Contemporary Cossack movement (why they have an English page is beyond me):
Moscow Cossack Center for Children and Teenagers
One of the most important goals of the current Cossack movement is the revival of traditional Cossack culture. And the best means to this goal is through giving children an education in traditional Cossack culture. To this end, enthusiasts are creating Sunday schools, Cossack Lyceums and Cossack military schools. In the summer (July),young Cossacks (age 14-17) live for a month in a Cossack camp. (And there are young cossacks not only from former USSR. There were already visitors-descendants of Cossacks living now abroad, who want to know traditions of their ancestors).
In the camp the teenagers get new Cossack uniforms, and keep those afterwords.
At the Cossack Camp on the Don the participants learn: Traditional Cossack Martial Arts (Russian fist fighting, work with shasqua/saber, kinjal, lance). Horseback riding. How to handle fire-arms. Traditional Cossack "valiant games" (games developing dexterity and sharpness). River crossing. Traditional Cossack songs (17-19th centuries), not stylization and arrangements, but in their authentic sound. Russian Orthodox traditions. Cossack and Russian history. Cossack ethics/traditions (including Cossack costume traditions).
There are also excursions to historical places such as famous battlefields of the Civil War.
The whole atmosphere is designed to be as close as possible to that of the Cossack camps of pre-soviet Russia (which means Cossack discipline, retreat, reveille, life by camp regulations and daily schedule). The instructors do everything they can to help teenagers feel that they are real Cossacks.
Location: stanitsa (large Cossack village) Golubinskaya, on the banks of the river Don (famous Cossack ataman Nekrasov was originally from there).
And here are some paragraphs from the "Cadet Code": If you are being taught - learn. There is no unnecessary (superfluous) knowledge, everything will be of use for the Motherland’s benefit. Don’t whimper! If it’s hard for you, it’s hard for everybody. Be merry, when it’s tough. Do not fuss. In order to do something fast, one has to do it calmly. Know the regulations. In them is experience, the sweat and blood of your grandfathers. Be polite with older people, whoever they are. If you feel you are right - argue your point calmly. Do not quarrel or wrangle with anybody - it debases you. The life of your friend is always more valuable than your own. You can die yourself, but rescue your friend.
http://www.cossackweb.com/cossacks/coscamp.htm
Cossack Revival By the end of 19th century, the Cossack population of the Russian Empire was about 3.5 million. Right before the bolshevist revolution there were about 4.5 million Cossacks. They lived mostly along the southern borders of the Empire (see the map of the Cossack Hosts). During the Civil War and two World Wars Cossacks suffered heavy losses.
Now the Cossack population is estimated around 4-5 million people. It is more difficult to track it down, since many Cossack descendants don't live anymore in traditional Cossack areas. Some of the Cossacks found themselves outside of Russia after the split of USSR, many Cossacks emigrated with the White Army right after the Civil War, many Cossacks left Soviet Union during WWII. Nobody knows their numbers exactly.
The first formally registered Cossack organization since the destruction of the Cossackdom was founded under the Moscow Chapter of the VOOPIK, All-Union Society for Preservation of the Monuments of History and Culture( Vsesoyznoe Obshchestvo Ohrany Pamiatnikov Istorii I Kul'tury). It was officially registered in the very beginning of 1990. After that the Cossack cultural centers, societies, etc. began growing like mushrooms after the rain. All the years of the communist rule the Cossacks remembered who they are and were waiting for the first chance to re-establish their communities, no matter to what part of the country life brought them, even if it was not a traditional Cossack region. (For example, during Soviet Years many Cossacks were moving a lot around a country. Now there are Cossack communities in Moscow and St.Petersburg areas.)
etc.
http://www.cossackweb.com/cossacks/revival.htm
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