"Cipywnyk?"

Many people ask me about my name. I was born in Canada, of Ukrainian descent. My ancestors on both sides immigrated to Canada from Ukraine. My father's side (the Cipywnyks) arrived in the 1920s, and my mother's side (the Stratychuks) arrived in 1900.

When my paternal grandfather arrived, the immigration authorities romanized his name as "Cipywnyk." That's pronounced "Sip-iv-nick." The original is more like Tsi-piv-nick.

As far as I know, there are fewer than a dozen males in Canada with this surname. As for the "old country," I don't think there are many Cipywnyks there either.

Though my parents were born in Canada, until I went to kindergarten I spoke mostly Ukrainian. I was born and raised in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, where about 10% of the population is of Ukrainian background. I went to Ukrainian school on weekends, learned Ukrainian dancing and singing, belonged to Ukrainian youth organizations etc. Sad to say, my Ukrainian has become rusty after living in Japan for 13 years.

My parents have been actively involved in Ukrainian-Canadian organizations, and since Ukraine gained independence after the breakup of the U.S.S.R., they often traveled there to assist in the medical and educational modernization of the country. My father passed away in March 2003. One of my mother's ongoing projects is editing translations of Ukrainian writers into English. See Language Lanterns Publications. I haven't been involved with the Ukrainian community for many years, but if anybody needs some Ukraine-related information or contacts, I may be able to point you in the right direction.