in Hungary today can consider themselves Scythians. Currently, the Hungarian state recognises 13 different ethnic minorites: Bulgarian, Greek, Croatian, Polish, German, Armenian, Roma, Romanian, Ruthenian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian, and Ukrainian.

According to the law on the rights of nationalities in Hungary, the Scythians must prove that the ethnic group has been native to the territory of Hungary for at least a century. Furthermore they must constitute a numerical minority among the population, and possess their own language, culture, and traditions distinct from the rest of the population. If they provide evidence of a sense of belonging, aimed at preserving, expressing and protecting the interests of their historically established communities, the National Assembly could accept the initiative.

Source: Helló Magyar