It is a sports trophy obtained at an inter-school oina (a bat-and-ball game) competition in interwar Bessarabia. We don't know which schools participated in this competition, nor the venue, we only know that one of the winners received the second prize and that the event was held on May 13, 1934. In this way we learn about the existence of different sports competitions organized by schools, including the oina game. Oina is a beautiful and complex sports game that promotes the development of body and spirit, courage and the desire for self-improvement. Oina is a treasure of the Romanian people, which must be sacredly kept and passed on to future generations.
The oină or hoina game is considered a Romanian national sports game having a history of at least six centuries. The oina game is practiced continuously, according to the chronicles and deeds of the time at least from the 14th century, being mentioned for the first time in 1364, during the reign of Vlaicu Vodă. The game requires complex sports qualities (good running speed, fast reflexes in self-defense movements against the balls, accuracy in throwing and hitting the ball with a bat or stick). Oina is a sport that identifies us to the same extent as trânta, our national wrestling. The game becomes attractive among young people in the villages, enters the school curriculum through physical education lessons. Through the Education Reform of 1898, as well as through other ministerial decisions, Education Minister Spiru Haret introduces the compulsory oina lessons in all schools, as well as the annual oina competitions.
On May 9, 1899, in Bucharest, the first national oina championship was organized, the teams being made up of high school students. The winner was the team of Nicolae Bălcescu High School from Brăila.
In 1912, the Federation of the Romanian Sports Society (Bucharest) was created, which consisted of 13 sports commissions including the oina commission.
After the Union of 1918, the Federation of the Romanian Sports Society was reorganized in 1923, including the other oina sports commissions of Transylvania, Bukovina and Bessarabia.
In 1932, the Romanian Oina Federation was founded.
Social symbols in the Bronze Age. Antler and bone scepters
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. VIII [XXIII], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică
The present study discusses the antler and bone scepters specifi c for the Romanian Bronze Age. This type of objects have been found since the Neolithic period, they are frequently encountered during the Bronze Age and rarely discovered in the first period of the Iron Age.
The majority of the pieces are made of antler and only a couple of them are made of bone. Some of the pieces, beautifully decorated have a central perforation in order to fi x it in a wooden handle. Concerning the archaeological context of the fi ndings, the majority of the objects were discovered inside the settlements and only one piece is part of the inventory of a tomb.
The antler and bone scepters have been discovered in different archaeological cultures since the Early Bronze Age, but the majority of the pieces are attributed to the Middle Bronze Age (the Monteoru, Wietenberg, Costișa, Otomani, Verbicioara cultures). For the Late Bronze Age we only know one item. The signification of such items is primarily related to the social symbolism, but they can also be interpreted as cult objects in the case of their utilization during religious rituals.
List of illustrations:
Fig. 1. Dissemination of the antler and bone scepters in România: 1 - Boarta; 2 - Bodeștii de Jos; 3 - Cicău; 4 - Lancrăm; 5 - Oradea; 6 - Racoș; 7 - Sărata Monteoru; 8 - Sibișeni; 9 - Ulmu; 10 - Verbicioara. Fig. 2. Antler fragments utilized as support for the manufacture of the scepters. Fig. 3. Tomb 71 from the necropolis no. 4 in Sărata Monteoru (after Bârzu 1989). Fig. 4. Antler scepters: 1 - Boarta (after Popa, Ștefu 2009); 2 - Lancrăm (after Aldea 1973). Fig. 5. Antler and bone scepters: 1 - Verbicioara (after Berciu, Morintz, Maximilian 1957); 2 - Sărata Monteoru (after Bârzu 1989); 3 - Ulmu (after Florescu 1991); 4 - Racoș (after Costea, Ștefănescu 2003); 5 - Cicău (after Winkler, Takács 1980); 6 - Oradea (after Fazecaș 2005); 7 - Bodeștii de Jos (after Munteanu 2010). Fig. 6. Reconstitution of a scepter (drawing D. G. Spatariu).
It is a sports trophy obtained at an inter-school oina (a bat-and-ball game) competition in interwar Bessarabia. We don't know which schools participated in this competition, nor the venue, we only know that one of the winners received the second prize and that the event was held on May 13, 1934. In this way we learn about the existence of different sports competitions organized by schools, including the oina game. Oina is a beautiful and complex sports game that promotes the development of body and spirit, courage and the desire for self-improvement. Oina is a treasure of the Romanian people, which must be sacredly kept and passed on to future generations...
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