Burdei (“boorday”)
The name of an initial, temporary, dwelling for Ukrainian homesteading families in Canada. It usually served as the family’s shelter from between the first few months to years upon arrival. Typically, the burdei was a single room, dug out of the ground, and capped with a roof and gables consisting of poplar or aspen poles, prairie grass and sod. It was usually headed by a clay stove.
Cutter
A small sleigh pulled by one horse.
Flail
A tool used by farmers to thresh grain or to remove the seed from the stalks.
Harness
The straps connecting a horse to a carriage.
Harrow
An all-purpose tillage tool, ideal for seedbed preparation and weed killing.
Homestead
All the land and buildings that form a person’s property.
Livestock
The animals kept on a farm, such as horses, cattle, oxen, chickens, pigs, and sheep.
Log house
Generally, this was the second kind of house that Ukrainian homesteading familes would build, after the burdei. It was the dwelling that was most common among farming families in Ukraine. The walls and roof were constructed from trees that had been cut down by the family while it cleared the land. The house had two rooms with a central hallway or storage space between them, a clay and whitewashed exterior, and a thatched roof with wide overhanging eaves.
Kindling
Dry twigs or small pieces of wood used to start fires.
One-room school
A school building in which all the children were taught in one room by one teacher.
Outhouse
An outdoor toilet; also called a privy.
Pioneer
The first person(s) to settle a new place.
Plow
A tool used to break up and turn over the soil before planting crops.
Rafter
A sloping beam that helps to form and support a roof.
Scythe
A tool with a curved blade and wooden handle, used for cutting down grain crops and grass.
Settlement
A small, fairly new community or village.
Well
A deep hole dug into the ground that collects water from an underground source.
Glossary
Glossary of Terms for Ukrainian Pioneer #4
Burdei (“boorday”)
The name of an initial, temporary, dwelling for Ukrainian homesteading families in Canada. It usually served as the family’s shelter from between the first few months to years upon arrival. Typically, the burdei was a single room, dug out of the ground, and capped with a roof and gables consisting of poplar or aspen poles, prairie grass and sod. It was usually headed by a clay stove.
Cutter
A small sleigh pulled by one horse.
Flail
A tool used by farmers to thresh grain or to remove the seed from the stalks.
Harness
The straps connecting a horse to a carriage.
Harrow
An all-purpose tillage tool, ideal for seedbed preparation and weed killing.
Homestead
All the land and buildings that form a person’s property.
Livestock
The animals kept on a farm, such as horses, cattle, oxen, chickens, pigs, and sheep.
Log house
Generally, this was the second kind of house that Ukrainian homesteading familes would build, after the burdei. It was the dwelling that was most common among farming families in Ukraine. The walls and roof were constructed from trees that had been cut down by the family while it cleared the land. The house had two rooms with a central hallway or storage space between them, a clay and whitewashed exterior, and a thatched roof with wide overhanging eaves.
Kindling
Dry twigs or small pieces of wood used to start fires.
One-room school
A school building in which all the children were taught in one room by one teacher.
Outhouse
An outdoor toilet; also called a privy.
Pioneer
The first person(s) to settle a new place.
Plow
A tool used to break up and turn over the soil before planting crops.
Rafter
A sloping beam that helps to form and support a roof.
Scythe
A tool with a curved blade and wooden handle, used for cutting down grain crops and grass.
Settlement
A small, fairly new community or village.
Well
A deep hole dug into the ground that collects water from an underground source.