In the past, crafts were a vital source of living for the people of Kysuce. They were passed down from generation to generation. Individual products differed from each other in a certain way and it was not difficult to recognize the work of individual masters.
They mostly used hand tools or simple machines in their work. The manufactured items were primarily intended for domestic consumption, for exchange or sale.
The most widespread crafts in Kysuce ivolved shingle making, basketry, carpentry, wheelwrighting, linen production, tanning, and tinsmithing as a craft representing the so-called nomadic nature.
Basket makers wove baskets for potatoes most often from green willow wicker. Wheelwrights made wagons, wheels, wooden ploughs, rakes, pitchforks from processed wood. Blacksmiths supplemented them with forged iron products, making axes and hoes. Carpenters cut logs into beams to build cottages and their adjacent buildings. Shingles were used to cover the roofs. The harsh climatic conditions in Kysucie always ensured that the shingle workers always had plenty of work.
Tinkering
Tinkering was one of the oldest supplementary jobs in Kysuce. It was a vagabond occupation directed by an unwritten law according to which everyone could stay only in certain countries and districts to avoid misunderstandings and disputes. This customary law was passed down from generation to generation. The tinsmiths were engaged in the production and sale of sheet metal, wire products and door-to-door repair of kitchen utensils.
tinker Róbert Hozák
Shingle craft
Shingles were a suitable roof covering, but also an important trade item. It was a source of considerable income for poor peasant's households. The shingle makers from Kysuce were widely recognized masters of their craft. They were often invited to work for several months far beyond the borders of the region. Any shingle maker staying at home in Kysuce used his time to go the mountains for a week and to look for suitable raw wood for shingles.
Almost every householder knew how to make shingles as they were needed to repair roofs. During the winter season, men made shingles for sale with the intention of earning some more money. Shingle making craft has not vanished from the Kysuce settlements and several shingle makers in Korňa are producing the products in small quantities even nowadays.
Basket making
In the past, basket making primarily served as production of useful household items. Basket making was mostly men's work as it was necessary to exert a certain amount of strength and effort to weave the wicker. Mr. Šulek from Olešná is a well-known basket making master of Kysuce.
texts from book: Kysuce (author: Jaroslav Velička)
