Bulgarians: Who They Are.

This paper presents an ethnological analysis of the Bulgarian people. Part of an ethnic heritage teaching unit on Bulgarian culture, the unit is intended for use by social studies classroom teachers in elementary, junior high, and secondary schools. The paper is arranged in four major sections. Section I introduces the Bulgarians, focusing on their ethnic heritage, geographic distribution, immigration patterns, social structure, and life style. In section II, information is presented on Bulgaria's history and culture. Topics discussed include founding of the Bulgarian state in 681, domination by the Ottoman Turks, current political status, literary and religious activities among Slavs, and the role of the Bulgarian church in the movement for national independence. Section III focuses on Bulgarian saints, kings, and heroes. Among those discussed are St. Cyril and Methodius (inventors of the Cyrillic alphabet), Father Paisii of Hilendar (compiler of the first history of the Bulgarians in 1762), Asparuh (founder of the Bulgarian state in 681), and Prince Krali Marko (a Bulgarian Robin Hood). The final section focuses on Bulgarian immigrants to the United States since 1900. Most earlier immigrants were largely semiliterate villagers who came in search of economic opportunity, whereas later immigrants consisted mostly of political refugees who were generally well-educated and professional people. (DB)